Local HealthWatch for Camden

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As part of the Health and Social Care Bill, a new consumer champion for users of health and social care services will be created. This will be known as HealthWatch, nationally, there will be an organisation called HealthWatch England, which looks at services across England.

In each local area, there will also be an organisation called Local HealthWatch. It will support health and social care services by working with, and listening to, local people and their views and experiences of using services. It will build on the work already done by Local Involvement Networks (LINks) like Camden Involvement Network (cLINk)

Local communities will have a greater say in decisions about services. Local HealthWatch will support health and social care services by working with, and listening to, local people and their views and experiences of using services. It will build on the work already done by networks like Camden Involvement Network but will have additional functions and powers.

Camden Council has a responsibility to ensure that Camden has its own Local HealthWatch which, subject to the passage of the Health and Social care Bill, will be launched in October 2012.

What will HealthWatch do?

Camden’s Local HealthWatch will:

·        Represent the local community, giving a stonger voice to influence and challenge how health and social care services are provided in Camden.

·        Examine the quality of local health and social care services.

·        Have a seat on the local Health and Well Being Board to ensure the views and experiences of patients, service users and carers are taken into account when local needs assessments and strategies are prepared, giving it an important role in promoting and improving public health, and tackling health inequalities..

·        Help shape the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, which describes the health needs of the population of Camden and the Health and Well Being Strategy.

·        Influence decisions about planning and buying health and social care services.

·        Provide local information on health needs.

·        Support people to understand the choice of services available.

What sort of organisation will it be?

As Local HealthWatch organisations will have responsibilities for helping individuals by advising people about services and accessing advocacy services it is proposed by Government that they will become corporate bodies but the type of organisation will be for local determination

Local HealthWatch will have to be inclusive and reflect the diversity of Camden. There is an explicit requirement in the Health & Social Care Bill that Local HealthWatch membership must be representative of local people and different users of services including carers.

Local HealthWatch will be an independent organisation, able to employ its own staff and volunteers, so it can become the influential and effective voice of the public. It will have to keep accounts and make its annual reports available to the public.

What will happen to the Camden Involvement Network (cLINK)?

Local Involvement Networks in their current form will cease to exist. Local HealthWatch will take over the role of the Local Involvement Network as well as the additional functions outlined above.

How will Local HealthWatch be provided?

The legislation will allow a Local Authority to directly contract with a Local HealthWatch organisation. Each Local Authority can set up a process for groups and organisations to tender.

When will Local HealthWatch be set up?

Camden’s Local HealthWatch will be set up next year, and from 1 October 2012 will start to:

·        Influence - helping people get involved in the planning of local health and social care services.

·        Signpost - giving people the right information at the right time to support them to make a choice about services they may need locally.

From April 2013, Local HealthWatch will also support people who want to complain about health and social care services.

How will Local HealthWatch be funded?

Funding will be available for Local HealthWatch from the Department of Health who will provide the money to Camden Council as a grant. We don't yet know exactly how much it will be.

Developing HealthWatch

We want our Local HealthWatch to be shaped by the ideas and opinions of the people in Camden, building on the best of what we do already.

Camden Council is holding a series of engagement activities. They are holding workshops, talks and other sessions to get people thinking about Local HealthWatch. What are the local issues? What are the barriers? What have we already got to build on?