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

Development
Participants were keen to see significant attention given to the development
programme for K LHW and felt that supporting staff and volunteers to have a
structured programme was essential to the success of the initiative. They also
recognised that development was a two-way process and that stakeholder
organisations would benefit from engaging with K LHW in an organised
programme. Participants were generous in offering their support and time as
well as access to in-house training opportunities.
A whole system programme of induction for K LHW is essential to build
relationships and raise awareness of the new body. A more detailed training and
development programme should compliment and build on the induction phase.
Participants felt that the development programme should be linked to work
on the roles and competencies required for K LHW and should be available to
staff and volunteers.
Commissioning and procurement
The commissioning and procurement process for K LHW should be managed
on the principles of co-production, informed by the following factors:
• The K LHW ‘body corporate’ will need to be well placed to coordinate any
distributed delivery of functions. It will need a clear central governance
structure to ensure accountability and clarity of role and functions.
• Different organisations may have the specialisms to deliver specific parts
of the Healthwatch brief.
• Local organisations are well placed to provide evidence, understanding
and insight into the needs of local communities and seldom heard groups.
• The need to align commissioning goals to the needs and interests of
health and social care consumers across Kent.
• The importance of identifying the types of evidence that commissioners
would need to measure the effectiveness of K LHW.
Participants welcomed the need for the commissioner to ensure that K LHW
could demonstrate and evidence its work with diverse and seldom heard
groups. This role should be strongly emphasised in the contract.
Some participants felt that it was too early on in the process to give concrete
views on the actual procurement process other than at the most general levels.
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The development of Local Healthwatch in Kent: assessing readiness for Local Healthwatch