Healthwatch Tower Hamlets Newsletter: March 2026
Healthwatch Tower Hamlets welcomes you to read: ✨The March edition of our newsletter✨
Healthwatch is an independent organisation that champions the views of health and social care service users. We strive to make sure that health and social care services are meeting local needs and ensure that the public's voice is heard.
Table of contents
- Community Events & Training
- Latest Reports
- Winter Healthcare Updates
- Volunteering Opportunities
-
Services in Tower Hamlets
Events, Surveys & Training
🌸Make Connections And Build Strength In These Free Exercise Classes For Women!🌸
Event Time and Location
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 10 AM - 12 PM
Location: Nari Centre, 61 Vallance Road, E1 5BW
These free, women-only exercise sessions are designed for women to build strength and mobility.
Come along and meet new people in your community, get active, and have a cuppa!💚✨
If you are interested, contact 07944966141 or send an email to info@safh.org.uk to get in touch.
Free SEND inclusive Thai boxing classes for 5-11 year olds!
Session Time and Location
Session Times: Mondays 17:00 - 18:00 PM/ Wednesdays 16:30 - 17:30 PM/ Saturdays 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Location: The Glasshouse, Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green London, E2 9QB
The Thai Boxing Fighters Academy is offering FREE Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) inclusive classes for children aged 5-11!
Bring your children along to one of these Thai boxing sessions to learn new skills, build confidence and make new friends💚✨
If you are interested, contact 07769797916 or send an email to thaiboxingfightersacademy@yahoo.co.uk to get in touch.
Free home security for victims of domestic abuse in Tower Hamlets
The Sanctuary Project aims to prevent homelessness amongst victims of domestic abuse by allowing victims to remain safely within the home💚
To be able to access this service, the victim:
~ Must be a resident of Tower Hamlets
~ Must be a sole tenant (if it is in joint tenancy, the victim must get an occupation order or remove the perpetrator’s name from the tenancy)
~ Must want to remain in the property and want security installed
~ Must have a valid legal order in place against the perpetrator especially if the risks are high (if not then the reason stated why)
~ Must report incidents i.e. to the police, Tower Hamlets Council, Victim Support Tower Hamlets, Health professionals etc
For more information or to make a referral, please contact LBTH VAWG and Domestic Abuse duty line 08002795434 or 02073644986 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). Or send an email to domestic.violence@towerhamlets.gov.uk.cjsm.net to get in touch.
Connect and get creative within your community!
Come along and connect with your community through creativity and conversation by joining our intergenerational arts project, Creative Mix!💚
This event is open to people aged 50+ who want to try something new.
A light lunch will be provided and you can look forward to wholesome fun and great conversations✨
The next session is on Wednesday 18th March, 1:30pm - 3:30pm at Pott Street, Bethnal Green
Email info@magicme.co.uk to book your place now!
Online Health Service support for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Workshop Time & Location:
Date: Wednesday 18th March 2026
Time: 10:45 AM - 13:00 PM
Location: deafPLUS, Trinity Centre, Key Close, London, E1 4HG
This free workshop aims to help anyone who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing use NHS digital services more confidently!
The session can help with:
✅Support with online NHS services, including the NHS app
✅Booking GP appointments online
✅Help using smartphones, tablets, and computers
This will be a friendly, no pressure workshop where you will be able to go at your own pace✨
Email caroline.montgomery@deafplus.org to book your place!
Is Your Child Under Two Years Old? Share Your Experience As A Parent Or Carer Today!
As part of the national evaluation of the Start for Life programme, we are asking parents and carers of children under the age of two to complete a short 20-minute survey about you and your child.
Parents and caregivers have an essential role in child development, and we think that hearing from you will help improve services for families and carers.
A £20 shopping voucher will also be offered as a thank you!🎉
Any Questions? Email pathways@annafreud.org
Watch a short video here to find out more
Have You Or Your Child Visited The GP About A Dental Problem? We Want To Hear From You!
The DEEP (Dental Patient Encounters in General Medical Practice) research study team at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) are working with Social Action for Health to explore why people contact GPs for dental problems rather than dentists.🦷
If you or your child have visited a GP about a dental problem the DEEP research study team at QMUL would like to hear from you!
You will join a one-to 1½ hour focus group in Hackney, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, or Waltham Forest to talk about your feelings, experiences, and decision-making.
You will also be offered a £25 supermarket voucher in a thanks for your time!🎉
Sharing your experiences will help design health services that make it easier for people to get the right treatment, at the right time and at the right place to improve their health and well-being.✨
If you are interested, get in touch on 07944966141 or send an email to info@safh.org.uk .
