News and reports

How hard is it to access Dental Care in Luton? We gathered your feedback through community engagement and conversations with local dental practices, to reveal the real experiences of Luton residents in accessing care.

This case study tells the story of Tina, a Luton resident living with two auto immune conditions: Type 1 diabetes and Rheumatoid arthritis, and her experiences of health and social care services.

How easy is it to access GP care? This report explores the local experiences of using GP services, highlighting the challenges residents face and the insights they shared about access care.

This case study tells the story of Rosie, a Deaf resident of Luton, who spoke about her experiences — and those of her partner, Jim, who is also Deaf — when using health and social care services.

This Healthwatch Luton Report shares the experiences of women in Luton when accessing healthcare for menopause. It highlights gaps in support, cultural and information barriers, and offers recommendations to improve awareness, access and care for women across the community.

This document presents a focused evaluation of period poverty among young women in Luton, carried out by Healthwatch Luton through engagement with students at Luton Sixth Form College. The evaluation forms part of a broader exploration of women’s health needs and aims to shed light on how period poverty affects access to education, health equity, and personal dignity.
The evaluation identifies key barriers experienced by young women, including the affordability of menstrual products, stigma surrounding menstruation, and a lack of awareness about existing support services. It also highlights how these issues disproportionately affect students from underrepresented and economically
disadvantaged backgrounds.

Planning for Parenthood: A review of preconception Health needs in Luton.
This document presents a comprehensive evaluation of preconception health services available to women in Luton,
conducted by Healthwatch Luton in collaboration with Integrated Care Systems across Bedfordshire, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes.
The evaluation explores current service provisions, identifies key challenges faced by diverse and often underrepresented groups, and presents community-driven recommendations aimed at enhancing support structures and improving health outcomes for women, their babies, and families.

Healthwatch Luton are proud to present our Annual report for 2024/2025, showcasing the incredible work and impact in Luton over the past year.
Over the year we have been out and about in the community listening to your stories, engaging with partners and working to improve care in Luton.

As part of Healthwatch Luton's Enter and View Programme, maternity services at Luton and Dunstable Hospital were visited to observe and gather feedback. Read our findings here.

Through engagement with local healthcare professionals, it was identified that the Luton Gypsy and Traveller community had raised some concerns around barriers to accessing healthcare services. HWL was approached by Luton Borough Council (LBC) to engage with the community and gather their views on access to health and social care. Read our findings here.

Healthwatch Luton conducted Enter and Views of Mental Health Services across Luton. Read the Report on Willow Ward

Healthwatch Luton conducted Enter and Views of Mental Health Services across Luton. Read the Report on Onyx