Healthwatch Doncaster

21/08/2026

📣 We’ve listened. Now we’re asking for action on DRI parking.

Over recent weeks, people across Doncaster have shared their experiences of the move from ANPR pay-on-exit to pay-and-display parking at Doncaster Royal Infirmary at the Women’s & Children’s Hospital car park.

We’ve heard from patients, parents, carers, disabled people, hospital staff and local residents.

The message has been clear: the issue isn’t simply paying for parking. It’s being asked to predict how long healthcare will take when nobody can know the answer.

Healthwatch Doncaster exists to make sure local people’s experiences reach those who can make change. So we have now published an open letter to Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, as well as local MPs, calling for:

📍 ANPR pay-on-exit to be reinstated at the Women’s & Children’s Hospital
📍 Enforcement to be suspended and recent penalty charges reviewed
📍 A genuine, independently facilitated consultation with the people who use and work at the hospital

People have spoken clearly. We’re making sure their voices are heard.

👇 Read our open letter and the evidence from Doncaster residents below.

13/08/2026

👻 You’re not a ghost. So why could you disappear from your GP’s list?

This amazing video, created by Dr Adam Janjua, GP, wants to raise awareness of NHS England currently carrying out checks of GP patient lists across England.

But GPs have raised concerns that some people could be removed if they don’t see or respond to communications asking them to confirm their details.

🎥 Dr Adam Janjua, GP and Chief Executive Officer of the Consortium of Lancashire & Cumbria LMCs, has made this short video to explain why he’s concerned.

Adam told Healthwatch Doncaster:

“This programme of patient removals by NHS England treats silence as proof that a patient no longer exists. But the people who don't reply to an official letter aren't ghosts - they're often the most vulnerable patients we have: the elderly, the isolated, those who struggle with English or with paperwork.

They're being quietly (but rapidly) removed from their GP list without ever knowing, and they'll only find out when they're ill and discover they no longer have a doctor.

We made this film because these patients deserve someone to notice they've gone. We're grateful to Healthwatch colleagues for helping make sure they're seen”

💗 Please watch and share Adam’s video - particularly with someone who might not see or respond to NHS communications.

And make sure your GP practice has your up-to-date address and contact details.

🎥 youtube.com/watch?v=MGFUKP70ZwE

Have you or someone you support been unexpectedly removed from a GP list? Healthwatch Doncaster wants to hear from you!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

05/08/2026

📢 Have your say: Changes to parking at Doncaster Royal Infirmary

You may have seen the recent news about changes to the parking system at Doncaster Royal Infirmary for the Women’s & Childrens’s patient & visitor car park.

At Healthwatch Doncaster, we want to understand how these changes are affecting patients, carers, visitors and staff. We're looking to build a balanced picture of people's experiences.

💬 We'd love to hear from you:
• Have you used the new parking system?
• Did you experience any problems?
• Has it made your visit easier or more difficult?
• If you could change one thing, what would it be?
• Any other past experiences, which makes you worried about using the new system?

Whether your experience has been positive, negative or somewhere in between, your feedback matters. It helps us understand how changes are working.

Share your thoughts here:
https://yourvoicedoncaster.org.uk/contact-us/ -form

Or email us at [email protected]

Or comment below.

Thank you for helping us make sure local people's voices are heard. Please share this so we can hear from lots of people!

13/07/2026

Musculoskeletal Community Event!

Are you living with pain? Whether it’s a new ache or something more persistent, this community event has something for you.

Join us for an afternoon and evening focused on support, advice, and practical ways to improve your wellbeing. There will be a wide range of activities and services available, so you can explore what works best for you.

What to expect:



• Advice and support from physiotherapists

• Creative Health workshops

• Health Checks from local GP services

• Employability support

• Mindfulness sessions

• Local opportunities to stay active in your community

• Qi Gong demonstrations

• Women’s Health offer (including cervical screening)

• And much more



📅 When: Thursday 16th July, 12pm–7pm (drop in at any time that suits you!)

📍 Where: Bullcroft Memorial Hall, Carcroft, DN6 8AP

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Book your place here: Musculoskeletal Community Event Tickets, Thursday, July 16 • 12 PM - 7 PM | Eventbrite

They welcome both booked attendees and walk-ins on the day. Come along, have a look around, and take the first step towards feeling better.

29/06/2026

It’s co-production week!

We’re proud to say how much co-production & co-creation we do with residents and partners: from carers to community groups. We’re also one of the members of the Making It Real Board.

If you draw on social care in Doncaster & would like to use your experiences and ideas to co-create & make things better for others, we would recommend getting in touch with the email below!

It is Co-Production Week - an annual awareness campaign to recognise the benefits of working in equal partnership with people using health and social care provision.

At City of Doncaster Council, we are a big believer in this way of working and one example of this is our Adult Social Care Account. Every year the council looks back on the changes that have taken place across Adult Social Care and looks forward to setting out further improvements help make the biggest difference to local people who use social care services.

Our Local Account shows how we’ve worked with local people to bring about change. But we want to do more! If you have lived experience of care and support and want to make a difference then we want to hear from you: https://shorturl.at/zHK0E

Please email us at [email protected] to find out more. You may have ideas that we haven’t even thought of yet!

