About us

(Last Updated On: 09.05.2023)

Healthwatch Leicestershire is the county’s patient and public champion for health and social care services.

We exist to help the residents of Leicestershire get the best service from health and social care providers.

We do this by listening to local people about their views and experiences of using health and social care services, such as:

  • GPs and practices
  • Mental health services
  • Hospitals
  • Social care
  • Community health services
  • Carers services
  • Children and young people services

We use what we hear to challenge and influence those who plan, run and regulate services so improvements are made for local people.

Our Vision and Mission

Vision

Higher quality and more accessible health and social care services in Leicestershire through public involvement.

Mission

To be an independent, influential consumer champion of health and social care services in Leicestershire where consumer rights and responsibilities in health and social care are understood and delivered.

We will achieve this by:

  • Understanding what matters most to consumers, especially those least included, by always starting with their needs and rights.
  • Developing evidence-based local insights to share with local partners, and Healthwatch England to inform national insight.
  • Influencing those who have the power to change design and delivery of services so they better meet the needs and rights of users.

How we work

Healthwatch Leicestershire exists to help the public get the best out of their local health and social care services.

We do this by:

  • Listening to the local community, consumers and health and social care providers to understand what matters most.
  • Providing an information and signposting service that is supported and developed with health and social care providers.
  • Keeping up-to-date with local and national health and social care plans to understand how these will affect local people.
  • Challenging and scrutinising services, gathering evidence and recommending ways to improve the service for local people.
  • Representing local people by presenting the evidence gathered to health and social care boards and committees with the aim to influence change for the better.

Our priorities

In January 2016 we surveyed Healthwatch Leicestershire members and the general public to find out what areas of health, wellbeing and social care people consider a priority.

The results from the survey told us that the following health and social care services are a priority for the people of Leicestershire.

GPs – making appointments, ongoing care plans and out of hours services.

Hospitals – waiting times, treatment and discharge.

Community Care – receiving care services and receiving care in the community.

Long term health conditions – accessing services, available support and ongoing care.

Young people mental health – access to mental health services and support services

Older people – discharge from hospital, care homes and carers

We will now focus our work over the next 12 months on making a difference within these priority areas for local people.

How we’ve improved services for local people

Learn how our work has helped to improve specific services for patients, carers and the public across Leicestershire.

Making it easier for patients to book a GP appointment

Improving patients experience of Ophthalmology

Supporting carers

Access to GPs for newborns

How we work with Healthwatch England and the local network

Healthwatch Leicestershire is part of the Healthwatch national network that work together to share information, expertise and learning in order to improve health and social care services.

The network is made of up of local Healthwatch across each of the 152 local authority areas and Healthwatch England, is the national body.

Healthwatch has a common purpose – to ensure the voices of people who use services are listened to and responded to. The network shares a brand, has common values and comes together to work on priority areas and campaigns.

Local Healthwatch provide unique insight into people’s experiences of health and social care issues across the country; they are the eyes and ears on the ground telling Healthwatch England what matters in the local communities across the country.

Healthwatch England identify national patterns and issues within health and social care service from the information provided by local Healthwatch. They use this intelligence to inform their national work, and with the backing of legal powers, raise the concerns with people who commission, regulate and provide health and social care services nationally.

 

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