HEALTHWATCH
Healthwatch is the new champion for health and social care in England. Their job is to argue for the consumer interest of all those who use health and social care services. There is a healthwatch organisation covering every local authority area in England. They will take the experiences that people have of local care and use them to help shape local services.
Healthwatch will:
- Provide information and advice to the public about accessing health and social care services and choice in relation to aspects of those services.
- Make the views and experiences of people known to Healthwatch England, helping it to carry out its role as national champion
- Make recommendations to Healthwatch England to advise the Care Quality Commission to carry out special reviews or investigations into areas of concern (or, if the circumstances justify it, go direct to the CQC with their recommendations, for example if urgent action were required by the CQC)
- Promote and support the involvement of people in the monitoring, commissioning and provision of local care services
- Obtain the views of people about their needs for and experience of local care services and make those views known to those involved in the commissioning, provision and scrutiny of care services
- Make reports and make recommendations about how those services could or should be improved
Local Healthwatch contact details are as follows:
Healthwatch Redcar & Cleveland
Catalyst House
27 Yarm Road
Stockton on Tees
TS18 3NJ
Tel:0808 172 9559
Website: www.healthwatchredcarandcleveland.co.uk
Email: healthwatchredcarcleveland@pcp.uk.net
Complaints
If a patient wants to complain about the care received by the practice, but does not wish to follow the local complaints process, they can complain to the following:
NHS England Customer Contact Centre
PO Box 16728
Redditch
B97 9PT
Tel: 0300 311 2233 (open 8.00 am - 6.00 pm)
E-mail: nhscommissioningboard@hscic.gov.uk