Importance of public voice set out in NHS and Healthwatch partnership agreement

Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Healthwatch Together have developed a partnership agreement which sets out how they will work together to ensure local people have a voice in NHS decision-making.  

The formal agreement sets out the commitment to work together to ensure the views and needs of local people and communities will help shape local NHS services and the important role Healthwatch has in championing local voices. The partnership aims to ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The purpose of this partnership is to emphasise the importance of public and patient involvement between NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria and the five local Healthwatch organisations - Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen, Healthwatch Blackpool, Healthwatch Cumberland, Healthwatch Lancashire and Healthwatch Westmorland and Furness  - working under the umbrella of Healthwatch Together.

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB director of communications and engagement Neil Greaves said: “The NHS has legal duties to involve people when developing plans, transforming services and changing how NHS services are delivered. This partnership agreement with Healthwatch Together will help to strengthen that involvement and ultimately lead to better health and care access, experience and outcomes for the population of Lancashire and South Cumbria which is based around listening to local experiences.

“Meaningful involvement for patients and members of the public can support wider objectives, including population health improvement, the personalisation of care, addressing health inequalities, improving access to services and driving quality improvements.”

The ICB is accountable for NHS spend and performance, and responsible for the day-to-day running of the NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria. This includes all NHS services such as hospital trusts, general practices, pharmacies, dentistry, mental health and community services which provide care for 1.8 million people in Lancashire and South Cumbria. 

Healthwatch is the health and social care champion nationally, funded by and accountable to local authorities. As an independent body with statutory functions, Healthwatch has powers to ensure system leaders and other decision makers listen to people’s feedback and improve standards of care. Healthwatch also helps people with the information and advice they need to make the right decisions and get the support they need.

David Blacklock, chief executive of Healthwatch Lancashire, Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness, said: “This partnership agreement seeks to provide a strong foundation to support collaborative working between the ICB and local Healthwatch organisations in obtaining the views of people about their needs and experience of local health and social care services.

“It is Healthwatch’s role to promote and support the involvement of people in the monitoring, commissioning and provision of local health and social care services, and provide information and advice to the public about accessing health and social care services and the options available to them.

“This constructive partnership with the local health system is an opportunity for us to represent the views of the public at a strategic level, and for the ICB to demonstrate how these views have been used to improve services.”