Help Shape The Design Of The New Genomics Health Hub!
The NHS North Thames Genomics Medicine Service are looking to collaborate with local communities to create an easy-access online Genomics Health Hub!✨
As the NHS expands the use of genomics to improve treatment and guide testing, your views will help ensure that genomic health information is accessible and reflects the needs and experiences of local communities!
This Genomics Health Hub will then hopefully give more communities the opportunity to benefit from advances in genomic healthcare🎉
We ask you to take this short survey to help shape the final design of the hub today by following the link below
For more information or to collaborate, contact the NT Genomic Medicine Service: nt-gmsa@gosh.nhs.uk
Our Recent Activity✨
The 2026 Barts Health Heroes Awards
One of our Advisory Board Members, Leo Conrad D’Souza, attended the Barts Health Heroes Awards 2026 ceremony where colleagues, patients and partners gathered to celebrate inspirational achievements spanning direct patient care, leadership and community impact✨
After attending the event, Leo told us how he was
"Struck by how many of the awards recognised not just clinical excellence, but humanity: colleagues going the extra mile for patients, and staff supporting one another behind the scenes"
and left the ceremony reminded of how
"the real heroes are the people who show up every day with commitment and heart”.
There were a number of winners and nominees from The Royal London Hospital, Tower Hamlets who you can read about in the article on our website!
User Experience of the NHS App
Do you use the NHS App? Healthwatch Tower Hamlets is currently conducting research on the patient awareness, usage and general experience of the NHS App. We would like to hear you, regardless of whether you use the NHS App or not!
This will help us identify any barriers that prevent Tower Hamlets residents from using the NHS App and improve the availability of digital inclusion support🔎
We attended the Tower Hamlets Community Safeguarding Conference 2026
On the 10th of February, Healthwatch Tower Hamlets attended the Community Safeguarding Conference at Tower Hamlets Town Hall.
We were invited to present the findings of our "Preparing for Adulthood" report, which highlights the experiences of young people with special educational needs and disabilities preparing for adulthood and their transition to adult services.
We were thankful for the opportunity to present our research and enjoyed networking with other community organisations about how to protect vulnerable adults together💚.
If you are interested in this research, you can read the full report down below:
Latest Reports
We recently published our Patient Experience Report for July-September 2025!
Our patient experience programme gathers feedback from patients accessing health and social care services in Tower Hamlets. We then produce a quarterly report that analyses the data and summarises our findings!
Read the report below to see our key takeaways:
Read Our Patient Experience Report Here
Refugee and asylum seekers’ experiences of using the NHS
Healthwatch England recently published an article on the experiences of refugee and asylum seekers using the NHS.
The feedback they collected suggested that many refugees and asylum seekers face barriers to getting the care that they need. Furthermore, it suggested that when these groups can access health care, it can sometimes be culturally inappropriate or insensitive.
Some of the highlighted barriers to accessing NHS care included a lack of awareness on how the NHS works, digital exclusion, financial exclusion and language barriers.
The article also made recommendations for how NHS services can be more accessible for refugees and asylum seekers. For example, the availability of interpreters and translated materials as well as culturally competent and trauma-informed care.
AI in NHS care: what do people think?
The 10-Year Health Plan aims to ‘make the NHS the most AI-enabled care system in the world’. To understand whether AI is improving care, Healthwatch England reviewed feedback from the public about the technology in 2025.
Overall, people appeared happy for services to use AI and other online systems when they work effectively and are not exclusionary. But concerns were also raised, including poor experiences of the accuracy and safety of AI in the NHS.
The report highlighted how the NHS must now keep pace with the fast-moving roll out of AI and ensure measures are in place to prevent clinical harm or poor experiences.
All of the insights from the public feedback on AI in NHS care can be read in the article below.
Spring Healthcare Updates
NHS launches major campaign to support millions more people with anxiety disorders through self-referred talking therapies!
Around one in five adults in England (an estimated 9.4 million) are affected by a common mental health condition.
Despite this figure, a new NHS survey of over 2,000 adults found that nearly 3 in 5 delay seeking support as they feel the conditions are “not serious enough” – with 1 in 5 not seeking help at all.
With millions still missing out on available support, the NHS has launched a landmark new campaign urging those facing 6 common anxiety conditions that treatment is available and to come forward for support🎉.
NHS talking therapies provide people with practical skills and techniques to overcome a range of mental health conditions like OCD, social anxiety disorder, PTSD, panic disorder, body dysmorphic disorder and phobias.
