Within the context of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (‘the Act') a number of key sectors have come together to provide effective leadership and support for the successful implementation of local Healthwatch (LHW).
It is hoped that this document will help local authorities both to commission local Healthwatch organisations and review how well their local Healthwatch delivers its roles and responsibilities.
It can also help emerging potential local Healthwatch organisations understand what is expected of them and how they can develop to meet current best practice. The document seeks to support sector-led improvement at a local authority level by helping to shape the outcomes local authorities might want to achieve in their local Healthwatch commissioning role.
It is important to emphasize that this document does not cover the commissioning process itself, nor does it offer a preferred organisational model for local Healthwatch.