Signposting
Do you want to know more about your rights to a service?
Do you need to find out where to ask for support?
This section gives you access to useful information on local and national services, as well as how to complain and advice on obtaining advocacy.
Local knowledge
Health and social care commissioners and providers use national and local statistics and research to planning future services and making decisions on how to spend their budgets.
This page has downloads and links to some of this research and future plans and strategies.
Safe Surguries in Croydon
Healthwatch Croydon is to gather and represent the opinions of residents advocating for health and social care outcomes. As part of this commitment we would like to share information about the Safe Surgeries initiative in Croydon.
Accessible Healthcare for All: Your Right to Register
In England it is your entitlement to receive care from a General Practitioner (GP). We are dedicated to ensuring that this right is respected without any obstacles. When you visit a Safe Surgery in Croydon here’s what you can expect:
Address Not Required: In Croydon there is no need for you to provide an address when accessing healthcare services. It’s important to highlight that your address is not necessary for receiving care.
Inclusivity Matters: Your nationality or immigration status has no bearing on your ability to access healthcare services in Croydon. There’s no requirement, for immigration documents.
Protection of Your Information: We. Prioritise data security and privacy. Rest assured that when you seek healthcare services in Croydon your information remains confidential and secure.
Welcoming Everyone:
In collaboration, with Doctors of the World UK, Safe Surgeries in Croydon is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for everyone seeking healthcare services. We firmly believe that discrimination should never have a place in our practices and we are fully committed to providing care without any biases.
We firmly stand against any form of discrimination based on;
Race
Gender
Gender Identity
Sexual Orientation
Immigration Status
Any other personal characteristic
Healthwatch Croydon takes pride in supporting and promoting the Safe Surgeries program in our community. Our ultimate aim is to ensure that you feel valued and well taken care of when accessing healthcare services.
Your well being is incredibly important, to us. We are here to offer you unwavering support throughout your journey.
ICN Networks
There have been a lot of changes in Croydon’s health and social care services over the past three years, part of these changes were the new plans for Integrated Care Networks (ICN’s) which essentially help to ensure that services across health and social care disciplines speak to each other and are easier for Croydon residents to navigate. Some of these changes have been facilitated by One Croydon, who are a group of organisations that have come together to ensure that communities are represented for the inclusive commissioning of services
To read more integrated care, white paper in easy read format, click here.
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
The purpose of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment is to improve the health and wellbeing of the local community and reduce inequalities for all ages. JSNAs assess the current and future health and social care needs of the local community. These are needs that could be met by the local authority, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), the wider NHS or the voluntary and community sector. This analysis of needs is used to help to determine what actions local authorities, the local NHS and other partners need to take to meet health and social care needs, and to address the wider determinants that impact on health and wellbeing.
The JSNA is the responsibility of the health and wellbeing board. The board is made up of representatives from the Clinical Commissioning Group, the local authority, the health services, other statutory bodies, community and voluntary groups.
Croydon Council’s Public Health department
The role of the public health team is to involve everyone in improving the health and wellbeing, reducing inequalities and increasing life expectancy of all people in Croydon. Find out more about what they do here.
Public Health England Health report for Croydon
Public Health England exist to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. They produce reports for every English area. See Croydon’s report published on 4 July 2017 by clicking here
Croydon Observatory
The Croydon Observatory provides access to data and information about Croydon. It is an information sharing, mapping and reporting website that can be used by anyone. Information and data on this website can be used by local government, community and voluntary sector organisations, partnership members, businesses, students and the public.
Find out how to find an NHS Dentist
Do You Need to Register?
Unlike with GP surgeries, you don’t need to formally register with a dentist to receive care. While some dental practices may ask you to fill in a registration form for their records, it doesn’t guarantee future access to NHS dental appointments.
Where to Search
You have the flexibility to choose a dentist that suits your convenience. You’re not limited to your nearest or local dentist, as dentists don’t have catchment areas. Consider areas near your work or study location.
Finding a Dentist Online
Our NHS Find a dentist search tool simplifies the process. It lists dental practices in your local area based on your postcode, town, or city. Each listing provides contact details, whether they’re accepting new NHS patients, and the last update date. If information isn’t available, feel free to contact the practice directly.
Need Assistance?
For MPs and their staff seeking more information on services in their area, the Social and General Statistics section of the Commons Library can provide additional details.
Urgent or Emergency Treatment
For urgent dental needs, contact your usual dentist first. If that’s not possible, the NHS 111 service can help you find emergency or out-of-hours treatment. Please note that GPs should not be contacted for dental care.
NHS Dental Charges
NHS dental charges vary based on the treatment provided, ranging from £25.80 for urgent care to £306.80 for a ‘Band 3’ course of treatment. You can find a breakdown on the NHS webpage “Understanding NHS Dental Charges.” Some individuals are entitled to free dental treatment, and details on how to apply for the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS) are available.
Making a Complaint
If you encounter difficulties finding an NHS dental appointment, reach out to your local integrated care board (ICB) responsible for dental services. Complainants can seek support from NHS Complaints Advocates and, if not satisfied with the outcome, contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
NHS Changes
Healthwatch Croydon is currently jointly working with Healthwatch Richmond, Healthwatch Kingston Upon Thames, Healthwatch Sutton, Healthwatch Merton, and Healthwatch Wandsworth to help to inform the NHS Long term plan, our finding where presented at the South London Quality Surveillance Group and we also created a full report on our findings, both can be downloaded below.
