Presentation from Anne-Marie Dean, Chairman, Healthwatch Havering on the plans of this new organisation.
Minutes:
The Chairman noted that the Committee had enjoyed a good relationship with Havering LINk and was keen for this to continue with Healthwatch Havering. The Healthwatch Havering Chairman agreed and felt that Healthwatch had been given a strong voice to influence how health and social care services are provided locally.
Healthwatch Havering was a company limited by guarantee with, at this stage, three directors including the Chairman. The LINk coordinator had been transferred under the TUPE regulations to a similar role with Healthwatch.
Healthwatch Havering had a voluntary membership consisting of lay members working outside the health or social care sectors and volunteers who did work in these areas. Steps would be taken to avoid any conflicts of interest that volunteers may incur during their Healthwatch work.
It was planned to recruit six lay members and seven volunteers. The lay members would work with each CCG cluster while the volunteers would each be responsible for a certain area including mental health, Queen’s Hospital, young people and over 50s services. Volunteers would also cover optical and pharmacy services which were new responsibilities that had been given to Healthwatch.
Governance arrangements for Healthwatch included a policy advisory board and a separate board to consider strategic, governance and quality issues. Healthwatch Havering was a member of the Health and Wellbeing Board and was also represented on the local and regional Quality Surveillance Groups. The Care Quality Commission was also legally required to take account of information gathered by Healthwatch Havering.
A lease was currently being progressed for Healthwatch Havering to be based in office premises at Harold wood polyclinic. Two surgery sessions per week would also be held at Care Point in Romford.
Recruitment of Healthwatch volunteers had commenced and volunteers would receive an induction, CRB checks and level one safeguarding training. Training in conducting enter and view visits would also be given to all 13 volunteers and lay members.
The Healthwatch chairman had met with Havering LINk and agreed a formal handover. The Healthwatch chairman thanked the LINk for their work and also recorded thanks to John Tench on Adult Social Care for his assistance in setting up Healthwatch and the Council, Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the CCG for their welcome and support.
A CCG representative felt it was important that Healthwatch was looking to involve young people. It was suggested that Healthwatch should look in particular at the transition between paediatric and adult mental health services. The Committee recorded their disappointment that they had not been informed of a youth service event that had been held in Romford earlier that day.
It was noted that a Healthwatch director would attend future meetings of the Committee as well as of the Joint Committee. Members felt it was important that Healthwatch should avoid duplicating the work of the Health and Wellbeing Board and the Chairman added that she planned to ask Healthwatch to undertake enter and view visits to local health premises if a suitable issue arose. The Healthwatch Havering website had also recently gone live.
The Committee noted the presentation.