The development of Local Healthwatch in Kent Part one: key findings

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Summary of Key Findings Detailed contributions from participants are provided in part two of the report. This section provides a broad overview of the key findings and messages from stakeholders. Vision for a successful K LHW Participants demonstrated a good general awareness of the proposals for Healthwatch at local and national level. Many identified the need for more detailed briefings on the content of the policy documents emerging from the Department of Health and all wished to be kept up to date on the progress of the K LHW. Many participants commented on the value of the statement of readiness process. They found that opportunities to participate in the interviews, groups and workshops provided a reflective space to explore their own views and positions on Healthwatch in more depth. Several participants commented that engaging in a structured exercise helped to provide a focus to their emerging views on K LHW. This opportunity enabled them to value the experience, strengths and assets already available in Kent and to have a voice early on in the process of developing K LHW before key decisions are finalised. Healthwatch is welcomed by the vast majority of participants both in its local and national forms. It is seen as a positive development of existing patient, public and service user engagement work across Kent. Four aspects of the Healthwatch proposals are particularly welcomed by participants: • The vision of ‘no decision about me, without me’ • The concept of a consumer champion • The focus on the needs and voice of diverse and different groups across the community • The ability to coordinate data on public experiences and opinions and present it in an informed way Participants were able to contribute many different elements to a vision for what a successful K LHW looks like. Part two of the report lists these elements in full. Most issues were complimentary to a wider vision and often described similar themes in different language or from different perspectives. The key areas of consensus for the vision were: • K LHW must champion the service user and patient perspective in a constructive way. It must be their voice and be an effective advocate for their interests • K LHW will need to be credible with three groups - the wider public, people who use its services and with organisational stakeholders (in particular commissioners and decision makers) 16 The development of Local Healthwatch in Kent: assessing readiness for Local Healthwatch
• All parties welcome informed challenge from the patient and service user perspective • It will need to be able to work with and champion diverse groups from across Kent • K LHW will need to be visible and accessible through clear communication and effective branding • It will need to be able to establish sophisticated and robust relationships with commissioners and decision makers based on mutual respect and an appreciation of the different roles that each stakeholder plays • K LHW will need to work in a transparent and open way • It will need to be able to demonstrate and evidence it’s impact on health and social care services For some participants their vision of K LHW focused on what it might prevent, often citing the example of Mid-Staffordshire Hospital and the need for a strong patient voice when things start to go wrong. They had a particular concern with issues of patient safety and welcomed the potential of K LHW to scrutinise and highlight concerns. The credibility of K LHW was an important concern for many participants. If K LHW was not credible then participants felt that its effectiveness would be limited. Credibility would need to be established early on in the design stages. The key features of a credible K LHW were: • Independence • Good governance • The quality of relationships it is able to develop with commissioners, decision makers and providers • A skilled and competent team of staff and volunteers • The ability to present a range of views and voices of local people • An understanding of the health and social care commissioning processes and decision making timetables • The ability to present data and findings in an effective and influential way • Accessibility to patients, service users and the public across Kent • Clarity of communications with the public and stakeholders • Transparency of internal processes, prioritisation, decision making and impact • Seeking and responding to feedback on the development and work of K LHW Part one: key findings 17
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Page 27 and 28: e a risk as local people may get co
Page 29 and 30: Debates During the statement of rea
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Page 41 and 42: Julie Van Ruyckevelt, West Kent Pri
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The development of Local Healthwatch in Kent Part one: key findings

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