Presentation for South London Quality Meeting – October 2019 – SWL STP
SWL Healthwatch NHS Long Term Plan Engagement Report 2019
South West london NHS CCG merger update.
As you might be aware Croydon CCG will be merging into South West London CCG, on the 23rd October we hosted an event alongside CCG to find out the resident viewpoint. We have since published a mini-report which includes the transcripts of the event. You can find the full report, press release and the full presentation via this link.
Since our publication on the 5th February Croydon CCG, has also published details of the new Health and Care Plan 2020, the new plan coincides with national NHS objectives to:
- Focus on prevention and proactive care: supporting people to stay well, manage their own health and maintain their wellbeing by making sure they can get help early.
- Unlock the power of communities: connecting people to their neighbours and communities, who can provide unique support to stay fit and healthy for longer.
- Develop services in the heart of the community: giving people easy access to joined up services that are tailored to the needs of their local community
Full details can be found on Croydon CCG’s website, as well as a downloadable copy of the plan itself via the link supplied below:
http://www.croydonccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/croydon-health-and-care-plan/Pages/default.aspx
If you were not yet aware that our local CCG will be merging with South West London CCG, then we have all the information you need to get informed. The clinical commissioning group plays a vital role in procuring our local NHS services, so this merger will impact Croydon residents. Our role as Healthwatch Croydon is to hear the voice of the patient, on the 23rd of October we helped to facilitate a public forum to further consult with the public on these changes we also heard from the Clinical Lead of the CCG Dr Angelo Fernandes and a representative from the engagement team at the CCG. Below you will find a highly informative presentation of what the merger will entail and more importantly what it means for the people of Croydon.
SWL Merger Healthwatch Croydon public meeting 23 October 2019 v3
Croydon Health and Care Plan 2019-2025 – we need your views
People living and working in Croydon are invited to give their feedback on the draft Croydon Health and Care Plan for 2019-25. The plan has been developed by NHS organisations, Croydon Council and voluntary organisations in the borough who have worked together to review the local community’s health and care needs for the future. It also builds on ideas and feedback from engagement with local people and our health and care staff.
The plan describes the vision, priorities and actions which no single organisation can achieve alone; where health, social care and the voluntary sector working together will have maximum impact. The draft plan is designed to support the borough’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy which is available to view on the Croydon Council website
You can find the full and summary versions of the draft plan here, where there is also a short survey asking for your views on the priorities and actions that we have set out. Please give us your views by Monday 17 June 2019.
There is major change coming for Croydon’s health and social care services in the form of Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs)
What are STPs?
STPs are five-year plans covering all areas of NHS spending in England. The proposed scope of STPs is broad. NHS England and other national bodies set out around 60 questions for local leaders to consider in their plans, covering three headline areas:
- improving quality and developing new models of care;
- improving health and wellbeing;
- and improving efficiency of services.
Leaders have been asked to identify the key priorities for their local area to meet these challenges and deliver financial balance. While the guidance focuses mainly on NHS services, STPs must also cover better integration with council services. You can find out more information about STPs in general here (Kings Fund website). Kings Fund have also published a review of all 44 plans which will give you and overview of the themes across England, click here to read.
So what is happening in Croydon?
Croydon is part of the South West London NHS which is a consortium of Clinical Commissioning Groups in the region of which also includes Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton and Wandsworth). They published their report in November 2016 and the consultation process is now beginning.
The plan for Croydon is part of the South West London Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) which can be viewed and downloaded from at South West London Collaborative Commissioning website where there is a lot of information about the process.
You can also see document on Croydon STP Commissioning Intentions 2017-19, dated 30 September 2016 and presented at Croydon’s Health and Wellbeing Board on 19 October 2016, below
Our November 2016 Open Forum was on STPs and you can read the press release and report here.
On 30 November 2017, the now renamed South West London Health and Care Partnership have published their report: South West London Health and Care Partnership:One year on, which you can download below. It contains a lot of information on what they have done in the past year as well as profiling Croydon’s health and social care challenges and some ideas on how to tackle them and as well as insight of what is being planned. Give us your views on what is being proposed.
We will update with more information on this page as we receive it.
Healthwatch Croydon has produced Healthwatch Croydon and the Sustainability and Transformation Plan which shows how we plan to engage with the process.
We welcome any Croydon resident to contact us if they need more information, or want to give their views on proposals.
Planned care
We organised a Meet the Changemakers event in March to bring residents and commissioners together so that questions about service change could be answered directly. You can see the scripts of these on the Our Reports page.
See the information sheets from the commissioners below:
Anticoagulation factsheet – March 2018
Dermatology factsheet – March 2018 – no discussion at event
Diabetes factsheet – March 2018
Ear Nose and Throat/ Audiology Factsheet – March 2018
Gynaecology fact sheet – March 2018 – no discussion at event
Downloads
South West London Healthwatch NHS Long Term Plan Engagement
