Get Involved
Healthwatch Waltham Forest is all about getting people involved in health and social care. As the consumer champion for health and social care we have roles around gathering peoples views on health and social care services, making those views known to commissioners and providers (those who plan, buy and run these services), and making sure people are involved in decision making around health and social care services.
Those that run Health and Social care services (providers), and those that buy them for the local population (commissioners) have their own duties around engaging and involving people in decision making about services. These duties have been laid down in both law, guidance, and best practice and are becoming more and more important. Healthwatch operates within this context, championing patient, carer and public engagement and involvement, and challenging and supporting our partners to carry out their own duties and responsibilities to engage and involve local people.
There are many ways you can get involved in Healthwatch Waltham Forest and the work we do. These are described in more detail in the drop down blue menu bars below.
Information, Signposting and Advice
You can call our Information and Signposting service on 020 7473 9519 (9:30am-4:30pm) to get help and advice around health and social care. You can also use our online community directory to look up relevant local services and their contact details. The directory can be accessed here.
Joining the trustee board
Healthwatch Waltham Forest is run by its Trustee Board. Board members lead the organisation, providing strategic direction and business development, and ensuring the organisation remains independent and carries out its statutory functions appropriately.
We recognise that the independence of Healthwatch is of paramount to its integrity as an organisation. For this reason it is currently only board members who are voting members within Healthwatch Waltham Forest. It is also for this reason that recruitment to the board takes a formal approach.
Further details about joining the board can be found in the recruitment pack below. Those wishing to join the trustee board are invited to submit an application and take part in an interview.
For more information on the current Board members, please see here. For an informal chat please call the office on 020 3078 9990.
Patient Representative Opportunities
Healthwatch Waltham Forest is all about getting people involved in health and social care. As the consumer champion for health and social care we have roles around gathering peoples views on health and social care services, making those views known to commissioners and providers (those who plan, buy and run these services), and making sure people are involved in decision making around health and social care services. Those that run Health and Social care services (providers), and those that buy them for the local population (commissioners) have their own duties around engaging and involving people in decision making about services. These duties have been laid down in both law, guidance, and best practice and are becoming more and more important. See details below for some current local
opportunities.
Please download the file below for more information:
Downloads
Sign up and join us
By signing up to Healthwatch Waltham Forest it tells us you are interested in the work we do and want to stay in touch. We will send you a monthly ebulletin (quarterly in the post for those without email) containing local health and social care news and information, and highlighting Healthwatch events and other opportunities to have your say on health and social services care or relevant issues.
Working independently or together with partners, Healthwatch Waltham Forest often runs events and focus groups asking patients, carers and members of the public for their views and feedback on particular health and social care services or relevant issues. By signing up to Healthwatch Waltham Forest you will be kept up to date and invited to attend these sessions, get involved and have your say.
Sign up to Healthwatch Waltham Forest online here or simply call the office on 020 3078 9990.
Talk to us and share your experiences of services
You can call, write or email Healthwatch Waltham Forest and tell us about your experiences of the health and social care services that you use in the borough (and further afield). You can also use our online form to submit your comments and feedback directly to us.
All comments we receive are logged anonymously and analysed by our ‘Patient Experience Panel’ and could help us to improve local health and social care services.
Whether its quick snippets on one service or longer stories taking in a variety of health and social care services, we record everything that local people tell us. We use the information to highlight both good practice, and where improvements to services are needed. See our reports section for some of our reports.
Patients Experience Panel (PEP)
Healthwatch Waltham Forest offers many types of volunteering opportunities, enabling people to get started straight away, find out more about the organisation in the process, and then move on to a great many other volunteering roles and work experience opportunities where they want to. To volunteer for us:
Step 1: Complete the volunteering form online or call the office to complete it over the phone.
Step 2: Attend Friday morning ‘Patient Experience Panels’ (PEP)
Our weekly PEPs review all the feedback and patient experience information we get from patients and members of the public. The group plays a key role in identifying any trends and patterns within particular services and keeping the staff team up to date on any issues, and where services are performing well.
Step 3: Take part in Healthwatch Waltham Forest’s ‘Introduction to Healthwatch and Involvement’ training session.
This session is run quarterly. It is for new volunteers and offers the opportunity to find out more about volunteering roles with Healthwatch Waltham Forest and what it means to be ‘involved’ in health and social care. All Healthwatch volunteers are required to participate in the training.
Step 4: Decide which direction you want to take!
Healthwatch can provide experiences including: database entry; office administration; helping with outreach stalls and events; facilitating focus groups; gathering patient opinions; supporting research projects; visiting health and social care services as part of our Enter & View programme and other partner inspections and visits; developing website content and policy briefings; and more…
Sign up to be a Healthwatch volunteer here or call the office on 020 3078 9990
For current volunteering vacancies, please visit this page.
We can offer a range of volunteering opportunities for local people. In carrying out any volunteering, we first want to make sure you have the skills and knowledge you need to get on, and are confident in talking about Healthwatch and what we do. We have devised a ‘stepped approach’ to volunteering with Healthwatch to make sure you get the right start, and can get the most from your time with us. The stepped approach outlined below will not always apply, but it is our preferred way to get you involved.
Step 1: Complete the Volunteer Registration Form and email it to info@healthwatchwalthamforest.co.uk or call the office to complete it over the phone 020 3078 9990. Our Volunteer Co-ordinator, Joyce Osei, normally works on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Step 2: Attend a Wednesday morning ‘Patient Experience Panels’ (PEP)
Our weekly PEPs review all the feedback and patient experience information we get from patients and members of the public. The group plays a key role in identifying any trends and patterns within particular services and keeping the staff team up to date on any issues, and where services are performing well. Attending the PEP will give you a real insight into Healthwatch and our work and its something we ask all volunteers to do before taking up any other activities.
Step 3: Take part in Healthwatch Waltham Forest’s ‘Introduction to Healthwatch and Involvement’ training session. This session is run quarterly. It is for new volunteers and offers the opportunity to find out more about volunteering roles with Healthwatch Waltham Forest and what it means to be ‘involved’ in health and social care. All Healthwatch volunteers are required to participate in this training, although it doesn’t have to be right at the start of your time with us!
Step 4: Decide which direction you want to take!
Healthwatch can provide experiences including: outreach and events; database entry; office administration; facilitating focus groups; gathering patient opinions; supporting research projects; visiting health and social care services; developing website content and policy briefings; and more…
