Watching health

Mid Staffs Hospital's health record has sent alarm bells ringing but there is plenty of low level, low quality care that needs to be addressed. A good friend of mine, Geoff (not his real name) just out hospital after tests reported staff not knowing what each other were doing  and poor information to him  about what was being done to him. The chief executive will be sorry Geoff was in hospital by the time this is finished.

Now, according to CBC's News central (just out) Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire, starting next month April, will have a key role in monitoring health and social care services.

It will gather evidence about health and social care services are actually like; inform residents about  services on offer locally  and give residents a voice  at the Health   and Wellbeing board,which will make the decisions about which health and social care services are provided locally. All publicly funded health services, including hospitals, doctors surgeries and dentists come under Healthwatch’s remit – as do adult and children’s social services. 

I'm not sure what powers of unheralded inspection and independent publication of results  HCB will have as these are key to really pinning down health professionals. The old community health councils were very effective in this respect but they are gone in England (but still surviving, I believe, in Wales).

To find out more, including how you can get involved, go to www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/ healthwatch