York Healthwatch contract worth £462k renewed

Healthwatch, which is required in each local authority, obtains views of people about their needs and requirements from local health and social care services.

It then publishes reports and makes recommendations about how those services could or should be improved.

Recent reports include work on pharmacies, urgent care and mental health.

Pauline Stutchfield, the City of York Council’s director of customer and communities, said Healthwatch is an “important service” that is “giving a voice to residents on health and social care services across the city.”

She added: “There’s been very important recommendations made by Healthwatch to the health and wellbeing board over the last few years that have resulted in change in services.”

Coun Jo Coles, executive member for health, said: “I really want to pay tribute to the work that Healthwatch does for residents across the city.

“They really do go above and beyond what might be expected of a Healthwatch service.”

She added that the service adds “really significant importance for residents in the city” and that “they do an amazing job for residents.”

Coun Coles said: “I think they add to a really important part of the fabric of our health economy locally and I certainly always look out for their reports and read them really carefully.”