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New HealthWatch Bristol site launched. This new website will be maintained by the Care Forum, who have successfully bidded to provide the HealthWatch service for Bristol.
What is HealthWatch?
Bristol HealthWatch is a statutory requirement contained in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
Bristol HealthWatch builds on the former responsibilities of the Bristol LINk. This includes: promoting public and patient involvement in improving local health services, talking to communities about their needs, monitoring health and care services, preparing reports and recommendations, and carrying out “Enter and View” visits into Hospitals and Registered Care Homes.
Bristol HealthWatch:
- Provides information and support patient choice, (previously undertaken by the PCT Patient Advice and Liaison Service).
- Provides signposting to Complaints Advocacy (from 2013).
- Provides a representative to participate in the council’s Health and Wellbeing Board
- Contributes towards the scrutiny of NHS Quality Accounts and ensure provider compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty and the Equality Act 2010.
HealthWatch’s role is to champion the views and experiences of service users, carers and the wider public in an effort to maintain a good health service and make meaningful improvements for patients.
Bristol HealthWatch is set up as its own organisation, contracted by the council and acquired through “Provide to Bristol”, a new system for all the council’s commissioning and procurement activity.
HealthWatch England was established in August 2012 by the Care Quality Commission to provide national leadership and to ensure that each local HealthWatch becomes a powerful and effective voice for users of Health and Social Care Services.
Questions and answers
During a public event held on February 6, 2012, attendees were given a chance to ask question about HealthWatch, how it would work and what services it would be providing.
We have sorted the questions into topics and themes:
- About Healthwatch (pdf, 16 KB) (opens new window)
- Transition (pdf, 17 KB) (opens new window)
- Commissioning and Procurement (pdf, 18 KB) (opens new window)
- The Health and Wellbeing Board (pdf, 5 KB) (opens new window)
- Advocacy (pdf, 5 KB) (opens new window)
- Information and Signposting (pdf, 5 KB) (opens new window)
BSL interpreting - SignVideo site
