Over one million people reached – the power of Healthwatch in the media

Healthwatch stories, led by your experiences, have been featured over 60 times by a wide range of outlets, including the Yorkshire Post, BBC News, GB News, York Press, Farmers Weekly, The Northern Echo and That’s TV North Yorkshire.

Healthwatch is also a regular on the airwaves, making appearances on BBC Radio York, Greatest Hits Radio, YO1 Radio and This is the Coast.

Through telling the media what we want to see change and where we've made a difference, we’ve raised awareness of the issues that matter most to people. This helps to ensure their voices are getting heard.

Media highlights from 2024 to 2025

Here are some of the key topics and stories that have featured in the media, highlighting the breadth of issues we’ve helped bring to public attention.

The period covers July 2024 to October 2025. This has been our most active period since we started Healthwatch in 2013.

• Maternity care
  Our research into support for new mums was covered by the Yorkshire Post, The Scarborough News, and Greatest Hits Radio, shining a light on the postcode lottery of postnatal services.
• Rural and farming communities
  We revealed the challenges farmers face in accessing healthcare, with stories in Farmers Weekly, The Northern Farmer, The Northern Echo, The Scottish Farmer, and BBC Radio York. BBC News and Agriland UK later reported on farmers turning to vets for health advice, and The Northern Farmer featured our ongoing work to improve wellbeing in farming communities.
• NHS dentistry
  Our findings on patient confusion around dental care rights were featured in The Dentist, Dental Nursing Journal, and York Press, helping spark discussion about access and reform.
• Youth vaping
  Our insight on the proposed disposable vape ban gained attention in the Yorkshire Post and This is the Coast, raising awareness of growing concerns among parents and schools.
• Emergency and urgent care
  We shared experiences of A&E waiting times and service pressures through interviews with Greatest Hits Radio and That’s TV North Yorkshire.
• Midlife health and alcohol
  Our “Let’s talk about alcohol” survey was covered by That’s TV, BBC Radio York, and Greatest Hits Radio, encouraging open conversation about midlife health.
• Patient transport and access to care
  We spoke with That’s TV and Greatest Hits Radio about changes to non-emergency transport and the barriers people face reaching appointments.
• Campaigns and the future of Healthwatch
  Our work to raise awareness about proposed changes to Healthwatch services featured on This is the Coast and That’s TV in autumn 2025.
• Cancer awareness
  Most recently, That’s TV North Yorkshire covered our conversations about prostate cancer screening and early detection.

Together, these stories have brought local experiences to national attention — helping to shape understanding, influence decision-makers, and ensure people’s voices continue to drive positive change in health and care across North Yorkshire.

See all Healthwatch North Yorkshire media coverage

Why your story matters

Healthwatch’s visibility across regional and national media platforms has brought critical health and care issues into the spotlight. It ensures the people in charge of your care see and hear about it. Through every headline and interview, we’re making local voices impossible to ignore.

We know that real stories can drive real change. If you’ve had a positive or negative experience with health or care services, consider becoming a Healthwatch case study. Your story could highlight what’s working well, or help shine a light where improvements are needed. 

How we calculate our media reach

The audience figures we include come from trusted public sources such as Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR), the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), and data shared by media outlets.

They’re intended to give an idea of how many people may have seen or heard our stories, rather than exact numbers.

Learn how we calculated our reach with the media