🗞️In PEN's Newsletter: * An Important Update about the Public Engagement Network * PEN Contributes to Review of the CQC’s Assessment Framework Read: mailchi.mp/3dfbbc77e4a9...

It's #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek led by @Place2Be Learn how we work to hear children and young people’s voices in Mental Health Care: www.choicesupport.org.uk/public-engag... #CMHW2026

Did you know 1 in 5 children face mental health challenges? Learn more from @Place2Be this #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek! #CMHW2026

🌎 It’s World Cancer Day and this year’s theme is United by Unique, highlighting the importance of person-centred cancer care. We value feedback on care across England from those whose voices are not usually heard. Share yours: bit.ly/4qZ5TOo

The LeDeR Annual Report (Learning from Lives and Deaths: People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People) has been updated and released. Read the revised version here: www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/assets...

📰 In our January newsletter: - Hearing Children and Young People’s Voices in Mental Health Care - Pinpoint have joined PEN - Dates for your diary Read it: mailchi.mp/58c1d6781233...

👩‍⚕️It’s Cervical Cancer Prevention Week 2026 Cervical cancer is preventable and all women and people with a cervix must be included in preventative healthcare See The Eve Appeal to learn more about cervical screening for trans men and non-binary people: tinyurl.com/hr8hav8r

Every day in the UK, two women and people with a cervix lose their lives to cervical cancer. We can change this through raising awareness this Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Find out more at eveappeal.org.uk/campaigns/ce... #CervicalCancerAwarenessMonth

Choice Support's Public Engagement Network (PEN) gathers the voices of those who are not usually heard by Care Quality Commission, England’s independent health and adult social care regulator. PEN is made up of community groups and charities and from across England. Learn more tinyurl.com/2s3bcv2m

🎆Happy New Year from all at the PEN team! Join us in 2026 to hear the voices of people with protected characteristics who have lived experience of using health and adult social care services in England. Learn more about PEN: bit.ly/45xQdXj

✨ 2025 has been particularly rewarding for Choice Support’s Public Engagement Network (PEN) as the network has grown and as CQC has been making changes to how it works as well ~ Brittany Hutchings, PEN Communications Officer Read more: bit.ly/49pVfZx #2025highlights

✨ This year, I have enjoyed working with a really supportive team here at PEN ~ Ellen Brown, Community Engagement Officer for the South of England Read more: bit.ly/49pVfZx #2025highlights

✨ I have been engaging with PEN members across the area, and also managed to get invited to a couple of their Christmas celebrations! ~ Emma Noon, Community Engagement Officer for London and the East of England Read more: bit.ly/49pVfZx #2025highlights

Wishing a very Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and happy holidays to all from everyone here at the PEN team!🎄 This year’s card was designed by James Clark at Tuck by Truck in Aylesford, the winner of this year’s Christmas card competition at Choice Support.

'Throughout 2025 we have been working to rebuild CQC to get us back to our purpose of providing effective regulation of health and adult social care services' 🗓️An end of year message from CQC's chief inspectors: bit.ly/3MRBrGC

✨ I’ve heard peoples’ lived experiences of care to gain real insight into the health and social care experiences of people who have protected characteristics ~ Diane, Community Engagement Officer for the Midlands Read more: bit.ly/49pVfZx #2025highlights

✨ My highlight for 2025 has been joining Choice Support as part of the Public Engagement Network team and having the opportunity to connect with and learn from PEN members ~ Josie, PEN Team Leader Read more: bit.ly/49pVfZx #2025highlights

Our December newsletter is now out! ✨ - Read our team's highlights for 2025 - New PEN members announced and - See our upcoming events in the new year! Read it: bit.ly/4s6mdxE

We are delighted to welcome CamSight to our network! CamSight is a local charity that has been supporting people with low vision and blindness across Cambridgeshire since 1912. Visit: www.camsight.org.uk/

Missingness is the repeated tendency not to take up offers of care and where this has a negative impact on a person and their life circumstances. What we learned from The Patients Association: gqr.sh/hsCG

🙋Have your say on how the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assess and rate health and adult social care providers Consultation closes tomorrow at 5pm Find it: gqr.sh/m4nW and in Easy Read: bit.ly/4pvg3oY

Read how Anxiety UK members shared lived experiences of care with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to help improve mental health regulation and services 👉 shorturl.at/Wmv1y

It's International Day of Persons with Disabilities #IDPD2025 We work to hear the voices of people with disabilities who use health and adult social care services, including at our advisory group for autistic people and people with a learning disability www.choicesupport.org.uk/public-engag...

Our November newsletter is out now! 📰 This month read * Anxiety UK's webinar to engage with the CQC * Have your say on 'How the CQC Assess and Rate Providers' * Missingness in Healthcare mailchi.mp/4323ac2629fc...

“I feel like I went from being able to care for my mum to being a visitor overnight.” Steve, carer Together Against Dementia Everyday (Tide) explores experiences of shared care for unpaid carers who support a person with dementia 🤲 Read more: www.choicesupport.org.uk/public-engag...

November is Men's Health Awareness Month #Movember 🥸 This includes a focus on men's mental health. Find a conversation guide for talking about mental health from Mental Health UK: euc7zxtct58.exactdn.com/wp-content/u...

