Agenda item

Public Participation

Mr Phil Matthews, Chairman of Healthwatch addressed Cabinet on this item, supported the proposals and thanked officers particularly Julie Martin and Dot Kronda for all their help.

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 required Wiltshire to arrange for Local Healthwatch to start from 1 April 2013. The Council was also required to commission an NHS complaints advocacy service to also start from 1 April 2013.

The Deputy Leader, presented a report which outlined proposals for Healthwatch Wiltshire, building on the work undertaken so far. The report also sought agreement for the next steps in commissioning both Local Healthwatch and an NHS complaints advocacy service. The report set out the proposed governance and funding for Healthwatch and the advocacy service to make sure they were ready to start on 1 April 2013.

Healthwatch was a new organisation concerned with strengthening the collective voice of local people and their influence on both health and social care. Local Healthwatch would inform the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and joint health and wellbeing strategies on which local commissioning decisions would be based through its seat on the Health and Wellbeing Board.

Local Healthwatch will have more statutory responsibilities than the Local Involvement Networks (LINk’s). In Wiltshire the current Local Involvement Network was known as WIN (Wiltshire Involvement Network) Healthwatch in Wiltshire (to be known as Healthwatch Wiltshire) would assume responsibility for existing Local Involvement Network (WIN) functions and assume new responsibilities. It would be independent from the Council and would be a social enterprise.  The Council could decide what form of Healthwatch would best suit Wiltshire, based on local requirements.  It would be accountable to the people of Wiltshire, Healthwatch England and also to the Council.

The Deputy Leader moved the proposals with a minor amendment to the first and fifth bullet point of the report as reflected in the resolutions below.

Resolved:

That Cabinet approve the following:

1. That approval is granted for officers to proceed with the preferred  approach to procurement of securing an exemption from competitive tender for the outlined model for Healthwatch Wiltshire (paragraph 41 of the report refers).

2. The interim NHS complaints advocacy service be commissioned separately from Healthwatch for one year from April 2013 (paragraph 62).

3.    The proposed funding levels as detailed in the report be agreed (paragraph 54, 55 and 62).

4. A Wiltshire specific Healthwatch be developed using a  consortium approach with community and voluntary stakeholders (paragraph 16).

5. An independent shadow Chairman and four executive members of the Board are appointed  by the Leader of the Council acting under her delegated powers working with the shadow Health & Wellbeing Board to set up the Healthwatch Wiltshire organisation (paragraph 28).

6. A shadow Healthwatch Wiltshire is set up using the start up funding (paragraph 52).

7. An agreement is put in place with Wiltshire Involvement Network (WIN) about the transfer of any reserves to Healthwatch Wiltshire (paragraph 58).

Reason for Decision

There is a statutory requirement under the Health and Social Care Act (2012) for the Council to commission Healthwatch Wiltshire by April 2013

Public Consultation has supported the proposed approach of the Council, working with key stakeholder organisations to design a form of Healthwatch that meets the statutory requirements and which builds on the existing local infrastructure in Wiltshire.