I want to thank each of you for your contribution over the last few months in helping us shape our shared values. It was a moment of pride for me to announce them at our inspiring National Awards event – a celebration that vividly showcased these values.

In case you missed it, I am delighted to announce our five shared values:

1. Equity: Embracing inclusivity and compassion, establishing profound connections with the communities we serve, and empowering them. 
2. Collaboration: Nurturing both internal and external relationships, fostering transparent communication, and partnering to amplify our impact. 
3. Independence: Championing the public's agenda, serving as purposeful and critical allies to decision-makers. 
4. Truth: Operating with unyielding integrity and honesty, fearlessly advocating truth to those in power. 
5. Impact: Pursuing ambitious endeavours to effect meaningful change for individuals and communities while remaining accountable and holding others accountable.

The journey so far

The journey toward defining these values has been collaborative, with input from 37 Healthwatch and discussions among Healthwatch England staff and our National Committee. Given the emerging consensus, choosing the words for each of our values was relatively straightforward. While there may have been differences in the exact wording, we've encapsulated the diverse range of perspectives through the accompanying descriptors for each value.

Take, for instance, the emphasis on inclusion, which resonated deeply with many of us. This sentiment is reflected in the descriptor for equity, reminding us of the importance of equitable access to health and care services for all and our commitment to empowering individuals to shape the services they receive. It also means our commitment to our staff, volunteers, and board members to support a culture where they can fulfil their potential, thrive and contribute meaningfully, regardless of background or circumstance.

During recent discussions on our future sustainability with over 200 local Healthwatch, local authority commissioners, and Integrated Care Board representatives, a consistent message emerged: our strength lies in our deep connection to local communities with a national footprint, which enables us to effect change locally, regionally and nationally. Underlying this strength, and our role as a critical friend holding health and care bodies to account, are the values of equity, collaboration, truth, independence, and impact. These values drive meaningful change and address health inequalities, forming the foundation of our purpose.

Putting our values into action

When we embarked on this journey in September, we committed to ensuring that our values don't become mere words on paper. It's about embodying these values in our everyday work and interactions.

At Healthwatch England, we will:

• Add a personal objective for each staff member to reflect on and demonstrate how they apply our values, including as part of staff appraisals. 
• Factor in our values when reviewing our policies, procedures and intranet. 
• Focus on exploring the behaviours associated with each of the values at our staff away day in May. 
• Develop a charter for our National Committee setting out expected behaviours and standards of conduct. 

These are just some of the actions we’ll be taking to foster a culture where our shared values guide our actions and decisions, and we invite you to consider similar actions.

We hope that you will:

• Share these values with your staff, board members, volunteers, and commissioners. 
• Discuss internally how you can adopt these values for your Healthwatch or align them to your existing values. We are confident there will be clear alignment from feedback in the workshops. 
• Take part in discussions about the behaviours that we can all sign up to that will underpin these values. Watch out for opportunities on Workplace and in the newsletter.  
• Share examples of when your staff and volunteers exemplified these values in the annual Healthwatch survey in September.

As you will be aware, ensuring the sustainability of the Healthwatch network is a top priority for Healthwatch England. We know that the current model is at breaking point, with considerable variation across the network and a collective real-terms budget at less than half of what it was in 2013/14. 

We have also seen some instances where local authorities cannot award a contract due to no viable provider being willing to deliver the Healthwatch for the available funds. Of course, many Healthwatch do excellent work despite their limited resources, but they often operate with considerable uncertainty regarding their future and face challenges recruiting and retaining staff.

I want to express my thanks for the invaluable contribution made by Healthwatch in shaping our thinking on the future of Healthwatch. Over the past several months, we have engaged with over 100 Healthwatch and the same number of local authorities. We also received insightful feedback and proposals from an independent agency, Kaleidoscope, following comprehensive interviews with representatives from Healthwatch, local authorities, and integrated care boards.

Kaleidoscope's findings, recommendations and next steps

What stands out from our findings is the collective recognition of both the opportunities and challenges within the network, accompanied by a consensus on effective strategies to address them, while also acknowledging diverse perspectives. It's clear that the primary concern revolves around insufficient funding and significant disparities across the network – brought about due to lack of ring fencing.

The primary recommendation proposes that Healthwatch England should lead the commissioning of Healthwatch services. This proposal aims to achieve a fairer distribution of funding, establish longer-term contracts, and improve consistency across the network, all while safeguarding Healthwatch independence and addressing community needs. While we acknowledge that each approach has its strengths and weaknesses, we're at the very early stages of developing a model and keen to explore deeper into these proposals with your input to maximize strengths and mitigate weaknesses.

