This event will show you how to design and use interview guides for semi-structured interviews with participants in your research and engagement work.
This is an interactive session where you will work in small friendly groups hosted by one of our team and have the opportunity to practice mock interviews. This will hep build your confidence and skills to carry out semi structured interviews in your work.
This event will show you how to choose the best research and engagement method for your project.
We’ll look at example projects and work together to choose the best approach. You’ll also be able to ask questions about your own projects.
Small group session with discussion and an interactive activity. Joining in with your camera on will be appreciated,
This meeting will help you to understand how to apply for funding opportunities and take part in Healthwatch England policy research projects.
You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and receive support from your colleagues in the network and our friendly Research and Insight team.
Network meeting – presentations with discussion and Q&A in a friendly and informal setting.
This event will help you understand how you can best highlight your achievements in your annual report and help you understand where to start and how to structure your case studies.
This is a small group session and will involve audience participation in break out room with discussion and tasks as well as a demonstration and presentation from the hosts.
Joining in with your camera on will be appreciated
This session will take you through the basics of good media relations, including how to develop and sell your story and to come across well in an interview.
Interactive learning session to large audience with time to ask questions.
This session is for anyone involved in communications or media relations for their local Healthwatch.
In this session you will:
This article aims to give you the guidance you need for the duration of the upcoming local elections. It covers considerations such as staff and board member involvement in elections, managing your usual engagement and publication activity and dealing with media queries.
If you are still unsure how to handle specific activities during this time, please contact the Healthwatch England policy team via policy@healthwatch.co.uk
Where and when do local elections take place?
Local elections take place in England on 1 May 2025. Due to some areas postponing elections to allow for local government reorganisation, fewer than usual areas of England will be voting this year.
In total, elections will be held at:
You can check if any elections are happening in your by entering a local postcode here on the Electoral Commission website. Please be aware of whether your Healthwatch covers multiple counties or unitary authority areas.
The pre-election period of sensitivity
This is the time from the date the local election is called (formally described as the notice of election being published), which can be no later than Tuesday 25 March 2025, until the date of the election.
During this time public authorities are limited in what they can do, to ensure that they are not seen to favour one political group or interest.
The pre-election period of sensitivity only affects your Healthwatch if there are elections within your Healthwatch boundary. However, it is important to be aware of any elections happening in neighbouring areas and to be careful that your activity does not affect them.
Key points
Conduct of staff and board members
Staff and/or board members may be involved in elections as supporters of political groups or as candidates. In these cases, it is important that they ensure that this is done in their own time and that they do not use any Healthwatch resources to support this activity.
Healthwatch will also need to ensure that their resources are not used in a way that might be seen as supporting any campaigning activity.
If any board members or staff are involved in canvassing, careful consideration should be given about their role in any public-facing activity during this period. You should consider whether a different person can take part in the activity or whether it can be postponed until after the election. It will be important to remind your board members and staff about your code of conduct and/or your conflict of interest policy so that they are clear about their responsibilities.
We would also urge your operational team to have a discussion with your local authority commissioner to establish if there will be any specific guidance during this period that the local authority will expect local Healthwatch to comply with, and share this with all staff and your board.
Engagement
Engaging with communities and enabling the involvement of local people in shaping services is a statutory function of local Healthwatch and can be continued during this period.
You should discuss with your board and operational team how you plan to conduct your external engagement (and communications) during this time. You may need to adapt your approach to assure that you maintain your impartiality. Whatever work you are undertaking, it is expected that it should not draw attention away from the election, so you should be careful about how you publicise any engagement activity, even if the subject is not contentious.
During the pre-election period you should also think carefully before you launch any new consultations or publish report findings from consultation exercises, which could be politically sensitive.
Publications
During this period, you may want to publish findings of Enter and View visits, engagement work and survey findings. Material that would normally be considered objective and impartial may well be seen as political and attract attention from candidates who wish to highlight these as evidence to support their campaign. You should consider each report separately before deciding whether to publish new material.
Social media
As ever, in your capacity as a Healthwatch representative, be careful not to issue any personal opinions on social media platforms or make any comments from your Healthwatch account that could lead you into a political debate.
Avoid offering additional comment or opinion. Candidates and supporters may ask directly about the work of your Healthwatch, and any comment you make should be purely factual rather than expressing an opinion.
Do not retweet tweets from a political or campaigning organisation that is advocating party political positions, or from a local figure who is standing for election. Consider removing any applications that share content automatically to your social media channels during the election period.
Media enquiries
It is possible for comments made to the media to be taken out of context or misinterpreted and used in a way that could call into question your political impartiality or that of your local Healthwatch.
If a journalist contacts you during this period, you should direct journalists to material already in the public domain such as previous statements or reports that you have released on issues. Avoid offering additional comment or opinion, and if a journalist asks questions directly about Healthwatch, any comment you make should reflect previously published materials. This will be important if the journalist is fact-checking something said by a candidate, as you may be perceived as being critical of that candidate.
It can be better not to respond at all than being pushed into saying something that does not accurately reflect your views.
Working in partnership
Public sector organisations will be aware of the limitations imposed by the period of pre-election sensitivity, but partners from other sectors may not.
Check that any partnership activity that you are associated with takes account of the heightened sensitivity. For example, if a campaigning organisation wants to launch a report that you have collaborated on, you will need to be assured that it will not be seen as supporting a particular political group or candidate either directly or indirectly.
Healthwatch England activity during this period
Healthwatch England will be subject to guidance issued by the Cabinet Office that will apply to all Government departments and arm's length bodies. During this time, we will continue with our day-to-day business of supporting the Healthwatch network and taking forward our projects.
However, we will be carefully considering if our work or publications could be perceived as having a particular local dimension or if they risk competing with local election activity for media coverage.
More information
You may find these guides useful, from the Local Government Association and for NHS organisations, from NHS England, on handling pre-election periods.
If you have any questions about this articles, contact the policy team at policy@healthwatch.co.uk.
This is a quarterly meeting for local Healthwatch Chairs and board members to hear about and discuss key policy updates from Healthwatch England. This is also your opportunity to network and share learning with other Healthwatch leaders.
Type of event
Networking meeting with key updates and discussion. Your input and participation are appreciated.
Who is this event for?
Healthwatch Chairs and board members.
What will you learn?
This is a quarterly meeting for local Healthwatch Chairs and board members to hear about and discuss key policy updates from Healthwatch England. This is also your opportunity to network and share learning with other Healthwatch leaders.
Type of event
Networking meeting with key updates and discussion. Your input and participation are appreciated.
Who is this event for?
Healthwatch Chairs and board members.
What will you learn?
This is a quarterly meeting for local Healthwatch Chairs and board members to hear about and discuss key policy updates from Healthwatch England. This is also your opportunity to network and share learning with other Healthwatch leaders.
Type of event
Networking meeting with key updates and discussion. Your input and participation are appreciated.
Who is this event for?
Healthwatch Chairs and board members.
What will you learn?
These meetings are an opportunity for local Healthwatch lead officers to meet with Healthwatch England's Chief Executive Louise Ansari and to network with leaders from other local Healthwatch.
Networking meeting with national policy updates and discussion. Please help to shape these meetings by bringing agenda items and taking part in discussions.
Local Healthwatch lead officers
