Local HealthWatch Service

For people who use health and social care services. Offering an independent channel for people to communicate their views on the health and social care system and to influence the design and delivery of services. Wirral Local Healthwatch is for anyone who uses or who wishes to use adult and children's health and care services in Wirral - or anyone who is caring for or represents individuals who have access to health or social care services in Wirral.

Wirral Local Healthwatch has a duty to assist local health and social care commissioners and providers, and other community stakeholders, by providing feedback, research and information on local people's views and experiences of health and social care, in order to drive up standards of service provision.

Wirral Local Healthwatch must also be able to signpost local people with complaints they may wish to progress in relation to NHS service provision to an independent health complaints advocacy services which is being tendered in a separate Lot to the Local Healthwatch Service.

Lot 2 - Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service To support people to make a complaint against a NHS funded service. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 puts a duty of Local Authorities to commission a local Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service. Local Authorities are required to commission:

'the provision of assistance for individuals making or intending to make an NHS complaint (which includes a complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman)'.