Claire Ogley, Regional Project Lead, HealthWatch Transition


What is HealthWatch and how will it differ from LINks?

The 'bigger picture' – how it fits into the national and political agenda

What Local Authorities and LINks are doing now to prepare

What you can do to ensure you have a voice


Liberating the NHS: legislative framework and next steps set out a vision for NHS reforms and describes a system where: a) patients and the public are at the heart of everything b) health and care outcomes in England are among the best in the world c) clinicians are empowered to deliver results
Local HealthWatch fits into a) to deliver b)

Awaiting the legislation - Health and Social Care Bill

The National Timetable
• October 2011- shadow NHS Commissioning Board,
SHA and PCT clusters ( 7 in EOE )
• During 2012- developing and Clinical Commissioning
Groups (CCGs), Health and Well-Being Boards, Public
Health Transfer and PH England, shadow NHS Trust
Development Authority and Health Education England .
• October 2012 Healthwatch England and Local
Healthwatch established (LINks fully operational until this time)
• April 2013; New architecture but CCGs and NHSFTs not authorised until ready

To ensure the reformed system:
1) is genuinely centred around patients
2) refuses to tolerate unsafe and substandard care
3) eliminates discrimination and inequalities
4) is transparent, with more accountability for results
5) gives citizens more say in how the NHS is run
6) works much better across boundaries

Strengthening the voice of patients and the public and to help achieve this:
Local Involvement Networks (LINks) provide the foundation for Local HealthWatch organisations to be the local collective voice
HealthWatch England will be a new independent consumer champion for the national collective voice

‘National champion voice’
HealthWatch England advisory continuous dialogue
‘Local champion voice’
Local HealthWatch influencing
Community groups, Voluntary organisations
Mental health Older people
Working age individuals
BME groups Carers
Disability groups
…others
DH – Secretary of State
NHS Commissioning Board
CQC
Monitor
Ombudsman
Local authority health and well being board
OSC / scrutiny function
GP consortia
Providers

HealthWatch England will:
– provide leadership and support to Local HealthWatch organisations i.e. set operational standards, standard protocols
– propose that CQC investigate poorly performing services
– advise Secretary of State, NHS Commissioning Board,
English local authorities, Monitor and CQC itself

'The consumer champion of health and adult social care'
(DH HW team is working on how children's services will fit in)
HW will be a 'Body corporate' commissioned by the Local
Authority
3 main elements:
1) Decision-making – strong, independent local consumer voice. Presenting the collective community voice on Health and Well-Being Boards
2) Signposting – help individuals access information and thus exercise choice
3) NHS healthcare advocacy by 2013 – responsible for
NHS complaints advocacy

representing the collective voice scrutinising quality of service provision seat on the health and wellbeing board
Joint Strategic
Needs Assessment and Joint Health and
Wellbeing Strategy informing the commissioning decision-making process
LOCAL HEALTHWATCH
‘local consumer voice for health and social care’
Influencing signposting advisory
Help shape the planning of health and social care services
Help people access and make choices about care
Advocacy for individuals making complaints about healthcare from 2013/14 empowering people helping people understand choice providing local, evidence based information

From
Influence local services
To
Participate in decision-making via Health and Well Being Boards
Focus on community voice Help and support for individuals as well
Local voice Local and national voice through HW
England

Be a 'network of networks' – tapping into the expertise of volunteers and community groups
Be inclusive and diverse – truly representative
Have an effective voice to influence CCGs, HWBBs, providers
Be trusted and respected
Be independent and accountable – complexities & challenges around LA arrangements
Strengthen relationships

:
Retain and harness all the existing functions of LINk
Gather good intelligence and evidence which can be fed back into commissioning
Monitor health and social care services, make reports and recommendations, Enter & View (quality, safety and accessibility)
Provide information to support patient choice
Access centrally held information and data so people can exercise choice
'Responsible for' complaints advocacy (ICAS): from April 2013, for people with complaints about health and care services.


Body corporate – what does a statutory organisation look like?

Robust and credible governance structure

Commissioned and funded by, and accountable to Local
Authority – what does that mean for independence?

Grant-aided or tender?

Staff and volunteers – what are their roles?


11 Local Authorities – 10 of them are HealthWatch pathfinders

Emerging work patterns – some moving faster than others
Themes

Engagement and involvement (community, CCGs, HWBBs)

Organisational model

Funding model

Skills gap
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Identification and recruitment to HW

Supporting existing LINk

National Programme Board supported by Advisory group
Centre for Public Scrutiny report on LINKs best practice
'Task and finish' national workshops ('what a good LHW looks like‘, skills for LHW, Governance etc.)
National action learning sets – to come
Regional programme managers network being formed
National newsletter and online discussion forum – register now: healthwatch@nunwood.com

Ensure your voice is heard
Be involved now
Make contact with your local LINk and/or Local Authority

LA/LINk
Bedford Borough
Central Bedfordshire
Cambridgeshire
Essex
Hertfordshire
Luton
Peterborough
Norfolk
Southend
Suffolk
Thurrock
Contact
George.hunt@bedford.gov.uk
enquiries@bedfordlink.org.uk
James.robinson-morley@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Charlotte.bonser@valuton.org.uk
Geoff.hinkins@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
office@cambridgeshirelink.org.uk
Tim.hayward.smith@parkwoodhealthcare.co.uk
Duncan.wood@essexcc.gov.uk
hertslink@shaw-trust.org.uk
tim.anfilogoff@hertscc.org.uk
www.lutonlink.org.uk
Hilary.bartle@luton.gov.uk
Angela.burrows@shaw-trust.org.uk
Nick.blake@peterboroughpct.nhs.uk
info@norfolk.link.org.uk
Maureen.orr@norfolk.gov.uk
Tim.hayward.smith@parkwoodhealthcare.co.uk
michellehill@southend.gov.uk
info@suffolklink.org.uk
liz.whitby@socserv.suffolkcc.gov.uk
Kim.oconnell@cemvo.org.uk
Jforbes-burford@thurrock.org.uk

Claire Ogley – Regional HealthWatch Transition
Lead claire.ogley@enableeast.org.uk
07533 025751