Key projects
Find out what we're working on
Everything we do is guided by what people tell us about their experiences of health and social care. Find out more about how we're using these views to improve care.
Do you have an experience that you would like to share?
GP Support for Homeless People
Since July 2025, Healthwatch staff and volunteers conducted a mystery shopping exercise across 39 active GP practices in Enfield to assess whether they register individuals without fixed addresses, including rough sleepers, sofa-surfers, those in temporary accommodation, and asylum seekers.
Under NHS guidelines, homeless patients are entitled to register with a GP using a temporary address or even the practice address. However, our findings revealed mixed compliance: While 29 practices registered homeless individuals, other practices imposed barriers such as postcode restrictions or online-only registration. Mystery Shopping revealed inconsistent knowledge among GP reception staff about
registration rights for homeless individuals.
Emotional Wellbeing & Mental Health Guide
The Enfield Adult Mental Health and Wellbeing Guide is now available, serving as a practical resource to help residents explore local support, build emotional resilience, and connect with community services. In response to long NHS waiting times, the guide provides clear, current information on non-clinical mental health and wellbeing options in Enfield. It focuses on early intervention and self-help, supporting the borough’s goals to reduce health inequalities, strengthen community bonds, and improve overall wellbeing
Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Management
Since October 2025, Healthwatch Enfield has been actively working on a Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) prevention and management project aimed at improving awareness, identifying support needs and access to support within communities most at risk.
Recognising that certain groups are disproportionately affected by T2D, we reached out to organisations including Black African and Caribbean, South Asian populations, as well as individuals with learning disabilities and autism. Our goal has been to arrange focus groups that capture lived experiences, barriers to care, and opportunities for better prevention strategies.
The final report, summarising findings and recommendations, is expected to be published by late February or early March
2026/27 Priority Areas
Each year, Healthwatch Enfield engages with residents to uncover what truly matters in health and social care. For 2026, we’ve pinpointed six key areas needing attention:
- Children’s Neurodivergent Pathways
- Children’s Oral Health
- Dementia, Falls and Frailty
- Hospital Discharge
- NHS Hospital Complaints
Your input is vital and will help us select the top three priorities for our upcoming projects by sharing your perspective in our brief survey. Your feedback ensures our work aligns with Enfield’s real needs. Take a few minutes to participate and spread the word within your networks. Together, we can shape a healthier future for our community.
Enter and View
Social care, particularly care and nursing home settings is one of our key priority areas. Now, more than ever, the role care homes play in the community has been highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic. Our statutory powers enable us to ‘enter’ and ‘view’ care and nursing settings as part of our ‘Enter and View’ programme.
Our independent research is used to support providers to make improvements that make things better for residents. We also make a point of highlighting and sharing the good practices that we observe and we make realistic recommendations to help providers make improvements where necessary.