Please note: our previous ‘Measuring Success’ workshop covered much of the content of this session. We therefore suggest you don’t book on this if you have attended that.
Few non-profit organisations don’t want to improve how they measure and then communicate their impact.
But what level of demonstrating impact can they realistically achieve? What do they want to prove – to whom – and what will convince them anyway?
Many of you asked for training in project management in the recent learning needs survey so we have sourced this course from Total Success Training. If there is demand, we will book more sessions.
We know many of you are experiencing, facing and/or preparing for significant change. Many of you asked for support in navigating that change so we have sourced this course from the Management Centre. If there is demand, we will book more sessions.
Many of you asked for training in project management in the recent learning needs survey so we have sourced this course from Total Success Training. If there is demand, we will book more sessions.
Neurodiversity is a word used to describe the different thinking styles that affect how people communicate with the world around them. Around 15-20% of all the people living in the world are thought to have a neuro-difference and no two people will be affected by their condition in the same way.
Education, healthcare, and workplace settings can present significant challenges for neurodivergent people, primarily due to a lack of understanding of their needs. But what does good practice look like and what do we need to consider when engaging and supporting neurodiverse people?
The announcement in the Dash Report of the proposed transfer of Healthwatch England’s functions to a new directorate within the Department of Health and Social Care—and of local Healthwatch functions to Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local authorities for health and care, respectively—has prompted all of us to reflect on our current activities and future workplans.
As the implementation of these proposals will require legislation, local Healthwatch and Healthwatch England will continue to deliver our statutory functions during this interim period. The duration of this transition depends on the speed with which legislation progresses through Parliament, as well as whether transitional arrangements are introduced. In the meantime, our services must continue—adapted as necessary to respond to the evolving context.
With key details of the proposed changes still to be determined, organisations delivering Healthwatch are operating in a challenging and uncertain environment. In this context, Healthwatch England’s support will need to be tailored to the specific circumstances of each local Healthwatch.
Issues such as contracts, staffing and volunteer management, finance and risk, governance, stakeholder relationships, and demonstrating impact and value may all come into even sharper focus during this transition period—whose length remains unknown.
Your regional manager is your first point of contact for discussing any challenges your Healthwatch may be facing. While we cannot offer advice outside our statutory remit, we can help you think through your options, signpost to relevant support, or connect you with others in the network who have faced similar situations and can share their experience.
Healthwatch will continue to need a clear understanding of health and care policy developments. Healthwatch England will provide regular updates and briefings to help local Healthwatch interpret what these changes mean for your work.
We will continue to support Healthwatch in planning and delivering research through our Research Help Desk and other support.
We will also continue to collect and analyse data from across the network and use this insight to produce briefings on emerging issues and trends, so please continue to share your data with us as normal.
Recognising the pressures many Healthwatch face - such as staff turnover - we will remain sensitive to local capacity and continue to provide inductions and ongoing support for new staff with responsibilities for sharing data with Healthwatch England.
Maintaining staff skills and confidence is essential during this period of uncertainty.
We will continue to offer core skills training, adjusting based on demand, including content relevant to those considering career development.
We will also analyse the results of a short learning needs survey, which we’ll be sending to local Healthwatch shortly. This will help shape our future support offer, ensuring it is targeted, relevant, and includes support for staff through change.
Prior to the Dash Report, we had commenced work on a platform to assist local Healthwatch to log anticipated outcomes and streamline activity to follow-up and record impact. We will make this resource available and provide support to Healthwatch wishing to use it.
We also worked with local Healthwatch on guidance on categories of impact, to help understanding and realise your full value.
The Quality Framework will continue to be available for Healthwatch to use as a tool, but we will not be updating it or proactively supporting individual Healthwatch, unless you contact for help through your regional manager.
Strong communication between Healthwatch and Healthwatch England is essential throughout the transition period. We are committed to openness, timeliness, and working in line with our values.
We will continue to:
Many Healthwatch rely on digital systems supported by Healthwatch England. We will continue to:
We will continue to support the Care Quality Commission to strengthen working arrangements with local Healthwatch, including in preparations for local authority assessments.
Healthwatch England will continue to proactively support local authorities with commissioning Healthwatch, in line with any government guidance issued during the transition period. We encourage commissioners to get in touch to discuss any challenges they may be facing, and to explore potential solutions to avoid breaks in service or to adjust existing arrangements where needed.
Any breaks in service will be reported to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Like local Healthwatch, we are also experiencing the challenges that come with uncertainty. Understandably, some colleagues will need to prioritise their careers, and we are likely to see valued team members with expertise move on, requiring us to adjust how we deliver our support to local Healthwatch.
We’re deeply grateful for the warmth, patience, and understanding shown to our staff during this period. We recognise the pressures facing all teams across the network and remain committed to providing you with the best support we can in accordance with our shared values.
The Secretary of State commissioned Dr Penny Dash to review local Healthwatch and patient safety bodies. The Government has now accepted the Review’s recommendations and intends to bring forward legislation to implement them.
