Our Independence Policy

Local Healthwatch need to be independent and accessible to all sections of the community, seen by the public as part of the community we live in and able to reflect the experiences that they have shared about health and social care services. The ability to speak up independently on behalf of sometimes unpopular causes or marginalised groups is critical to the work of Healthwatch Westminster. 

However we cannot work in isolation. In the case of Healthwatch Westminster, independence is best described as listening to everyone equally and communicating what has been said without bias or misinterpretation. It is the ability to speak up independently on behalf of sometimes unpopular issues or marginalised groups, in an evidence-based way, and to look at areas and produce reports that, in the view of Healthwatch Westminster, best meet the needs of the people we serve.