The Provision of Healthwatch Sefton

Healthwatch was established under the Health and Social Care Act 2014 to understand the needs, experiences and concerns of people who use health and social care services, and to speak out on their behalf. They are a statutory committee of the independent regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Within the Health and Social Care Act 2014 (Section 182), a duty was imposed on the Council to make contractual arrangements for a local Healthwatch organisation.

Every local authority has a duty to make provisions for the delivery of Healthwatch statutory activity in their local area, their main statutory functions are to:

• Obtain the views of people about their needs and experience of local health and social care services. Local Healthwatch make these views known to those involved in the commissioning and scrutiny of care services.
• Make reports and make recommendations about how those services could or should be improved.
• Promote and support the involvement of people in the monitoring, commissioning and provision of local health and social care services.
• Provide information and advice to the public about accessing health and social care services and the options available to them.
• Make the views and experiences of people known to Healthwatch England, helping us to carry out our role as national champion.
• Make recommendations to Healthwatch England to advise the CQC to carry out special reviews or investigations into areas of concern