Join the Healthwatch Westminster Advisory Group!

Interested in being part of our Advisory Group?

Contact the Healthwatch Westminster Lead Officer at: blessing.ogunoshun@advocacyproject.org.uk

About Healthwatch:

Healthwatch Westminster is one of 152 local Healthwatch organisations running across England since 2013. Its primary aim is to improve health and social care services for local people.

Healthwatch champions the rights of people who use health and social care services, and holds services to account for how well they engage with the public. Healthwatch supports patients, service users, carers and the public to be actively involved in how services are commissioned and delivered.

Healthwatch’s remit covers all publicly funded health and social care services.

About Healthwatch Westminster's Advisory Group:

The Advisory Group tests the aims and objectives of the Healthwatch Westminster executive team and sets its priorities. It works independently but belongs within a larger governance framework, and reports to the main board. The Advisory Groups role is to ensure that Healthwatch Westminster is effective, inclusive, and transparent in its priority setting.

The Advisory Group has responsibility for:

• Setting the priorities and strategic direction of the organisation as set out in the Healthwatch Westminster Workplan and Strategy

• Ensuring direct engagement and reporting of the borough’s Grassroots Community Voices.
• Collecting the views of the Independent Experts Network across all reporting.

Advisory Group objectives:

• Work in constructive partnership with The Advocacy Project Board which overseas Healthwatch Westminster, Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, relevant experts or stakeholders, staff and volunteers.
• To have active oversight of the process for setting annual priorities for the organisation
• Regularly review the list of priorities, receive updates on potential new  and more urgent priorities
• Monitor the progress of project work, hold staff to account if they are not progressing things effectively
• Identify what difference a Healthwatch intervention has made and take a view on whether it is enough
• Advise on utilising Enter & View effectively
• Evaluate whether we are effectively balancing how we raise the voices of the public and challenge services to improve

Who are the members?

• Members of the public who have had close working with Healthwatch Westminster, or who have knowledge of health and care services.
• Healthwatch Manager
• Senior officers of Westminster Council, the ICS and Chairs of committees such as Westminster Health & Wellbeing Bord and Scrutiny Committee will be invited to observe occasional meetings depending on the agenda for the meeting

The term of office is 2 years. The Group will meet quarterly for 2 hours.  There will be occasional events that members will need to attend.

Person specification for members of the public:

Members of the public are key to the group bringing their views to help decide on our priorities, they should have:

• an interest in health, and health and social care services

• experience of working as part of a group, preferably within a strategic context
• sufficient time to commit to the role
• ability to grasp a range of information and evidence
• ability to display sound judgment and be objective
• respecting of individual and organisational viewpoints
• awareness of, and commitment to, equality and diversity and reducing health inequalities
• understanding of the need for confidentiality when required.

Recruitment process for members of the public:

• Members are recruited through an open recruitment process by a panel of the Chair of the Advisory Group, Healthwatch Westminster staff and existing Group members.

• As vacancies arise, we carry out further recruitment processes to fill the spaces.
• We are particularly keen to hear from people who can bring the perspective from communities in Westminster whose voices are seldom heard in health and care planning, and people who can contribute to our strong commitment to equalities and diversity.

Healthwatch Westminster Governance Structure: