Local HealthWatch

Local HealthWatch (LHW) is to become the local consumer voice for people who use and need health and social care services, to be empowered to improve and influence the commissioning decisions made about those services. It is to build on the good work of LINks and strengthen the ways in which commissioners and providers take the views and experiences of patients and the public into account when improving the quality and safety of health and social care services.

This will be achieved by LHW carrying forward existing LINks functions as well as delivering on new responsibilities to provide advice and information as well as signposting to enable people to navigate their way round the health and social care system.

LHW will:

• ensure that the views and feedback from people who use services, carers and members of the public are integral to local commissioning
• provide advocacy and support to people and help them to make choices about services
• provide intelligence for HealthWatch England about the quality of providers

Local HealthWatch will be independent organisations, able to employ their own staff and volunteers so they can become the influential and effective voice of the public.

They will have to keep accounts and make their annual reports available to the public Local HealthWatch will be set up to give citizens and communities a stronger voice to influence and challenge how health and social care services are provided within their locality.

Local HealthWatch will have a seat on the new local health and wellbeing boards, ensuring that the views and experiences of patients, carers and other service users are taken into account when local needs assessments and strategies are prepared such as the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and the authorisation of Clinical Commissioning Groups. Local Healthwatch will start in April 2013 and the national organisation Healthwatch England will start in October 2012.

HealthWatch Bulletin 3

HealthWatch Bulletin 1