Listening to Patient and Public Voice: Transition Panels

What stands to be lost without Healthwatch Warwickshire?

Healthwatch Warwickshire is an independent organisation collecting feedback on services. Without independence we risk losing feedback from those who no longer trust the health or care system, those who fear that speaking out will negatively affect their treatment or from those who cannot access the services. We risk services ‘marking their own homework' rather than hearing about emerging issues in the communities they serve.

We provide face to face community engagement, building relationships through the voluntary sector. We hear feedback from people who trust us, because we have taken time to visit their community. We hear from those without access to the internet, due to cost, lack of reception, disability, or lack of skill. This feedback will be lost without efforts to continue with face to face public engagement.

We work in partnerships across health and social care. We liaise with the voluntary sector, patient participation groups, safeguarding, and public health and we risk losing an organisation that reaches across the many services that people access. We have a right to Enter and View any NHS or Social Care premises to listen to feedback and report on findings. Currently it is unclear if this ability will continue after Healthwatch is abolished.

To find a way forward we propose meeting with leaders across our health and care system to discuss and plan for the future through Transition Panels. We plan to:

• Identify which organisations are best placed to take responsibility for each Healthwatch function, ensuring no function is lost.
• Develop a framework for the transfer of responsibilities, with clear timelines and accountability.
• Establish mechanisms to ensure that community and patient voice continues to be gathered independently.
• To identify and mitigate risks to digitally excluded and marginalised communities during and after transition.