It's important to remember that these are findings and proposals. Ultimately, implementation of the main recommendation would require primary legislation, which is beyond the control of Healthwatch England. There are numerous steps to be taken along the way, including those that can be enacted without legislative change to enhance our effectiveness – again which we would like to explore further with you.

We are organising a series of further webinars (see below) to gather your feedback on these proposals, which will be instrumental in refining our strategies. During these sessions, we will also outline the next steps forward, including further engagement with you. Once again, I extend my appreciation for your invaluable input and collaboration.

How you can get involved

Following the recent conversations, we are running a series of futher sessions which will involve a short presentation on the findings and proposals, plus an opportunity for you to contribute to shaping the proposals further.

These events are for anyone in a Healthwatch (please note - those on 16 and 28 May are specifically set aside for chairs and board members) as we want to hear everyone’s views on how we can secure the future sustainability of Healthwatch.

'The Healthwatch Network: A National Picture of Key Trends' highlights that while impact and income generation have increased and many more Healthwatch are sharing data, variation means it's hard to compare activity levels and core funding has experienced a real-terms cut. 

In the report, we also consolidate key information we collect from the Healthwatch network to look at key areas including: 

• Demonstrating impact
• Relationships with integrated care systems and the Care Quality Commission
• Funding and commissioning
• Colloaboration and current/future priorities

We highlight some of the diverse outcomes Healthwatch across the country have achieved, including making services more accessible, helping to expose safety concerns and improving access to dental appointments. 

We also use the report to explain what we are doing, and what more you as the Healthwatch network could be doing, to further help each other and the communities we serve. 

About this resource

The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) is a process by which local authorities and integrated care systems assess the current and future health, care and wellbeing needs of the local community to inform local decision making.

JSNAs make sure that health organisations and local authorities have a good understanding of their local populations, and the challenges services face in tackling health inequalities.

Many local Healthwatch regularly influence their local JSNA to share vital information about what people want from services. This resource aims to provide you with more information about how you can engage effectively with yours. It includes:

• More about what a JSNA is and how they work
• Case studies where Healthwatch across the country have worked effectively with their JSNA
• Opportunities for Healthwatch to get involved in their local JSNA
• How you can use JSNA to prioritise your future work and hold local systems to account on what they're doing

What's in this guidance?

• About the campaign
• How will this be done?
• When will this take place?
• Who are we trying to reach, and when?
• Key messages
• How can you get involved?
• How will Healthwatch England and CQC help my Healthwatch?
• The campaign has been designed so you can use it to
• Assets, templates and resources.

What will we achieve with this new campaign?

Share for Better Care, a joint-campaign with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), focuses on engaging with communities who are underrepresented in our national feedback and encourages them to share their experiences of NHS and adult social care.

This campaign focuses on the insight, from our research and focus groups, that people are more likely to give feedback when they can see it has made an impact.

We want people to know that their feedback, no matter how small, has the power to transform health and social care across the country.

The campaign is focused on collecting experiences of people from minority ethnic backgrounds and people from lower-income groups.

In addition to our priority groups, the CQC are also focusing on feedback from autistic people, people with learning disabilities and disabled people with sensory/physical impairments. 

How will this be done?

On a national level, Share for Better Care is designed to be rolled out primarily via social media and PR channels (such as national news stories).

But the campaign is adaptable and you can shape it to take advantage of opportunities in your community (such as linking up with organisations already working with the local community and/or offline activities like distributing flyers, speaking to people at local events/festivals and engaging with your local media).

When will this take place?

The campaign will launch in February. At the moment we’re aiming for a launch on or around February 12, but will keep you posted if this changes.

The campaign will run until April 2025 and will be made up of four distinct phases:

• Phase 1: National launch: Broad brand awareness communicating the primary campaign messages across a range of channels. This will take place from February 2024-April 2024.
• Phase 2: Health inequalities and deprivation: This allows us to focus on communities who are more likely to experience poorer care and inequalities, reaching audiences using a variety of tactics. This will take place from April 2024-August 2024.
• Phase 3: Care the way you need it: This is a combination of broad awareness and targeting specific audiences, using innovative approaches. This will take place from August 2024-December 2024.
• Phase 4: The Staff Perspective: The final phase is taken from the view of health and social care professionals, using innovative approaches, like partnering with media doctors and healthcare influencers, to communicate the campaign messages amongst our target audiences. This will take place from December 2024-March 2025.

