News and reports

Healthwatch Croydon was commissioned by Croydon Health Services NHS Trust to better understand the experiences of patients at Purley Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) which is a new set of services launched at Purley War Memorial Hospital from January 2024. Insights from which would inform potential needs and unidentified opportunities for the New Addington CDC due to open in July 2025. The team surveyed 120 patients within Purley CDC and sought insight from 50 residents in New Addington, ten from focus group, and 40 from a survey. All insight was undertaken between February and March 2025.

Healthwatch Croydon surveyed patients on specialist eye care waiting times, trust in opticians, service accessibility, and needed improvements.

As part of Healthwatch Croydon’s Annual Meeting on 6 November 2024 at the Clocktower Café in central Croydon, there was a public discussion, section under the title: Your views on health inequalities. Residents had the opportunity to share their views on health inequalities in Croydon to help inform the borough’s new Health and Care Plan.

This session was focused on hearing experiences as residents and as people and organisations supporting people living in Croydon who are dealing with the impact of health inequalities on their lives, their health (physical and mental) and their wellbeing

The One Croydon Alliance: Strengthening Community Support, find out more about the challenges and key insights for the VCFS.

Would you use the new Croydon ‘hospital at home’ service? patients praise initiative in new Healthwatch Croydon report.

Virtual wards a success but ‘will not replace face-to-face care’

Understanding the Accessible Information Standard

The Accessible Information Standard (AIS) helps health and care services meet the needs of patients and carers with communication needs. This includes individuals with sensory loss, neurological conditions, neurodiversity, and learning disabilities. AIS requires service providers to identify, record, flag, share, and meet patients' communication needs to ensure fair healthcare access. A short NHS England video describing AIS is available at the bottom of this page.

This report was funded by the Care Quality Commission(CQC) and supports their wider work in engaging with seldom listened to groups. Healthwatch Croydon worked closely with the Rainbow Health Centre to interview and survey 58 vulnerable migrants from 24 countries, living in Croydon. Our thanks to all who participated in the survey and interviews and to Rainbow Health Centre staff and the Best Western Queens Hotel Crystal Palace management for enabling access to participants.

Healthwatch services for Croydon have been under management by Public Voice CIC since July 2023, following a re-tender process by Croydon Council.

All reports before this date relate to work undertaken by the previous contract holder, Healthwatch Croydon Ltd.

Healthwatch Croydon conducted a survey with students in two Croydon schools, aimed at understanding their mental health needs. The report highlights key challenges, including stress and stigma, and provides recommendations for improving mental health support for young people in the area.

In June 2023, Healthwatch Croydon conducted a review of Croydon’s GP websites to assess their accessibility, user-friendliness, and digital services. The 'mystery shop' was undertaken with a focus on patient experience and identifying key areas of improvements to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of GP websites.

Funded by NHS England, Healthwatch Croydon was commissoned to understand the views of the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities surrounding the Covid-19 and flu vaccinations.

Read the full report