About Gloucestershire Shadow Health and Wellbeing Board
Since the change of Government in May 2010 the Department of Health has issued a number of plans and proposals to transform the way health services are delivered in the future. The White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS (July 2010), sets out its ambitious plans to modernise the NHS. 'Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our Strategy for Public Health in England', launched in November 2010, outlines plans to transform public health. The Health and Social Care Bill (January 2011) was introduced to Parliament for the proposed changes to become legal. It will: establish an independent NHS Board to allocate resources and provide commissioning guidance; increase GPs powers to commission services on behalf of their patients; and establish Health and Wellbeing Boards in all first-tier councils including specifying minimum membership and duties.
In response to these developments Leadership:Gloucestershire commissioned a task group to look at developing the Health and Wellbeing Board for Gloucestershire.The task group met in May 2011 and proposed terms of reference for the Board which were signed off by Leadership:Gloucestershire in June. The inaugural meeting of the Gloucestershire Shadow Health and Wellbeing Board took place on 8th December 2011.
HealthWatch
Subject to the Parliamentary passage of the Health and Social Care Bill 2011, HealthWatch will be the new independent consumer champion for health and social care. It will consist of two parts: HealthWatch England will be a statutory, distinctive part of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and will provide leadership, guidance and support to Local HealthWatch organisations; Local HealthWatch will be the local consumer champion, giving a voice to local people, community and voluntary groups, to influence the way their health and social care services are planned, purchased and provided. A Local HealthWatch representative will sit on the Health and Wellbeing Board.
Gloucestershire has applied, and been accepted, to be a Local HealthWatch pathfinder. Further details can be found on the Gloucestershire County Council website
More detailed information on HealthWatch can be found on the Department of Health website.