Who are we trying to reach and when?

Healthwatch’s campaign actions will focus on gathering feedback five specific ethnic minority groups; people from Black African, Black Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities.

We will target each of these communities at different stages of the campaign. 

More information to follow!

What are the key messages of the campaign?

Call to action: We use feedback to help improve health and care services. Share your feedback for better care.

Primary messages:

• We are Healthwatch. We act on your feedback to help improve care where you live.
• Whether it’s good or bad, big or small, we welcome your feedback. We are here to listen and act on your feedback.
• Together we can improve health and care, but we can only make a difference if we know about your experience.
• The simple act of sharing feedback is already helping to improve care for the people who use it. 

How can you get involved?

You can support the campaign in the following ways:

• Sharing our ambassadors' stories. You could also share your own
• Sharing campaign messaging and assets on social media
• Sharing content from Healthwatch England, CQC and other partners' social media channels
• Contributing case study stories
• Supporting the campaign on your website (for example campaign landing page or blogs)
• Use campaign materials to develop your own content and to collect feedback about care for your organisation

How will Healthwatch England and CQC help my Healthwatch?

We are working with PR agency Grayling to put the final touches on some tools and resources to support campaign activities in your community.

These will include visual assets (like social media graphics and posters), templates and written copy (such as social media messages and email templates).

We will share these products closer to the launch date – look out for more from mid-February!

The campaign has been designed so you can use it to:

• Promote feedback as a positive and caring thing that anyone can do
• Encourage people to share views about the local issues your community faces

We also want you to encourage your local partners, NHS and social care services to adopt the campaign, so together we can increase awareness and feedback to help improve services.

Assets, templates and resources 

Check out the campaign toolkit

What is a Volunteer Responder?

NHS and Care Volunteer Responders has over 40,000 volunteers who support people in their local community with activities including friendly phone calls, shopping and prescription delivery. The programme is delivered by Royal Volunteering Service and GoodSAM and is supported by NHS England.

What support can volunteers provide?

NHS and Care Volunteer Responders take on a range of activities, including:

• Check-In and Chat: Provides telephone support to people in need of companionship and encouragement to improve their mental health and wellbeing. This support will be a phone call from a different volunteer for up to 18 weeks.
• Companionship Calls: Provides regular friendly phone calls and a listening ear up to three times a week up to six weeks. This is with the same volunteer. 
• Community Response: Provides support with collecting and delivering essential shopping, prescriptions or accompanying someone to a local activity. This is on a one-off basis or for six weeks, days, and times to be agreed between the volunteer and the person supported.
• Pick Up and Deliver: To transport equipment, supplies and medication between NHS services and sites.

How can I refer someone?

You can make referrals for volunteer support by submitting details online via the Volunteer Responders GoodSAM referrer portal or by calling their Support Team on 0808 196 3382.

How long does it take to make a referral?

NHS and Care Volunteer Responders will approve requests within 72 hours, or you can make referrals through your Local Authority.

Who is eligible for support?

Check-In and Chat

People who may need a friendly chat and some encouragement to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Companionship Calls

• People who would prefer or benefit from speaking to the same volunteer.

You can see support for vulnerable people for more information on who is eligible for support for other services.

Our Future Focus sets out what we want to achieve by 2026, with one objective being to improve our effectiveness as an organisation and strengthen the Healthwatch movement. Our culture, values and behaviours are crucial to achieving this objective, which defines, inspires and drives us. 

We’re about to start the process of developing our shared values. We want you to help us agree our core values, the behaviours the public expects from everyone who is part of Healthwatch, and the actions we need to take to embed them in our everyday practice.

To get you thinking, should they be equity, collaboration and/or integrity? There’s much to consider and you will help us to get this right.

The values and behaviours that underpin Healthwatch culture are the glue that binds us together, as independent organisations working on a shared mission. They provide the basis for us to earn the trust of the public, including people who have experienced discrimination and inequality, and the respect of health and care decision-makers who we are encouraging to act on our insight and recommendations.

All too easily, values can be glib and inauthentic words on paper. What’s important is how we put them into practice whether we are a lead officer, staff member, volunteer or Board member. As organisations delivering public functions, it is right that we support each other and hold ourselves to account for how we act and behave.

