1. Shared opportunities, shared
decisions
local influence in health and social
care
Rachel Robinson
Chief Executive
The Care Forum

2. The Care Forum
Our Mission
To promote health and wellbeing for all
and to challenge inequalities in health
and social care policy and services.

3. We do this by:
• Enabling voluntary and community sector
organisations and individuals to participate
fully and equally in the design, delivery and
improvement of services
• Empowering individuals and groups to
represent themselves, to be heard and to
make informed choices
• Improving people’s access to services
• Researching services and projects.

4. Experience of engagement
• Shadow Health and wellbeing boards and
developing clinical commissioning groups
• Providing and supporting representation
on strategic and planning partnerships
• Four years hosting Local Involvement
Networks (and from 1 April providing
Healthwatch)

5. The good ...

6. The not so good ...
Community begins in mystery and ends in administration. Leaders move
away from people and into paper. (Jean Vanier)

7. Healthwatch
• Local Healthwatch will provide
authoritative, evidence-based feedback
to organisations responsible for
commissioning or delivering local health
and social care services
• Statutory seat on the health and
wellbeing board

8. Why does it matter?
“Local opinion is not most effectively
collected, analysed and deployed by
untrained members of the public without
professional resources available to them,
but the means used should always be
informed by the needs of the public and
patients”.
The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
Public Inquiry, Executive Summary, 1.28
Robert Francis QC

9. Thank you for listening

10. Thank you for listening