Healthwatch Lincolnshire is still here for you

HWLincs delivers the Healthwatch Lincolnshire service, which acts as an independent health and social care watchdog that hears the experiences of thousands of people in the county each year and works tirelessly to make sure that these are acted upon.

Its team also provide life-changing information and guidance through online, telephone and face-face services, as well as attend events and groups in isolated locations to ensure everyone has the chance to speak up.

Over the weekend, news agencies reported that Healthwatch England will be “abolished” under Health Secretary Wes Streeting's plans.

Today, with no further information or guidance from the government on what this means for the 152 local Healthwatch services across the UK, we want to let you know that it is business as usual for the delivery of the Healthwatch Lincolnshire.

Healthwatch was established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to ensure that the voices of local people using health and social care services are heard and acted upon. That legislation is unchanged, so our duty to local people remains and we will continue to serve our communities with independence, integrity and purpose. 

We can only speculate as to what the future holds, but if the upcoming NHS 10-Year Health Plan still claims that public voice is vital, then it’s essential it’s heard by an authentic, independent and influential organisation dedicated to making meaningful change.

All of HWLincs’ work is focused on amplifying public voice for positive change and making sure decision-makers have up-to-the-minute information about what needs to be improved across health and care services.

Healthwatch England has said it is to be “closed down”, but we are fired up about the importance of public voice and we are committed to working with our partners and funders to establish plans to continue to hear from the public and act on the intelligence the people of Lincolnshire share.

As always, we want to hear from people about your health and social care experiences. If you have a question or need guidance, please get in touch via our website healthwatchlincolnshire.co.uk, email info@healthwatchlincolnshire.co.uk or call 01205 820 892.