Establishing HealthWatch - the future for LINks

Quick links to information on this page:
What is HealthWatch?
Latest news on HealthWatch
Developing local HealthWatch for North Tyneside
Developing HealthWatch England
Involving young people in HealthWatch
HealthWatch advisory group and programme board
Publications about HealthWatch and links to websites with more information

What is HealthWatch?

HealthWatch will be a new independent consumer champion created to gather and represent the views of the public. HealthWatch will play a role at both national and local level and will make sure that the views of the public and people who use services are taken into account.

Local HealthWatch, launching in April 2013, will take on the work of the Local Involvement Networks (LINks) and will also:
- represent the views of people who use services, carers and the public on the health and wellbeing boards set up by local authorities.
- provide a complaints advocacy service to support people who make a complaint about services.
- report concerns about the quality of health care to HealthWatch England, which can then recommend that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) take action.

HealthWatch England, launching in October 2012, will work with local HealthWatch and will also:
- advise the NHS Commissioning Board, English local authorities, Monitor and the Secretary of State
- have the power to recommend that action is taken by the CQC when there are concerns about health and social care services.

Latest news on HealthWatch

North Tyneside HealthWatch newsletter
Read the January briefing on development of Local HealthWatch in North Tyneside

New date for establishment of Local HealthWatch
Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, has announced that local authorities and LINks working with local health experts and volunteers will have until April 2013 to establish their local HealthWatch. HealthWatch England will be established from October 2012. We are pleased that North Tyneside Council has indicated it will support North Tyneside LINk until HealthWatch takes over in April 2013.

Consultation on membership of HealthWatch England
Stakeholders and the public are being asked to contribute to the development of the Healthwatch England membership regulations. The consultation asks for views on:
- the number of members
- suitablity for membership
- process for appointing members
- the period of time a member should be appointed
Read more about the consultation
Closing date for consultation is Friday 2 March 2012. Please send your views to link@voda.org.uk by Friday 24 February and we will use them when sending a LINk response.

Developing local HealthWatch for North Tyneside

North Tyneside Council is leading on the development of our local HealthWatch. Representatives from LINk, ICAS, AgeUK, Carers' Centre, North Tyneside Council, local NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups have attended sessions to develop a local model for HealthWatch. Your LINk reps are John Robson, LINk Chair, and Johanne Mears, LINk Manager.

You can find North Tyneside Council's January 2012 HealthWatch newsletter, presentations and other information about local HealthWatch at the bottom of this page. We will try to keep you up to date with local HealthWatch developments on this website, in the LINk newsletter and at LINk health and wellbeing forums.

Funding for local HealthWatch
The DH has confirmed there will be additional funding to local authorities for local HealthWatch set up costs.

We sent our LINk response to the DH consultation on the allocation of funding to local authorities for Local HealthWatch and NHS complaints advocacy services in October 2011.
Read more about the consultation and read the LINk response

HealthWatch pathfinders
75 HealthWatch pathfinders were announced in August 2011, including Gateshead, Northumberland and Hartlepool. They will work on plans for their local HealthWatch ahead of national implementation in April 2013.

Developing HealthWatch England

HealthWatch England will be established from October 2012. The DH is currently consulting on membership of HealthWatch England. Keep up to date with developments on the CQC website

Involving young people in HealthWatch

HealthWatch will cover adult social care and health for everyone, adults and children. The North Tyneside HealthWatch transition group is looking at how to involve children and young people to make HealthWatch work for them.
Read the NCB report on children and young people's thoughts about HealthWatch

HealthWatch advisory group and programme board

The Department of Health has set up a HealthWatch advisory group to provide expert, practical advice and make recommendations to the programme board on the implementation of HealthWatch. There are representatives from local LINks on the advisory group and two LINk representatives will sit on the programme board. Keep up to date with HealthWatch implementation through the CQC website.

Links to websites with more information about HealthWatch

CQC HealthWatch - Read the notes from HealthWatch Programme Board and Advisory Group meetings and information about setting up HealthWatch England and local HealthWatch

Department of Health - What is HealthWatch? Also go to the news and publications pages of the DH website

LINks exchange - questions and answers about HealthWatch and forum for LINk members. You need to register with the site to post your own comments and questions

North Tyneside LINk

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