Veera

15/10/2026

📢 SELF-REFERRAL CHEST X-RAY SERVICE – FOR ELIGIBLE PATIENTS

Did you know that you may be able to access a chest X-ray without needing to see your GP first?

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust is offering a self-referral chest X-ray service to help identify possible lung conditions, including lung cancer, at an earlier stage.

✅ Who can use the service?

You may be eligible if you:
• Are aged 40 or over
• Are registered with a GP practice in Calderdale or Huddersfield
• Have not had a chest X-ray in the last 3 months
• Have had one or more of the following symptoms for more than 3 weeks:

A persistent cough

Chest pain

Breathlessness

Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite

Ongoing fatigue or tiredness

📍 Where can you go?

No appointment is needed. Eligible patients can attend either:
• Community Diagnostic Centre, Broad Street Plaza, Halifax
• Community Diagnostic Centre, Southgate, Huddersfield

🕒 Opening hours:
Monday–Friday: 9am–7pm
Saturday–Sunday: 10am–4pm

What happens next?

Your X-ray will be reviewed, and the results will be sent to your GP within 2–3 weeks. If further tests are needed, your GP or the hospital will contact you.

If your symptoms persist or worsen, please contact the surgery or NHS 111.

13/10/2026

Have you spent time on a neonatal unit with your little one? 👶

Calderdale, Kirklees, and Wakefield Maternity & Neonatal Voices is sharing a lovely opportunity for families to come together, play, connect, and meet others who understand their experiences 💜

Check out the post below for all the details about the Neonatal Stay & Play!

Know any families who might be interested? Tag them or share this post to help spread the word

🌸 NEONATAL STAY & PLAY! 🌸

In honour of NICU awareness month we’re so excited to be launching this monthly group in Calderdale, in collaboration with some amazing people and organisations who are passionate about supporting neonatal families 💜

If you and your baby/babies have spent time at Calderdale neonatal unit, please come along to a welcoming space where you can:

✨ Meet other parents who have been through similar journeys
✨ Make connections and friendships
✨ Share experiences with people who really get it
✨ Spend time bonding and playing with your little one

📍 Todmorden Family Hub
⏰ 1–2:30pm
📅 29 September • 20 October • 17 November • 15 December

No need to book. Siblings are welcome too 🥰

We can’t wait to bring neonatal families together and create a little community of support 💜

12/10/2026

Hiya, We're Veera! 👋

You might notice we're looking a little different...
We've got a new name, new look, and some exciting plans for what's coming.

If you already know us through Healthwatch Kirklees and Healthwatch Calderdale, don't worry, our Healthwatch work is still continuing. You can always talk to us about your experience of health and social care 😊

But now, as Veera, we want to hear about even more things that affect you and our community...
Something happening with your housing? 🏠
Got something to say about education? 🎓
Finding it difficult to access financial support? 💷
Frustrated with getting around? 🚌
Got an idea that could make your community better? 🏘️
Or had a really positive experience that deserves to be heard? 💙

Talk To Veera.

Find out more on our website: www.veera-insight.co.uk

06/10/2026

Have you used Medequip Community Equipment Service? We'd love to hear about your experience!

One of our Engagement Officers is out with Medequip team today, listening to people and finding out about their experiences with the service.

If you've used Medequip for equipment or support, how was your experience?
What worked well? Was there anything that could have been better?

Tell us in the comments, send us a private message, or complete our survey: https://healthwatchkirkleesandcalderdale.com/your-views/

Your experiences help us understand what's working and where things could improve, so please share this post with anyone who has used Medequip too!

01/10/2026

Are you a patient at Elmwood Family Doctors or Meltham Village Surgery? We want to hear from you!

We recently visited both practices as part of our Enter and View work, speaking to patients and staff about their experiences.

Now it's your turn!

Whether you've had a positive experience or think something could be better, your feedback matters and can help us understand what's working well and where improvements could be made.

Share your experience through our survey: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/t/T3M0P7PatientEV/

The survey will close on 5 October.

Know someone who uses either practice? Share this post with them so they can have their say too 😊

Elmwood Family Doctors

17/09/2026

Meaningful engagement is more than asking people what they think 💬

It's reaching people who aren't always heard. Listening without judgement. Building trust. And most importantly, making sure people can see that sharing their experience matters.

