Frequently asked questions - and joining us

Healthwatch Havering does not deal with individual complaints - there are other ways of dealing with them through the services in question and if we are approached we will ensure that you are referred to the right people. But we do make a note of all complaints we hear of and, if a pattern emerges that indicates there is a problem, we will follow that up.

You may find the following contact details useful...

Healthwatch Havering is not responsible for the context of other organisations' websites.

Havering Council deals with Adult Social Care (including Mental Health), Children's Services, Housing Services and a range of other local government services: telephone 01708 434343 or click for their website

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT) is repsonsible for Queen's and King George Hospitals: telephone 01708 435000 or click for their website

Carepoint offers individual information and advice to adults who have health or social care issues: telephone 01708 776770 & ask for Care Point, email Carepoint@familymosaic.co.uk or click here for their website

NHS England deals with complaints about General Practice, Dentists, Pharmacists and Opticians: telephone 0300 311 22 33 or click here for their website

The Patients Association helpline is the national non-disease specific helpline for anyone trying to navigate the often complex health and social care systems in the UK. The helpline service is free and confidential. The practical information and guidance the helpline gives covers:

-          access to treatments

-          concern about treatments

-          how to make a complaint about any health or social care service

-          social care

-          patient’s rights and responsibilities

-          changing (or finding) your GP or dentist

-          seeing your medical records

The helpline will often signpost callers to other organisations when appropriate.

A call back service is provided for those who call out of hours. The helpline number 020 8423 8999 is open Mon-Fri 9.30am – 5.00pm or they can be emailed at helpline@patients-association.com.

Advocacy is a support service which can help people to express their views, secure their rights, represent their interests and obtain services they need.

Advocates work in partnership with the people they support and take their side. Advocacy promotes social inclusion, equality and social justice.

In Havering, the service is provided by Havering MIND. For more information, click here

We welcome volunteers of all ages, ethnicities and abilities who have an interest in any aspect of health and social care. There is a wide variety of roles, one of which is sure to suit you.

Whether you are a healthcare professional, social or care worker, service user, carer or just interested in health and social care, so long as you can spare a few hours a month, we want to hear from you...

For more details, click the links below.

For more information email us at enquiries@healthwatchhavering.co.uk, call us on 01708 303300 or write to us at Freepost HEALTHWATCH HAVERING (no stamp needed)

No. Healthwatch is independent of both the NHS and local government (although our funding comes from the government via the local authority).

This gives us the independence to be a "critical friend" to all levels of the NHS and local government.

No, Healthwatch Havering are commissioned by the Council of the London Borough of Havering and we are accountable to them for the use of the public money we spend; but the Council has no say over our day-to-day activities or work programmes.

Havering Council has produced at directory that gives details of the care homes in the borough.

Click here for Havering Council's Directory of Care Homes

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have produced an interactive map, showing the location of every care home in England. To find the location of care homes in and around Havering, click on the link below, then enter the postcode RM1 3NH (the postcode of Healthwatch Havering's office in Romford), then go to the pinpoints that surround it.

Click here for the CQC interactive map

If you need a GP but your usual surgery is closed, call NHS 111 on 111, or the Havering Health call centre on 020 3770 1888.

Out of hours services are provided through Havering Health Limited, a consortium of local GPs.

For more detail, see below.

If you need to have a blood test, there are a number of location in and around Havering where you can go. Please see the list below...