Healthwatch Greenwich

Who we are

Healthwatch Greenwich

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 required each local authority area to set up a Healthwatch organisation. There are currently 148 Healthwatches across England, covering 151 local authority areas. Healthwatch Greenwich covers the whole of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Healthwatch gives give people a powerful voice both locally and nationally. At a local level, Healthwatch Greenwich works to help people get the best from their health and social care services, whether it's improving them today, or helping to shape them for tomorrow. Healthwatch Greenwich is about local voices being able to influence the delivery and design of their services, not just for the people who use them, but anyone who might need to use them in future.

Healthwatch Greenwich became an independent organisation on the 1st April 2016. It is commissioned by the Royal Borough of Greenwich to provide the following 6 key functions:

• Gather views and understand the experiences of patients and the public.
• Make people’s views known.
• Promote and support the involvement of people in the commissioning and provision of local care services and how they are scrutinised.
• Recommend investigation or special review of services via Healthwatch England or directly to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
• Provide advice and information (signposting) about access to services and support for making informed choices.
• Making the views and experiences of local people known to Healthwatch England (and to other local Healthwatch organisations) and providing a steer to help it carry out its role as national champion.

Our vision

We want a Greenwich with high quality services, consistent levels of public engagement and an excellent patient/service user experience.

To achieve our vision:

• We listen.

• We act.

• We influence.

Our mission

We are the consumer champion and voice for people who use health and social care services.

How we achieve this:

Understanding what matters most to the public, especially those least heard, by always starting with their needs and views. Influencing those who have the power to change design and delivery of services so they better meet the needs and views of users.

Values

• Inclusive
• Influential
• Independent
• Credible
• Collaborative

How we work

User involvement:

Healthwatch Greenwich is committed to public and patient involvement throughout health and social care services in Greenwich. We aim to involve our users in every aspect of our delivery, and facilitate the voice of users in the public arena.

Independent voice:

Healthwatch Greenwich challenges services, highlights need and investigates issue raised by service users and patients.