Hartlepool made HealthWatch Pathfinder
From October next year a new government advisory body called HealthWatch England will oversee health and social care services across the country. Smaller ‘Local HealthWatch’ groups will ensure HealthWatch England’s work is influenced by the views of local communities.
Local HealthWatch groups will evolve from Local Involvement Networks (LINks) - which have been in existence since 2007 – to become the key way for members of the public to influence and challenge decisions made about local health and social care services. The groups will have extra functions, too, such as pointing people towards useful information about services in their area.
Earlier this year the government announced plans to develop pilot HealthWatch groups, dubbed HealthWatch Pathfinders. Pathfinder sites will lead the way in setting up Local HealthWatch groups and will share their experiences with other local authority areas, the majority of which will be developing their own HealthWatch groups in 2012.
Hartlepool was awarded HealthWatch Pathfinder status in September this year. The focus of Hartlepool’s Pathfinder application was to build on the LINk’s partnership work and explore how to develop:
- Relationships with new bodies such as the Clinical Commissioning group and the Health and Wellbeing board
- The role of HealthWatch in respect of public health issues
- Understanding the role of HealthWatch and being able to present it to partners, stakeholders and the local community
- The role of HealthWatch in providing support to access information and exercise choice.
Work began on the Pathfinder work on 25 October, with a special event which brought together LINk members and partner organisations to look at how to move the Local HealthWatch forward.
Watch this space for more information about the Pathfinders work and for information on how our HealthWatch work is developing.
More information
For more information about HealthWatch England, visit the Department of Health website.
For more information on the work of the Local Involvement Network (LINk) or HealthWatch Pathfinder progress contact Christopher Akers-Belchers at Hartlepool Voluntary Development Agency (HVDA) by:
- email:
- Telephone: 01429 262641
For more information on the HealthWatch Pathfinder application and HealthWatch commissioning contact Leigh Keeble in Child and Adult Services at Hartlepool Borough Council by:
- email: leigh.keeble@hartlepool.gov.uk
- Telephone: 01429 284292
Image courtesy of careimages.com