Key messages for local councillors

Championing health and social care in

West BerkshireKey Messages for

Local Councillors

West Berkshire

Local Healthwatchhelps you do a great job for your community.

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Your views on local services

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Local Healthwatch Positioning Helping you by helping children, young people and adults get the best out of their local health and social careservices

The ambition of local Healthwatch is… The best health and care services, shaped by local needs and experiences

The principles that drive us are… Championing equality Representation, evidence, and accountability

Local Healthwatch shares with Healthwatch England its ambition to achieve the best health and care services that are shaped by local needs and experiences

The way we go about all our work is… Open, flexible, approachable Practical and dynamic ‘From the ground-up’

Local Healthwatch will work towards this ambition in their area, championing fairness and equal access and treatment, making sure they are at all times representative of the whole community and local needs, rooted in the evidence of local experiences and accountable, ultimately, to local people

Every voice counts Local influence for local impact

Every voice counts when it comes to shaping the future of health and social care, and when it comes to improving it for today. Everything that local Healthwatch does will bring the voice and influence of local people to the development and delivery of local services. Children, young people and adults need to feel that their local Healthwatch belongs to and reflects them and their local community. It needs to feel approachable, practical and dynamic and to act on behalf of local people

Healthwatch will give children, young people and adults a powerful voice locally and nationally. Local Healthwatch will work to help people get the best out of their local health and social care services. Whether it’s improving them today or helping to shape them for tomorrow. Local Healthwatch is all about local voices being able to influence the delivery and design of local services. Not just people who use them, but anyone who might need to in the future

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Local Healthwatch can help you do a great job for your community

What is going on in the world that makes what we do important?

Health and care services are changing dramatically

People’s expectations of their care services are rising but people fear the effect of the changes and cuts on the NHS

Funding cuts are affecting every service. The cost of providing care is rising

Our population is changing: there are more old-er people, and a greater need to treat and support the illnesses of old age, such as dementia

There are serious health inequalities in our country and they are not improvingWe have seen high profile failures in health and social care services

Local councils now have a significant role to play in promoting public health

The new Health and Wellbeing Boards change the way services are planned and commissioned

Why do we feel that this is important?

We can help you to improve your health and social care services

It’s easier to improve services if you know what their users think about them

Local services have been allowed to fail for a significant time before alerts were raisedCouncils are responsible for safeguarding people from abuse and neglect

Community participation enables you to develop better services, and clarifies people’s expectations of their services

As you have a statutory responsibility for public health, let us help you do the best job possible

Input from children, young people and adults will enable you to make better decisions about services

The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the new Health and Wellbeing Boards put responsibility for the health and wellbeing of communities onto local councils

How are we solving these problems?

We’re working with children, young people and adults who want to improve their local services. Through us they have an influential voice.

We engage with the children, young people and adults you represent, especially those in hard to reach communities

We will present the views of children, young people and adults to you in the most useful form

We will share the information we gather to give you early warning when things are going wrong in your services

Because we’re talking directly to your service users, we can tell you how they experience your services in reality

We’re not all about the things that could be better – we spread good news and views too

How do we want people to respond?

Champion Healthwatch in your local area and support local voices improving local health and social care

We’d like you to give weight to the views we represent, they are from the people who use services in your local area

We’d like you to let us know how you will respond to the information we’ve given youHelp us engage with your local networks. We want everyone who uses services in your area to understand what we do

Scrutinise our work and let us know how effective we are

Helping you by helping children, young people and adults get the best out of their local health and social care services

We are a local centre for information and support for your service users

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Every VoiceCounts

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Family Resource Centre UK have been commissioned by West Berkshire Council to deliver Healthwatch West Berkshire . This independent service aims to give a voice to people of West Berkshire, to have real impact on health services and care.

Email us at:[email protected]

Freephone: 0800 977 4371

Phone: 0118 969 5137

Postal Address:Healthwatch West Berkshire,Broadway House,4-8 The Broadway,Newbury,Berkshire,RG14 1BA

Family Resource Centre UK. A Charity Registered in England and Wales No. 1078331. A Company Limited by Guarantee No. 3841084.