Health and social care students from a university in Dagenham were given a real-life taster of working in the health industry.

Last week, six students from CU London spent three days with Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham, visiting GP surgeries and speaking to patients.

Healthwatch aims to improve health services in the borough by listening to patients and lobbying on their behalf. As part of their placements, the students spoke to patients about their experiences at GP surgeries, as well as assessing the quality of services available.

They also visited Barking Library, Dagenham Library, the Ripple Centre and Barking’s walk-in centre to speak to service users.

Elspeth Paisley, project manager at Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham, said: “We were delighted to have these students join us. Students like these are our future and we are passionate that they have the opportunity to understand not only the theory of health and social care, but the way it impacts on the lives of local people.”