That's what we know how to do as Healthwatch. And now with our launch in October, as Veera, we can do even more of it! 💜

We're here to bring communities and organisations together, turn real experiences into meaningful insights, and help people's voices influence change.

Because better decisions start with better listening 👂

15/09/2026

Healthwatch is continuing AND we're growing what we can do 💙

As Veera, we'll continue all our Healthwatch work across Kirklees and Calderdale - listening to your experiences of health and social care and making sure your voice is heard by the people who can make a difference.

But Veera means we can listen more widely too 👂

We will want to hear about:
❤️Health and social care
🏠Housing
🚘Travel and transport
🎓Learning and education
🌳Community and your local area
💵Money and financial support

Because our experiences don't fit neatly into boxes. All of these different things can affect how we live and feel.

Whatever your experience, Talk to Veera 📢

We're here to listen, understand, and help your voice influence positive change.

07/09/2026

Your experiences can help make health and social care better.

At Healthwatch Kirklees, we listen to what local people tell us about health and social care. We listen to what's working well, what isn't, and what needs to change.

We make sure those experiences are heard by people who plan and provide services, helping to influence improvements across Kirklees.

Want to see the difference your voices have helped make?
2025/26 Annual report:https://healthwatchkirkleesandcalderdale.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/HWKHWC-Annual-Report-25to26.pdf
2024/25 Annual report:https://healthwatchkirkleesandcalderdale.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/HW-Kirk-Cal-Annual-Report.pdf
2023/24 Annual report:https://healthwatchkirkleesandcalderdale.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/annual-report-FINAL.pdf

As Parliament considers the future of Healthwatch, we're proud of what we've achieved alongside local people and of the important role local Healthwatch continues to play in making sure your voices are heard.

Kim Leadbeater MBE Paul Davies MP Harpreet Uppal MP Jade Botterill MP - We'd encourage you to take a look at the impact Healthwatch is making in Kirklees.

And to everyone locally: keep sharing your experience with us. Your voice matters.

03/09/2026

How long should families have to wait for answers about dementia?

The BBC has highlighted the experience of families facing long waits for a dementia diagnosis - an issue that we feel is familiar to many people locally.

When we spoke to more than 130 people affected by dementia across Kirklees and Calderdale, we heard similar experiences. People told us about delays in getting a diagnosis, concerns initially being put down to ageing, and not always knowing where to turn to for support.

Our research also highlighted how much pressure this can place on families and unpaid carers.

BBC story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgyp2n1e75o

Our local report:https://healthwatchkirkleesandcalderdale.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Understanding-Experiences-of-Dementia-Care-and-Support-in-Kirklees-and-Calderdale.pdf

What's your experience?
Have you or someone you care for experienced difficulties getting a dementia diagnosis or accessing support afterwards?

Hundreds of families say they have had to wait months or even years for a dementia diagnosis for a loved one.

01/09/2026

We’re excited to share an important update about the future of our charity...

From September, you’ll start to see a new name and look as our charity becomes Veera.

But our Healthwatch work is not ending.

We will continue to listen to people’s experiences of health and social care in Kirklees and Calderdale and make sure those voices are heard by the people who plan and provide services.
Veera will build on this work and give us more opportunities to listen to people about other issues that affect their lives.

Our new name reflects how we work:
V – Voice
Giving people the chance to share what matters to them.
E – Engage
Going out into communities and listening.
E – Empower
Helping more people feel able to have their say.
R – Research
Turning people’s experiences into useful evidence.
A – Action
Using what we learn to help influence positive change.

Voice. Engage. Empower. Research. Action.

These five ideas are at the heart of Veera.

However, our Healthwatch work will still continue.

We still want to hear about your experiences of GPs, hospitals, dentists, pharmacies, mental health services, social care, and other health and care services.

Whether something went well, something went wrong, or you have an idea about how services could improve, we still want to hear from you.

Alongside this work, Veera will allow us to listen to people about a wider range of topics, such as housing, transport, education, money and community life.

Our aim remains simple: to make sure people’s experiences are heard, understood, and used to help make things better.

You’ll start to see the Veera name and branding during September, before our official launch in October.

Throughout the change, our work continues as usual. You can still talk to us, share your experiences, take part in our projects and get involved.

If you have any questions or concerns about what this change means, please get in touch; we'll be happy to talk them through.