A vintage double-decker bus and the deputy mayor of Gravesham helped kick-start a new Healthwatch campaign.

The independent campaign group, which champions local healthcare, has been using the set of wheels to travel across Kent all week.

The big bus arrived in Gravesend High Street on Monday, June 13 and is stopping off at more than 10 locations to ask people for their opinions and experiences with health and social care services.

Steve Inett, chief executive of Healthwatch Kent, said: “It’s all about collating people’s views – both good and bad – about what they think of their GP, their hospital, community services, care homes and social care at home.

“People often ring us on our freephone number and they are quite often telling us of their negative experiences, but we find by coming out here we can reach more people.

“We want people to know that we exist, that they can ring us and tell us their problems and we can then go to the organisations involved, tell them about these experiences and help to improve them.”

Healthwatch works with clinical commissioning groups, hospitals and Kent County Council and will create an action plan based on the responses received this week.

On board the bus, people can receive a free general health and blood pressure check, something the team introduced after it was suggested through feedback last year.

Gravesham deputy mayor Harold Craske came along to encourage the community to get involved and take the questionnaires. He said: “I think this is a great campaign. What is especially good is that the buses come straight to the people, into the towns, asking people to be truthful about their problems."

“That’s why they’re here – to put the professionals on the right track to help improve the situation"- Deputy Mayor, Harold Craske

Despite travelling up and down Kent with the same volunteers and resources, Gravesend generates the smallest amount of responses in the county.

Pat Taylor is a volunteer for Healthwatch and lives in Gravesend.

She said: “Healthcare is very important – crucial, in fact. What I really want from today is to engage with as many local people as possible, to find out what it is about local healthcare that people find inadequate, to solve problems and find resolutions.

“Talking to the people – members of the public who use local health and social care services – is so important. They are the people we need to hear from more than the professionals.”

The bus is heading to Tonbridge today, Dover and Margate tomorrow and will visit Canterbury, Folkestone and Maidstone throughout the weekend.