✅Anyone can self-refer online without needing to see their GP or have an already diagnosed mental health condition at http://nhs.uk/talk
You can read stories of how NHS talking therapy changed people's lives for the better in the full article using the link below:
"The NHS is finally on the road to recovery" as waiting list is lowest in almost 3 years
The NHS delivered more elective activity in 2025 than any other year in its history, helping cut the waiting list by more than 330,000, now at its lowest level since February 2023!🎉
The progress comes thanks to the Elective Reform Plan, which led to an expansion of community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs, creating more evening and weekend clinics, as well as sending patients ‘straight to test’ rather than multiple clinic visits.
The NHS has also invested in innovative modern technology for example, robotic-assisted surgeries. This new technology speeds up procedures and increases precision – getting more patients home and recovering faster.✨
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting said:
“This progress is driven by unprecedented investment and modernisation of our health service, and above all by the dedication of NHS staff.”
“There’s so much more to do, but people can take hope and optimism from the fact that the NHS is finally on the road to recovery.”
The National Cancer Plan has been published!
The National Cancer Plan is a ten-year strategy covering cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and research.
Some of its main aims are:
✅For 75% of people diagnosed with cancer to survive for five years or more by 2035.
✅For a full rollout of lung screening by 2030
✅To increase earlier diagnosis
✅To meet all cancer waiting times targets by 2029
Cancer outcomes in England have lagged behind comparable countries for decades, so it’s hopeful to see improving cancer survival highlighted at the centre of the plan🎉
But there's still a lack of detail on how these aims will be implemented thus the next important step for government will be translating the plan into delivery!💻
Volunteering and Work Opportunities
Become a SEND Champion Today and Make a Difference!
Women's Inclusive Team are looking for local Somali-speaking volunteers to support families with children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
By becoming a SEND Champion, you’ll help connect families with the right information and services in Tower Hamlets, making a real difference in the community!
If you’re interested, please get in touch with Ilham Yusuf on
07508 906082.
Work with us
Partner with us
If your organisation would like to partner with us on a particular project, please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you about potential opportunities to work with local organisations and teams.
If you wish to talk about commissioning a piece of work please contact the team.
Join our team
We advertise our vacancies on a variety of websites. Please visit www.uk.indeed.com, www.charityjob.co.uk or www.jobs.thirdsector.co.uk and search for Healthwatch Tower Hamlets or Your Voice in Health and Social Care (YVHSC) to locate details of our opportunities.
Internship Opportunities
Healthwatch Tower Hamlets service benefits from internship placements throughout the year!
Candidates get involved in all aspects of the Healthwatch service, from outreach and engagement, to running focus and supporting research studies, participating in Enter & View visits and writing up reports and findings.
Our internships are managed through the YVHSC Volunteer Hub. Please contact the Hub on vip@yvhsc.org.uk or 020 3886 0839 for more information.
Click here for further information
Volunteer with us!
Volunteer with Healthwatch Tower Hamlets and boost your CV!
Volunteering with us will help you learn new skills or develop existing ones and gain valuable work experience. We provide training in research, data analysis, report writing and much more!
For further information contact our volunteer hub on: vip@yvhsc.org.uk or info@healthwatchtowerhamlets.co.uk Call: 07944931223
Click here for further information
Charity Worker Discounts✨
Join over 104k+ charity workers today!
Whether you work or volunteer for a charity, they have a huge range of discounts, money-saving deals and vouchers, from discount holidays and money off fashion fixes, through to deals on gym memberships, mobile phones, and utilities.
Click here for further information
Help to make a complaint
We understand that complaining about NHS or social care services can feel daunting. Check out our top tips and guidance to help you through the process.
Cost of Living Crisis
At Healthwatch Tower Hamlets we want to support our residents during this difficult time when energy prices and the general cost of living have increased. We have put together a list of support services and organisations that are offering residents help with food and energy bills, as well as advice on things like debt and money management.
Click here for more information
How we help you at Healthwatch Tower Hamlets
If you’ve recently visited your doctor, or local hospital, or used any health and care services in Tower Hamlets we want to hear from you.
Whether you’ve had a good or bad experience, we can use your feedback to improve services for everyone and we have the power to make NHS leaders and other care providers listen to what you have to say.
We’re completely independent and impartial and anything you say is confidential. Our service is free, simple to use and can make a real difference to people in Tower Hamlets and beyond. For information and signposting service, contact us via our freephone 0800 145 5343, or email us info@healthwatchtowerhamlets.co.uk
