News and reports

Community Health Engagement: Alcohol Awareness and Smoking Session with the Association of Chinese Women

Every March, organisations across the UK unite for Brain Tumour Awareness Month, a national campaign dedicated to raising awareness, improving understanding and supporting vital research into brain tumours. This year, Healthwatch Greenwich is joining these efforts to help highlight the realities of brain tumours and the importance of improving outcomes for everyone affected.

Each March, organisations across the UK come together for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, a vital campaign dedicated to raising awareness of one of the most challenging and often misunderstood cancers affecting people with ovaries. This year, Healthwatch Greenwich is helping shine a spotlight on the importance of early recognition, understanding symptoms, and improving outcomes for those affected.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global celebration held every year on 8 March to recognise the cultural, political and socioeconomic achievements of women. It also serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing work needed to achieve true gender equality.
For Healthwatch Greenwich, this day is an opportunity to champion women’s voices in health and social care and highlight the importance of equitable access to services for women and girls across our borough.

Healthwatch Greenwich is supporting a new NHS initiative designed to help people across London reduce medicine waste, use medications safely, and ensure that NHS resources are used in the best possible way. NHS organisations across the capital, including South East London, have joined forces to raise awareness about the impact of ordering medicines that are not needed—and how small changes in our habits can make a big difference.

Parents in Greenwich urged to check children’s vaccinations as measles cases rise in London and elsewhere in the UK

The Tet Lunar New Year celebration at Woolwich Community Centre offered a vibrant snapshot of culture, community and connection, as Greenwich Vietnamese Women’s Group welcomed Healthwatch Greenwich to join an afternoon filled with tradition, shared heritage and multigenerational joy.

A new NHS pilot—soon expanding to Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust—is introducing cutting edge AI and robotic technology to help diagnose lung cancer earlier and with fewer invasive tests.

At Healthwatch Greenwich, we champion local initiatives that improve the health and wellbeing of residents. We are pleased to highlight an important development at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), where patients undergoing chemotherapy are now benefiting from innovative new technology funded by the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Charity.

As part of our Raising Awareness of Abuse project, we hosted a safeguarding awareness session at St Peter’s Church in Woolwich, following Sunday Mass for Black Christian community. Around 60 local residents, many of who told us they had never heard 'safeguarding' explained in plain terms, before.  

In January, we joined the Muslim women’s group at Woolwich Community Centre for a conversation about safeguarding and abuse. Women discussed wider realities from domestic and financial pressures, to the ways racism and discrimination shape both risk and access to help.  

In December 2025 and January 2026, Healthwatch Greenwich had the opportunity to share learning from our HPV project at two South London system events: the South East London Early Cancer Diagnosis Forum and the ARC South London Knowledge Exchange Event. These conferences brought together clinicians, public health teams, GPs, practice managers, cancer alliance partners and a small number of voluntary and community organisations to explore how cancer prevention and early diagnosis can be improved.