Healthwatch England contributed to the Dash Review by making the case for the value of both the national and local Healthwatch model. While the review recognised the contribution of Healthwatch, it recommended that our health and care functions be combined within ICBs and local authorities, and that Healthwatch England’s functions be transferred to a new Patient Safety Directorate within DHSC.
As the transition progresses, Healthwatch England is working to ensure that the insight and learning gained over a decade of championing patient voice helps inform a successful handover.
It is important to understand the legal position of Healthwatch England. Healthwatch England has a statutory duty to use insight from the Healthwatch network to inform national health and care policy. This role remains an essential and legitimate part of our work.
However, decisions about the future structure of the Healthwatch network, including the government’s decision to close Healthwatch England and transfer its functions, are matters of national policy. As an arm’s-length body, we are required to have regard to government policy where directed by the Secretary of State. In addition, as part of the Care Quality Commission, we must comply with Cabinet Office guidance that prohibits employees from engaging in activity that could be interpreted as lobbying against government decisions.
Together, these requirements mean that Healthwatch England cannot support local Healthwatch in lobbying activities. However, local Healthwatch are independent organisations and are free to determine their own approach, including speaking out or raising issues where appropriate and in accordance with the law affecting their legal entity, such as charities or social enterprises.
Following the expected closure of Workplace, we are pleased to show you the new platform Workvivo, which we are calling Healthwatch Online Community.
This session will be a live demonstration and walkthrough of the platform. Highlighting what’s the same and what’s new to ensure everyone can find what they are looking for. It will also provide information and links to the platform's mobile app.
Followed by a Q&A session to answer any queries you might have about the new platform.
This page contains all our Enter and View training materials and resources in one place.
New content for 2025 includes practical resources and a new training session for care home visits. Jump to:
You may also want to refer to our overall guide to Enter and View.
Welcome to our comprehensive suite of Enter and View resources and training materials.
Here, you can find ready-to-deliver sessions to run for your volunteers. There’s an introductory training for anyone new to conducting Enter and View visits, with both classroom and online versions, and a follow-on course focusing on residential and nursing care home visits.
To complement this work for residential and nursing care homes, there’s also a conversation prompt sheet for the day of the visit and a template for your final report.
You can adapt and edit all these resources to meet your own needs.
Introduction to Enter and View training
All Healthwatch can carry out Enter and View visits, and authorised representatives are needed to do this. You told us you would like help training your volunteers and staff to become authorised representatives.
Thanks to Healthwatch Redbridge, which produced the introductory training pack and supporting materials, you can be confident that your session will be based on their wealth of experience. The pack includes slides, handouts, case studies, and comprehensive session plans for both online and classroom-based sessions.
Step-by-step instructions will help you prepare and deliver your training session.
Enter and View for residential and nursing care homes training
The majority of Healthwatch Enter and View visits are to care homes. You told us you would like help to further develop the skills of authorised representatives who have completed the introductory training.
Thanks to Healthwatch Milton Keynes, you can use the PowerPoint slides here to deliver an in-person or online session that helps people focus on key issues for care home residents and ensure visits are as impactful as possible. It’s ideal for authorised representatives who are just starting on their visits but also allows those who have been in the role for a while to reflect on their practice.
Healthwatch Milton Keynes has extensive experience undertaking this work in care homes, so the programme includes a useful mixture of knowledge, insight, and tips. Thanks also to those other Healthwatch who fed in comments and suggestions as the training was developed to help ensure it covers as many key areas as possible.
The notes section of the PowerPoint slides includes all the instructions for you to deliver the session to your group. There’s a separate Word document that just includes your trainer notes.
There’s also a version of the slides without the notes, which you can send to participants in advance should they request this.
Enter and View for residential and nursing care homes: practical resources
Healthwatch Milton Keynes, with input from other Healthwatch, has developed templates for you to use for visits to residential and nursing care homes. These help authorised representatives focus on the key areas of importance for residents and ensure a visit is as effective as possible.
The conversation prompt sheet provides suggestions for topics to explore with residents and staff and also includes prompts to help focus on the most important issues when observing life in the home.
Used alongside the accompanying Enter and View report template for care homes, you can be sure of increasing the opportunity for impact with your Enter and View work. There are two versions of the report template, allowing you to use either a large or small photograph on the front cover.
There has been a lot of interest in AI and discussion about how different Healthwatch are using it in their work.
in light of recent announcements about Healthwatch, this session has been amended from the original plan and will focus on an introduction to AI.
This meeting is an opportunity to hear from Healthwatch Nottingham and Nottinghamshire about their journey with AI. This will cover elements such as:
This event has been set up to give local Healthwatch the opportunity to share and discuss current learnings around social media.
This is an open discussion – please come with ideas and thoughts you wish to share and be prepared to contribute from your own learning to help others.
Anyone in the network who is involved with their social media channels.