It’s the final day of #SafeguardingAdultsWeekled by the Ann Craft Trust Here, you can learn about the exploitation of adults with cognitive impairments: www.anncrafttrust.org/exploitation...

It’s #SafeguardingAdultsWeek led by the Ann Craft Trust Today’s focus is on trusting your instincts and how we can build our courage and resilience as individuals to speak out. Read about whistleblowing in health and social care: www.anncrafttrust.org/what-is-whis...

It’s Ann Craft Trust's #SafeguardingAdultsWeek Today’s theme is Creating Empowering Environments to explore how empathy, understanding, co-production, and positive risk taking can help create trauma informed approaches. Learn more: www.anncrafttrust.org/events/safeg...

It’s Ann Craft Trust's #SafeguardingAdultsWeek This year’s aim is to ‘change the conversation’ around safeguarding, so we can prevent abuse from happening in the first place. Read more: www.anncrafttrust.org/safeguarding...

Our latest newsletter is out now! Read our summary of the Care Quality Commission (CQC)'s annual State of Care report Making Shared Care a Reality by Together in Dementia Everyday (tide) and our upcoming events 📰https://mailchi.mp/5330124ba0f3/pens-monthly-newsletter-10151062?e=669ba85972

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month Macmillan have created an easy read booklet about breast care and screening to make information on breast cancer more accessible. View it here www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-infor...

It’s #BlackHistoryMonth We work with Black communities across England to hear the voices of people who have lived experience of using health and adult social care services. We do this to help tackle health inequalities. Join us www.choicesupport.org.uk/public-engag...

A new Enter and View report is available for our recent visit to the Well Pharmacy, Oxford. Read Healthwatch Oxfordshire recommendations:https://healthwatchoxfordshire.co.uk/report/enter-and-view-report-to-connect-health-august-2025/

State of Care is the Care Quality Commission (CQC)'s annual assessment of health care and social care in England. The 2024/ 25 report has just been published, including in Easy Read and BSL. Access it here: www.cqc.org.uk/publications...

📰'CQC warns lack of investment in community services threatens shift towards care outside hospital and risks ‘erosion’ of care quality.' The CQC also found longstanding inequalities with some groups of people in its annual State of Care report. Read more www.cqc.org.uk/press-releas...

📰CQC News Sir Julian Hartley is stepping down as Chief Executive of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with immediate effect. Dr Arun Chopra, Chief Inspector of Mental Health, is planned to assume the role of Interim Chief Executive. Read more: www.cqc.org.uk/news/sir-jul...

The Care Quality Commission (CQC)'s State of Care report will be published on Friday 📑 State of Care is the CQC’s annual review of the health care and adult social care system in England. It also looks at health inequalities. You can sign up to receive the report here: orlo.uk/iKbjz

🕯️Happy Diwali to all who celebrate from everyone in the Public Engagement Network (PEN) team! Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights. You can find out more about it here: www.britannica.com/topic/Diwali... #Diwali #Diwali2025 #festivaloflights

🙋It’s #AdvocacyAwarenessWeek Advocates play an invaluable role in our network. They help enable people who are not usually heard to engage with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), England’s health and adult social care regulator. Learn more: www.choicesupport.org.uk/public-engag... #AAW25

“Our lives and deaths matter too” LeDeR looks into the lives and deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people in England Members of the PEN Advisory Group came together to discuss the report. Read about their views: www.choicesupport.org.uk/public-engag...

#WorldHomelessDay aims to raise awareness about the needs of people who currently experience homelessness. Visit www.worldhomelessday.org/ for more information

It’s World Mental Health Day 🌎 This year’s theme is Access to Services, mental health in times of global instability. We gather the voices of people who are not usually heard and who use mental health services in England. Join us www.choicesupport.org.uk/public-engag... #WMHD

“Our lives and deaths matter too” LeDeR looks into the lives and deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people in England Members of the PEN Advisory Group came together to discuss the report. Read about their views: www.choicesupport.org.uk/public-engag...

22% of people who contacted us during April to June were about GPs & Primary Care. These included: • Difficulty getting appointments/long waits • Problems with PATCHS & online systems • People feeling unsupported & staff attitudes • Mental health support #HealthwatchLeeds #GPAccess #PrimaryCare

📰Our latest news: - PEN Advisory Group members share their views on the Lives and Deaths of People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People (LeDeR) - Have your say in our engagement survey - Dates for your diary Read more mailchi.mp/1caf333b0232...

⚕️September is #WorldAlzheimersMonth Alzheimer’s is a physical illness which damages a person’s brain and eventually causes dementia. @dementiauk is promoting open conversations about dementia. Learn more: www.dementiauk.org/information-...

It’s #YouthMentalHealthDay with a focus on how to #ShareSupport 👉Find Stem4 youth mental health support resources: stem4.org.uk/wp-content/u... And have your voice heard on children and young people’s mental health at our advisory group for 12-25 year olds. 👉Join: bit.ly/4lTP8k7

🩺This #WorldPatientSafetyDay focuses on acting early and preventing harm during childhood. We work to hear the experiences of children and young people in health and care. Find out how bit.ly/4lTP8k7

🤲 How do adults with learning disabilities understand and experience safeguarding? We were delighted to support @openingdoorsld.bsky.social in sharing their research findings on safeguarding with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Read more bit.ly/46F7vF5