Healthwatch Southampton Strategic Group - Terms of Reference
1 Overview of Local Healthwatch:
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 set out that local Healthwatch would be
established by April 2013 and would take over the statutory functions of Local
Involvement Networks (LINks). Local Healthwatch would become the independent,
influential and effective voice of the public, employing its own staff and involving
volunteers to ensure local experiences are recognised and voices are heard. It will
reach out proactively in communities to engage and involve local people, carrying
out statutory functions as laid down by Parliament, keep accounts and make its
annual reports available to the public.
2 What does local Healthwatch do?:
2.1 promoting and supporting the involvement of local people in the
commissioning, the provision and scrutiny of local care services.
2.2 enabling local people to monitor the standard of provision of local care
services and whether and how local care services could and ought to be
improved;
2.3 obtaining the views of local people regarding their needs for, and
experiences of, local care services and importantly to make these views
known.
2.4 making reports and recommendations about how local care services could or
ought to be improved. These should be directed to commissioners and
providers of care services, and people responsible for managing or
scrutinising local care services and shared with Healthwatch England.
2.5 providing advice and information about access to local care services so
choices can be made about local care services;
2.6 formulating views on the standard of provision and whether and how the
local care services could and ought to be improved; and sharing these views
with Healthwatch England.
2.7 making recommendations to Healthwatch England to advise the Care Quality
Commission to conduct special reviews or investigations (or, where the
circumstances justify doing so, making such recommendations direct to the
CQC); and to make recommendations to Healthwatch England to publish
reports about particular issues.
2.8 providing Healthwatch England with the intelligence and insight it needs to
enable it to perform effectively.
3 Vision:
Our vision is for high-quality health and social care services that are designed
based upon strong user evidence and public feedback.
4 Strapline:
Healthwatch Southampton – your voice in improving health and social care
5 HWS Strategic Group Purpose:
The Healthwatch Southampton Strategic Group is tasked with setting the strategic
direction; identifying the operational priorities; and broadly directing the activities of
Healthwatch Southampton whilst ensuring it has a strong independent voice.
6 Role:
On behalf of Healthwatch Southampton, HWS Strategic Group will:
6.1.
Agree its vision, values and operating service ethos.
6.2.
Set its strategic direction and operational priorities;
6.3.
Ensure the voice of the public influences the shape of HWS services
and activities.
6.4.
Take oversight of its performance against the priorities and goals that
have been set, ensuring quality in all areas of its work.
6.5.
Develop good working relations with the executive staff team,
recognising the demarcation line between operational activity and strategic
development.
7 Membership:
Healthwatch Southampton will form a membership of local voluntary & community
sector (VCS) organisations and the public, from which the HWS Strategic Group will
be elected. Those excluded from Strategic Group membership under item 9 are
welcomed to become public members of HWS.
8 Strategic Group Membership
The Strategic Group will comprise of 9 members whose election / selection will be
overseen by an independent Nominations Committee as follows:
3 Public
Members
Elected by the individual membership of Healthwatch Southampton.
(Must be over 18 years old 2 x City Members, living in SO14- SO19,
and one Non-City Member)
3 VCS
Members
Elected by the VCS organisational membership of Healthwatch
Southampton.
(Must be over 18 years old but do not have to be living in
Southampton or be using health and social care services in the city.
Organisations must be operating in Southampton and named
representatives must have been nominated and backed by their
organisation’s governing body)
2
members
Nominated by the Nominations Committee to add an extra diversity
dimension and / or bring additional skills and experiences to the
work of the Strategic Group.
(Must be over 18 years old living in Southampton or using health
and social care services in the city)
1 member
Nominated by SVS Executive Committee as the accountable
corporate body.
(Must be over 18 years old but do not have to be living in
Southampton or be using health and social care services in the city)
9 Exclusions
In order to ensure the independent integrity of the Healthwatch Southampton
Strategic Group, the following are ineligible from applying to be Strategic Group
members:
9.1.
People who work in commissioning of, or make strategic policy
affecting, health and social care services in the city.
9.2.
All Board members of the Southampton City Clinical Commissioning
Group, any NHS provider organisation and any Southampton City Council
Councillors.
9.3.
Major Health and Social care providers, and their employees, whose
main function is to provide commissioned services to local Southampton
citizens, this includes SCC, private and voluntary, community and social
enterprise sector organisations.
10 Governing Style:
The Strategic Group’s governing style will focus strongly on:
10.1.
Being visionary and providing strategic leadership.
10.2.
Being proactive and not reactive.
10.3.
Cultivating group ownership by respecting individual views but ensuring
collective decision making.
10.4.
Agreeing policy and delegation of actions.
10.5.
Ensuring progress is being made, but not getting involved in
administrative detail.
10.6.
Ensuring a clear distinction between the roles of Strategic Group and
the executive support staff.
11 Accountability:
To demonstrate openness and accountability, HWS Strategic Group will:
11.1
Operate under a Code of Conduct and compliance with the 7 Nolan
Principles of public office – Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability,
Openness, Honesty and Leadership.
11.2
Hold meetings in public with a published agenda and timetable at least
six times a year.
11.3
Hold an Annual General Meeting.
11.4
Publish a Healthwatch Southampton Annual Report to be widely
disseminated to:
a. Healthwatch England
b. the local authority
c. NHS England
d. each clinical commissioning group, whose area or any part thereof,
falls within the area of the local authority
e. any overview and scrutiny committee of the local authority
f. the Care Quality Commission
11.5
Hold annual elections / selections for up to 50% of The Strategic
Group’s membership.
12 Meetings:
The Strategic Group will:
12.1
Meet no less than 6 times per year.
12.2
Through its Code of Conduct, implement any disciplinary procedures
deemed appropriate against members who miss 3 or more meetings in public
in any one year.
13 Executive Support:
The Executive Support to The Strategic Group is provided by Healthwatch
Southampton Manager.