Comments on: Health Watch and LINks – synergy needed but confusion predicted

By: Andrew Craig

Andrew Craig — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:40:38 +0000

Thanks Jeremy, that is a very pertinent question about accountability that you have posed. CICs and other forms of social enterprise might be a viable form for LHW to take. Jeremy is right that the conflict with the LA as funder and a key body to be held to account by LHW could pose big issues. The phrase “lap dog not watch dog” (a twist on the old ACHCEW slogan)comes to mind. To make it more tricky, the LHW would be on the Health and Wellbeing Board run by the LA as well. So maybe a social enterprise form – and CICs are attractive if they have a wide community membership base – is a way forward out of a potential governance tangle.

By: Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:22:43 +0000

Excellent analysis, Andrew. Here are my personal thoughts on HealthWatch, some of which will probably be reflected in a formal National Voices view at some point:

It is right to build on the LINKs rather than start from scratch again. But let’s build on what works including learning lessons from good practice outside the LINKs world and avoiding the pitfalls of the current set up. No more unrepresentative, oppositional, self perpetuating cliques.

HealthWatch will work best as a catalyst for mobilising citizen engagement in health and care. The emphasis should be on promoting involvement in making things go right, rather than on opposing when things go wrong.

Yes, it must cover health and social care and all things affecting health and well being.

HealthWatch is the worst possible name, apart from all the others. It wins on intuitive appeal and understandability. Let’s get used to it.

HealthWatch should be funded through local authorities but not accountable to them. How can you be accountable to the body that – in part – you are holding to account yourself? Why not make them accountable to local communities as community interest companies?

Jeremy Taylor

By: Hans

Hans — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:26:00 +0000

Very comprehensive and interesting.

One point of note: “The proposals make no mention of “host bodies” for LHW in the way that LINks currently relate to “hosts”.”

The Dept of Health Review of Arms-Length Bodies states that the CQC will be the host body for Healthwatch England. Whether it does this at a local level remains to be seen.