The process of how we arrive at our shared values is important and worth taking time over. Just like the work we started on equality, diversity and inclusion, it’s an ongoing conversation that’s needed, rather than an item that needs ticking off from the to-do list. We’ve put on both face-to -ace events and online webinars, as the former can elicit rich conversations while the latter ensures there are opportunities for everyone to participate. If the online events are oversubscribed, we’ll add more sessions to the calendar.

How you can get involved

There is one in-person workshop being held in London and two online webinars scheduled where you’ll:

• Help define our shared values and behaviours.
• Identify how we might best use the values and behaviours, including to help motivate our Healthwatch teams.
• Identify how we’ll measure their effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to continue the conversation, such as through peer networks.

In organising the events, we’ll be considering how to balance making sure people can talk openly in a safe space that’s also enjoyable, worthwhile and inclusive. Our National Committee and staff will also participate in the workshops, so this is a collaborative process.

We firmly believe that developing shared values is not only right for a stronger Healthwatch movement, but also important in our ambition to deliver improvements for the public and secure a sustainable future.

Over the past few months, I have spoken at regional forums and other events about some of the changes we propose to make in how we work with local Healthwatch. These changes follow on from what we shared with you in Our Future Focus and in my last blog with Louise Ansari.

In proposing these changes, we're keeping in mind the priorities you shared with us:

• Reducing the asks we make of you.
• Having a better understanding and making the most of local Healthwatch achievements.
• Improving two-way communication.

Here’s what I’m covering and what they mean for your Healthwatch:

1. Demonstrating your value – advance notice of the questions in the annual survey, which we will ask you to complete in September 2023.
2. Understanding the diversity of Healthwatch – advance notice that we will be asking you to complete a survey on the demographic profile of your Healthwatch in November 2023. In the meantime, we are providing a template to help you collect this information.
3. Sharing your accomplishments – we’re busy analysing your annual reports, and we want you to continue to share the difference you make.
4. Working with the Care Quality Commission – we’re supporting Healthwatch with the new approach to assessing local authorities and Integrated Care Systems.
5. Quality Framework – we’re continuing to support Healthwatch who want to undertake the Quality Framework and have introduced a badge for those Healthwatch who have completed it.
6. Check-in with your Regional Manager – we’re encouraging all Healthwatch to have, at least, an annual check-in to understand your support needs.
7. Integrated Care Systems – a new ICS Healthwatch Representatives network is holding its first meeting on 12 October.
8. Data sharing – just a big thanks to for everyone sharing your data, including demographic data.

Demonstrating your value

In response to your feedback, this year we have reduced the number of questions in the annual survey.

Click here to see what data we intend to collect in the annual survey in September.

Our annual report, which is presented to Parliament, makes the case for investment in Healthwatch and supports the National Committee with their statutory role in ensuring Healthwatch activities are carried out properly.

Understanding the diversity of Healthwatch

In our last blog, we asked for your help to significantly improve the response rate to our Healthwatch People Diversity Survey, as the response rate was less than 40% in 2022.

We said we would send you the questions in advance, which you can view here.

This year we are asking for data on the combined total of your staff, volunteers and Board. The data you provide will be anonymous and not linked to your individual Healthwatch – but we will ask whether your Healthwatch has completed the survey using a linked but separate survey.

If you currently do not have the required data on the demographic composition of your staff, volunteers and Board/Advisory Board members, you can use the Healthwatch Diversity Survey template which is available on this page and in SMART Survey if you have an account. Go to ‘My Surveys’ in SMART Survey, make a copy and then you can send this to your staff, volunteers and Board members.

Given that Healthwatch advocate for health equity, it is important that we strive to reflect the communities we serve. Our training programme includes support for Healthwatch on improving volunteer and Board diversity. We want to track whether these and other measures that individual Healthwatch are taking are making a difference. We'll report the results back to the network.

Sharing your accomplishments

You told us we should make better use of your stories of change – to support raising our profile, demonstrating what Healthwatch have achieved and sharing what's working with Healthwatch and our external stakeholders.

We're currently analysing all of your annual reports to get a picture of the individual and collective impact of Healthwatch. We'll draw on your examples to support our national work and share them in forthcoming newsletters.

Please also start using our new Impact Tracker or the simplified sheet to tell us about the difference you’re making on an ongoing basis. The more of your recent success stories available to promote and talk to national stakeholders about, the better.

Working with the Care Quality Commission

You may be aware that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are piloting how they will assess local authorities and Integrated Care Systems. Healthwatch England is working with CQC to support local Healthwatch in the pilot areas which will be evaluated. We will share learnings from the pilots with Healthwatch so you know what to expect and how CQC will engage with you.