22/06/2026

🔥 England is experiencing red and amber heat alerts this week.

While many of us enjoy the sunshine, hot weather can pose serious risks to our health. Please take a few moments to look after yourself and check in on others who may be more vulnerable.

A phone call, a knock on the door, or helping someone stay hydrated could make all the difference.

Remember:
💧 Drink plenty of water
🌳 Stay in the shade where possible
🏠 Keep cool indoors
☀️ Avoid the midday sun
❤️ Check on older relatives, neighbours and friends

Let's work together to keep our communities safe and well during this hot spell.

Find NHS advice on coping in hot weather here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/

12/06/2026

What a fantastic morning at our Carers Café today at Woodlands Community Library! ☕💜

The room was buzzing with energy, conversation, laughter, cake, and connection as unpaid carers, local residents, and community partners & organisations came together.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, and especially to Jo-Anne from the Wellbeing Team, who shared some brilliant information about the support available locally. This video is sharing that information wider. Please share it so people know what support is out there.

Many carers spend so much time looking after others that they forget to look after themselves. Today's conversations were a powerful reminder that reaching out for support isn't a luxury, it's an important part of caring too.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the morning so welcoming and full of life. We loved seeing new connections being made and people leaving with useful information, friendly faces, and hopefully a reminder that they're not alone.

02/06/2026

For we’re turning Woodlands Community Library into a cosy cool Carers Café ☕🍰

Come and have a brew, eat cake, relax, connect, chat, create, and spend some time with good people. There’ll also be Carer Connectors on hand to chat through support, advice, local groups, and services that might make life a little easier.

And importantly… you don’t have to be a carer to come along. Everyone is welcome. 💛

Whether you pop in for five minutes or stay the whole morning, we’d love to see you!

📍 Woodlands Community Library
📅 Friday 12 June 2026
⏰ 10:30am–12pm

Come for the cake. Stay for the company.

29/05/2026

Your local hospitals are making big decisions every single day. The question is… who gets a voice in that?

DBTH Governor elections are now open and this is a genuine chance for local people to help shape the future of NHS services across Doncaster, Bassetlaw and beyond.

They’re looking for people from all backgrounds, ages, communities and lived experiences. You absolutely do NOT need to work in healthcare. Some of the most important voices are the people who’ve used services, cared for loved ones, struggled to be heard, or simply care deeply about our community.

Young people. Working class voices. Disabled folks. Parents. Carers. Creative people. People who think differently. Your perspective matters!

You need to be 16+ and a Trust member (free to join).

If you’ve ever wanted local healthcare to feel more human, more connected and more representative of the people it serves - this is one real way to get involved.

Nominations close 5 June 👇
www.cesvotes.com/DBFT2026

11/05/2026

It’s great to see improvements being made and the work is continuing. Still a way to go, but definitely working together is getting movement.

Patients across Doncaster and North Nottinghamshire are seeing improved access to audiology services, as Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) continues to reduce waiting times and expand capacity.

Audiology services support people with hearing loss and balance problems, helping them stay connected to family life, work and everyday activities.

Over the past year, the Trust has taken targeted action to address long-standing pressures within the service, including increasing clinic availability, commissioning additional capacity and improving how teams work together.

As a result of this work, waiting times for diagnostics and hearing aid fittings have reduced significantly. Most new patients are now expected to be seen within six weeks, with hearing aid fittings taking place within eight weeks of diagnosis, bringing the service back in line with national standards.

Overall waiting lists have reduced across both adults and children, alongside a significant fall in the number of patients waiting for a first appointment.

Improvements have also been made to repairs and maintenance, with most patients now able to access routine support within days.

However, the Trust recognises there is more to do, particularly for patients waiting for follow-up review appointments, and the aim is to ensure all patients currently waiting are seen within the current financial year.

Dr Nick Mallaband, Chief Medical Officer at DBTH, said: “We know that for some time our Audiology service was not where it needed to be, and patients experienced waits that were longer than they should have been.

“Over the past year, teams have worked hard to tackle those long-standing pressures – increasing capacity, improving how we use our skills and resources, and listening more closely to patient feedback. We are now seeing real improvements, particularly in diagnostics and hearing aid fittings, with more patients being seen much sooner.

“However, we are clear that there is more to do, especially for those waiting for follow-up care. Our focus now is on building on this progress and making sure everyone receives timely, reliable support.

“I would like to thank our patients for their patience, and our local advocates and partners for working with us in such a constructive way. That ongoing support and challenge is helping us get to the standard of care people rightly expect.”

Across the next month, around 1,000 patients will be seen, with around 500 follow-up appointments booked within the next fortnight.

Alongside these improvements, the Trust continues to work closely with partners, patient representatives and the local community to support recovery and shape future services.

This has included recent engagement activity delivered with Healthwatch Doncaster, where more than 160 local people came together to access advice, receive on-the-day support such as hearing aid repairs and battery replacements, and speak directly with clinicians about their care.

The event also provided an opportunity for patients to check their waiting list status and share feedback to help shape ongoing improvements.