Your local Insight News brings you a snapshot of health and wellbeing Insights reflecting feedback abouts people’s experiences of living in Medway and Swale. We hope these Insights can inform your work to improve services for residents of Medway and Swale.  

 What we have heard about:

Online healthcare / Primary care / Mental health / Community health & prevention / Social care / Building a Neighbourhood Health approach / Wider determinants of health / Community and system news

The report identified a ‘hidden waiting list’ exists before the official wait even starts, with people in Kent and Medway being nearly three times more likely than the national average, to experience a GP related delay to a referral for an ADHD assessment.

Our research identified lower than expected levels of feedback from people about ‘shared care’ arrangements between ADHD specialists and their GP. We would like to try and understand why this is. Is it because it’s not happening?

If you are a GP who has experienced working in partnership with an ADHD specialist we would love to hear your experience to inform a wider picture of how shared care could improve people’s experience of accessing ADHD medication.

This review highlights ongoing challenges faced by Nepalese and D/deaf communities when accessing GP services. Many people struggle with reduced face‑to‑face appointments, language barriers, and digital systems that do not offer translation or accessibility features.

Nepalese elders and veterans report difficulties with telephone and online consultations, while D/deaf patients often face delays and problems booking interpreters. These barriers can lead to frustration, missed appointments, and poorer health experiences. The report calls for improved, more consistent language and interpreting support as services continue to move online.

We would like to build a clearer picture of how gendered experiences are shaped by service design, clinical bias, and structural inequalities. If you would like to help fund a short research project, please contact us.

It was a great opportunity to share what we've learned with healthcare professionals, medical students, and those with an interest in improving sleep health!

Kent & Medway Medical School are already planning to repeat the event, to ensure that more healthcare professionals can attend and learn from local research. Updates will be shared on their LinkedIn.

The majority were providing over 50 hours of care each week, with 67% falling into this highest‑intensity group. Among carers reporting a decline in their physical health, 94% were providing 50+ hours of care. All carers who reported worsening mental health were also providing 50+ hours of care and living with the person they cared for. Caring responsibilities were also affecting employment, with 75% of high‑intensity carers not employed. Carers described exhaustion, isolation, strained relationships, reduced income and ongoing difficulty accessing timely support. The findings highlight a clear pattern: the more hours someone cares, the more their health, employment and wellbeing deteriorate. Read more in the full report.

42% of people said ‘Service Accessibility’ was the factor that would have greatest influence in their perception of neighbourhood health. This was seen as better neighbourhood health equals shorter travel times, availability of local clinics, and integrated services. 

Public perceptions of service accessibility at a local level within the NHS show a mixed picture. We continue to hear from the public about the challenges in accessing GPs, waiting times for treatment pathways and growing concern about the levels of corridor care and A&E waiting times. The top priority for the public remains improving GP access. 

The findings highlight persistent inequalities driven by cost‑of‑living pressures, limited access to services, and discrimination, underscoring the need for a whole‑system Marmot approach that strengthens prevention, improves data, and amplifies the voices of underserved communities as Medway works toward becoming a Marmot Place.

In February 2026, Healthwatch Medway spoke to 29 lower‑peninsula residents, with 38% raising concerns about rapid building works — and all feedback on development was negative, citing loss of green space, rising traffic and growing pressure on GP access. Residents also highlighted the area’s natural assets, with 34% praising green spaces, though every negative comment pointed to environmental neglect.

17% said they would struggle to live locally without a car due to distance and limited transport. Community groups remain a key strength, with 48% describing strong social and practical support networks. Overall, residents want action on roads and traffic (31%) and better healthcare access (31%) as the population continues to grow.

In Medway and Swale, our data indicates that people who identify with mixed or multiple ethnicities are 75% more likely to report a negative experience of their general healthcare than other ethnicities. 

Medway is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in Kent, whilst Swale remains significantly less diverse than both Medway and the England average. These differences have important implications for service planning, healthcare experience, and inequality.

This pattern of feedback about the experience of healthcare within a distinct group of people from mixed and multiple ethnicities raises important equity issues as inequality in healthcare experience risks widening local health outcome gaps. There are locally initiated community-led, culturally responsive health initiatives, but these are not yet systemic. We would like to research these reported differences in experience to inform the work happening as a local level, enabling targeted action to address possible ethnicity-based differences in trust, access, and experience.

These issues were explored at the recent Kent and Medway Black Health Inequalities summit. Learning from peoples experience through the lens of intersectionality is vital to improving health equity locally. To be part of this research, please contact us at hello@ek360.co.uk.

• Kooth – Free, confidential online support. Available 24/7, including moderated live chat and peer forums.
• BfB Labs – Lumi Nova, a supportive game that helps children manage anxiety.
• Young Lives Foundation – Peer mentoring to help build confidence, independence and resilience.
• Salus – Evidence-based mentoring programmes supporting emotional wellbeing and coping skills.
• North Kent Mind – different types of therapy and a Young Adult Support Service for care leavers.
• Oasis – runs the "BeYou Project". This provides safe support for LGBTQIA+ children and young people.
• Chums – Specialist traumatic bereavement support.
• Barratt Behaviour Change Consultancy – Positive Behaviour Support, working closely with families.

Questions that we ask can be about anything that might affect someone's health, social care or community.

These Insights add depth to our reflections and bring richness to our reports. When you answer the monthly question you are helping to paint a wider picture of how people are feeling across Kent and Medway.

Want to add your voice to the hundreds of others already having the conversation? Email us at voices.connect@ek360.co.uk.

For more information about any of the contents of this Insight Update, please email us at comms@ek360.co.uk.