- Engagement and Influencing Consumer Champion
This role includes obtaining the views of local people, making those views known and making recommendations on the basis of views and information collected.
- Information and Advice Signposting Services
This role includes providing information and advice to help people access and make choices about health and social care services through a live accessible directory for health and social care, providing information and support on how to access local services.
The specification for the commissioning of Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland meets the statutory requirements laid down by the Department of Health and takes into account the views of the public and service providers for health and social care. These have been gathered via on-line consultation and a public event, as well as a focus group for service providers. The findings are reported in Delivering an Effective Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland: Key Considerations.
Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland Key Considerations.pdf (246.83k)Last modified: 18/09/2012 11:06:50
Funding will be available for Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland from the Department of Health who will provide the money as a grant.
The current plan is to identify who will deliver Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland by January 2013 to ensure that the service starts on 01 April 2013.
Why do we need Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland?
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 sets out that a local Healthwatch is to be established across each local authority area by April 2013. Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland will be required to:
- Provide information and advice to the public about accessing health and social care services and choice in relation to aspects of those services
- Promote and support the involvement of people in the monitoring, commissioning and provision of local care services
- Obtain the views of people about their needs for and experience of local care services and make those views known to those involved in the commissioning, provision and scrutiny of care services
- Make reports and make recommendations about how those services could or should be improved
- Make the views and experiences of people known to Healthwatch England helping it to carry out its role as national champion
- Make recommendations to Healthwatch England to advise the Care Quality Commission to carry out special reviews or investigations into areas of concern
How can I get involved in Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland?
Although Healthwatch will not exist until April 2013, it is important that this does not mean that public and patient voice and engagement is not taken into account until then.
If you want to get involved in improving health and care services now please get in touch with Redcar & Cleveland LINk by emailing redcarandclevelandlink@shaw-trust.org.uk. Whilst this service will end on 31 March 2013 there is still scope to get involved until this date.
We hope that LINk volunteers will continue to be involved in Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland. They hold valuable knowledge about what worked well and what didnt work so well in their area, so they should have the opportunity to input their views.
What is the role of Healthwatch England?
Healthwatch England will be a national body that enables the collective views of the people who use NHS and adult social care services to influence national policy, advice and guidance.
Healthwatch England will be a statutory committee of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with a Chair who will be a non-executive director of the CQC. Healthwatch England will have its own identity within the CQC, but be able to use the CQCs expertise and infrastructure.
Healthwatch England will provide leadership, guidance and support to Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland. Healthwatch England will have a strong principle of continuous dialogue with Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland, keeping communication lines open and transparent. This will facilitate Healthwatch Englands responsibility to provide national leadership and support.
Healthwatch England will provide advice to the Secretary of State, NHS Commissioning Board, Monitor and the English local authorities and they must have regard to that advice.
Healthwatch England will be able to escalate concerns about health and social care services raised by Local Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland to the CQC. There will be a requirement for the CQC to respond to advice from Healthwatch England.
Healthwatch England will be required to make an annual report to Parliament.
For more information visit www.healthwatch.co.uk
What is a Health and Wellbeing Board?
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 requires each local authority to have a Health and Wellbeing Board covering health, public health and adult social care.
The Board will include representative from Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland, to ensure that feedback from patients and service users can influence and shape health and social care services.
What is PALS and what relationship will it have with Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland?
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is based in hospitals and health trusts, and helps patients get answers to any questions that they might have about NHS services.
They also help resolve problems for patients who want problems resolved rather than making a formal complaint.
Some of PALS functions can also be described as signposting. It is this signposting or information-giving role that will move over from the Primary Care Trust to Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland.
How will Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland Work with Partners?
Healthwatch is being established alongside other new organisations as a result of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland will need to seek out both new and existing organisations, to see if there are ways that they can align and learn from each other. Some of these relationships are formalised already, such as the Healthwatch seat on the Health and Wellbeing Board, others will need to be forged locally, such as with NHS South Tees Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
It is important though that Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland becomes networked in to Patient Participation Groups, third sector organisations and wider partnerships, for example, to ensure that it is picking up on existing engagement mechanisms to help inform its work.
What will happen to the Redcar & Cleveland LINk?
Redcar & Cleveland LINk will cease to exist on 31st March 2013. The existing LINk responsibilities that will be taken on by Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland include:
- Promoting patient and public involvement
- Seeking peoples views on services which can be feedback into local commissioning
- Having the rights to enter and view provider services
- Having the ability to comment on changes to local services
- Healthwatch Redcar and Cleveland will also take on additional functions, including:
- Representing to views of service users, carers and the public on the Health and Wellbeing board
- Providing information and signposting about health services as currently carried out by the PCT PALS (Patient Advice & Liaison Service)
- Signposting people to the NHS complaints advocacy service to support people who make complaints about services;
- Reporting concerns about the quality of health care to Healthwatch England which may recommend that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) take action.
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