Healthwatch Southwark
Healthwatch Southwark are the independent champion for the patient and public voice. They bring people together to influence health and social care services in Southwark to make them better. Everything they say and do is informed by their engagement with local people. Their aim is to address inequalities in health and social care and ensure local services are appropriate for Southwark’s diverse communities.
Healthwatch Southwark do the following:
- Gather people’s views and experiences about local health and social care services.
- Share this information with those involved in buying, providing and evaluating these services. They also share this with Healthwatch England and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who are responsible to monitoring the quality and safety standards of services.
- Make recommendations about how services could or should be improved.
- Get people involved in shaping how local services are delivered and designed.
- Visit health and social care services to speak to staff, patients and carers, and observe the environment.
Healthwatch Southwark provides an information and signposting service that aims to provide independent information and signpost people to support them to access their local health and social care services. They are also currently looking for youth champions.
Community Southwark is the umbrella body for voluntary and community organisations in Southwark, and Healthwatch Southwark are a part of this organisation.
