Volunteer Advisory Group member

We are excited to be seeking new members to expand our Local Healthwatch Advisory Group, to help ensure that we hear as many voices as possible in our mission to be a strong champion for users of health and social care services in Surrey.

What is Healthwatch?

Healthwatch exists across England to ensure that people who use NHS and social care services, (e.g. GPs and hospitals, dentists, pharmacies, care homes or other support services), their families and carers, have a strong voice.  Healthwatch was established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to understand the needs, experiences and concerns of people who use health and social care services and to speak out on their behalf.

We exist on a national and local level, working towards the same goal of enabling people to have a voice about their health and social care services.  As an independent statutory body, Healthwatch at national and local level has the power to make sure NHS leaders and other decision makers listen to your feedback and improve standards of care.

Healthwatch England

There is a national organisation called Healthwatch England which provides guidance, support and influences national bodies such as government and NHS England. 

Healthwatch Surrey

At the local level, each Healthwatch organisation is independent, funded by and accountable to their local authority.  Healthwatch Surrey is your local health and social care champion, gathering the views of local people on health and social care services in the county, as well as providing advice and information to help people get the care they need. We use the feedback we receive to influence, inform and, if necessary, challenge decisions and plans about local NHS and social care services. We are valued for our role as a “critical friend” to NHS and social care commissioners and providers, supporting them to involve people as much as possible in the design and delivery of services.  Recent examples of issues we’ve worked on locally include access to dentistry and to GP appointments. For examples of how we make a difference please read our latest Annual report and our Quarterly Impact Reports, found in the performance reports section of our website.

Who we are looking for?

Healthwatch Surrey has established a Local Healthwatch Advisory Group, which meets monthly, and helps advise our team and Board on what priorities and issues we work on, and how we use our statutory powers.  We are looking for more volunteers to join this group.

This might be your first role of this kind, or you might have experience in a charity, social enterprise or in the NHS or social care. Whatever your background, if you are passionate about ensuring that local health and social care provision is exceptional, we want to hear from you.

We want to be representative of the communities we seek to serve and are actively encouraging people from those who may be at risk of health inequalities or find it harder to have their voices heard. We value diverse perspectives, so we also want to hear from people who can bring fresh ideas to the table as to how we operate.

We have a number of priority areas we are working on, and familiarity or experience (lived experience or work experience) in one of more of these areas would be highly desirable. These are:

·       Access to primary care

·       Social care

·       Mental health

·       Information and signposting

·       Listening to people who use services.

 

Having a balance of perspectives means having a range of skills and knowledge in the discussions, so we are also keen to speak to those who bring new areas of experience to our conversations.

 

In return, you will be part of a friendly group, helping the work of an organisation which is a vital part of the NHS and social care landscape, ensuring the voice of local people is heard. You will gain extensive experience of how the NHS and Surrey County Council work, how governance works, and how to influence change. You will also be part of having a real say in improving health and care services for everyone.

 

We speak to members individually about their training and development needs, and will provide an induction programme. We also ensure we commit to collective learning and are confident that members leave our service with new knowledge and skills.

 

We don’t want any member to be out of pocket for contributing to our work, so we reimburse expenses relating to Advisory Group matters, including travel and caring costs.

 

More information and how to apply

Role Description

Purpose of the role

Our mission is to give people in Surrey a strong voice to help improve, shape and get the best from local health and social care services.  You can help us achieve this by:

•            Helping ensure Healthwatch Surrey hears from all sections of Surrey’s communities, particularly those at risk of health inequalities, by advising on our engagement plans, utilising networks and contacts, and contributing through your own lived experiences.

•            Helping decide what Healthwatch Surrey should prioritise, advising the Board on the annual work programme and quarterly reporting of progress.

•            Helping advise the Healthwatch team in its use of local Healthwatch statutory powers (including which health and care services we cover in our activities; making recommendations, escalating concerns & using Enter and View powers).

•            Being an active ambassador and representative for Healthwatch Surrey – encouraging people to share their experiences and helping build excellent relationships with stakeholders.

 

What you will be doing

•            Attending monthly Advisory Group meetings (hybrid, although we do encourage in person where possible) – taking part in discussions and making collective decisions.

•            Developing an understanding of the local Healthwatch service, remit and contractual requirements and helping ensure we work within these in the most effective and constructive way.

•            In time, and where you’re happy to do so, representing Healthwatch Surrey on groups or external meetings to share our insight and champion involvement, and reporting back afterwards (with the support of the staff team).

•            Commenting on Healthwatch Surrey recommendations and reports.

•            Being part of a group which gives constructive challenge and help to the Healthwatch Contract Manager and staff team in progress against our work programme, and oversight of agreed objectives.

•            Reading papers in advance of external meetings to help staff team prepare.

•            Adhering to our Volunteering Policy and our Volunteer Conflict of Interest policy.

•            Participating in an annual appraisal and feedback process.

 

Time Commitment

•            Around two days per month (includes reading and feedback which can be done flexibly) - but more if you want!

 

Where

Meetings will be offered in hybrid format where possible (online and in person), although we do encourage in-person attendance. We don't want anyone to be out of pocket by being a volunteer, so we will talk to individual Advisory Group members about how we can minimise up-front costs and reimburse expenses.

 

Who can apply

We want to hear from the broadest range of applicants, but have a couple of important criteria:

You need to be 18 or over and live, work or study within Surrey.

 

For more information about the role of Healthwatch and health and wellbeing in general in Surrey, please visit the following websites:

·       Healthwatch Surrey

·       Healthwatch England

·       Healthy Surrey

·       Health and Wellbeing Strategy

·       Surrey-i

What skills do I need?

Person specification

Essential

 

1.       You will need to have or be keen to develop skills in the following areas:

·       Listening to a wide range of people and feeding back key points and learning.

·       Building strong relationships and collaborative partnerships.

·       Ability to work as part of a team and support others, reaching decisions together built on compromise.

·       Negotiating effectively, challenging positively and influencing others.

·       Influencing discussions constructively, and bringing local people’s voices to the discussion in a clear and objective manner.

 

2.       You will have or be keen to gain experience and knowledge in the following areas:

·       Interest in the national and policy challenges facing health and social care services/systems which impact on community health and wellbeing.

·       Local knowledge of Surrey and its communities and organisations.

 

3.       You will have the following attitudes and values:

·       A strong commitment to equity of access, equality and diversity.

·       A strong commitment to representing agreed Healthwatch Surrey views and collective decisions rather than personal views or opinions.

·       A strong commitment to the Healthwatch Surrey Volunteer Policies and our CIC values.

·       Be open-minded, interested in a diverse range of perspectives, and open to feedback.

·       Willing to undertake training and personal development to continue to develop skills, experience and knowledge to fulfil the role of the Group.