You will have a dedicated point of contact within CQC, but be aware that  some posts are yet to be filled. If you are unsure who to contact at CQC, please get in touch with your Regional Manager.

Quality Framework

Demonstrating your effectiveness is never more important than in difficult financial times. Over three quarters of Healthwatch have now completed the Quality Framework - with 50 in the last year.

We’re continuing to support Healthwatch who want to undertake the self-assessment process. Some have used the process to help prepare for a tender process, while others have used it in preparation for a new strategy. We’ve seen several Healthwatch use it to consider how they apply equality, diversity and inclusion across their work. We’re recommending Healthwatch complete it every three years.

Analysis of completed Quality Frameworks demonstrates many strengths, including reaching and engaging with people facing the greatest health inequalities and managing people. Healthwatch reported challenges with the role of Boards/Advisory Boards who support the governance and decision-making of Healthwatch and meeting the statutory requirement for transparency in our work. In response, we developed an extensive programme to support your boards with recruitment and self-appraisals, from which we developed guidance for both hosted and standalone Healthwatch.  

We’ve made it easier to complete using the improved Smart Survey format, which we expect all Healthwatch to use after December 2023.

We’re introducing a badge so your Healthwatch can demonstrate your commitment to improvement. This could be displayed on your website footer, email signature or other appropriate materials. If you are eligible, you will receive an offer directly.

Check-in with your Regional Manager

We encourage all Healthwatch to have at least an annual check-in with their Regional Manager. We use these meetings to check if you have any support needs and talk through the Quality Framework if you have recently completed it. It’s a really important opportunity for us to make sure we understand your needs so we can inform our national work and how we can best support you.

Integrated Care Systems

In response to requests from Healthwatch, we are establishing a network for Healthwatch ICS Representatives, with the first meeting taking place on 12 October. For ICS areas with more than one Healthwatch, you will need to decide among yourselves who will represent your area. You can sign up here.

Data sharing

Local Healthwatch tell us that our new Data Sharing Platform is easy to use. Between April and June, 21,839 pieces of feedback were shared with us by 54 Healthwatch from 28 ICS areas. We’re in the process of onboarding the remaining Healthwatch and supporting you to regularly share your data.

We are also seeing a welcome increase in demographic data, which helps our analysis and enables us to highlight where the health and care system needs to listen better and take further action, including on tackling inequalities.

A big thank you to everyone for helping us; keep sharing your data and reach out if you need any help: DataSharing@Healthwatch.co.uk.

We need to demonstrate diversity and inclusion in all of our work. To understand different approaches, we funded two local Healthwatch to work closely with others across the network, share their model and provide support to help their colleagues replicate or adapt those successful methods.   

In this article, we'll tell you about Healthwatch Essex's Learning Disability Ambassador scheme, the 2021 pilot where other local Healthwatch got together to discuss the approach and how you can do the same in your own Healthwatch.  

About the Learning Disability Ambassador Scheme 

Working with their local hospital, Healthwatch Essex recruited and trained 14 volunteers with learning disabilities to undertake visits to the hospital and identify improvements. This includes reviewing signage, accessible information, and the language used. 

Ambassadors also met with Healthwatch Essex staff and the hospital's patient experience manager to discuss issues affecting them and others in their network and attend focus groups and steering group meetings. They contributed to case studies and social media campaigns led by Dan Potts, Healthwatch Essex engagement manager, to showcase the difference they are making.

We spoke to Dan, and he shared his top tips for involving volunteers with learning disabilities.  

Map your stakeholders first  

These might include charity organisations, hospitals, local councils, health care professionals or other agencies working in a similar field. 

Use your stakeholders to help with recruitment

Recruitment is easier once you have a stakeholder map. Make a flyer or leaflet to share virtually and face to face in shops and community settings. During your recruitment, include an informal interview face to face or online to enable you to understand the needs of the individual and what you can do for them during their role. 

Keep recruitment simple and accessible

Include an informal interview face to face or online to understand the needs of the individual and what you can do for them during their role. Remember, it is not always about what the volunteer can do to help your organisation but more about how you can add value to their future.  

Make sure you have everything you need in Easy Read  

Ensuring information is accessible is vital to including disabled people in our work, but it also benefits everyone. You should make sure your crucial volunteer documents are available in Easy Read.  

If you want to create Easy Read documents:  

• Limit text – keep it very simple and don’t use any jargon.  

• Use clear images – either illustrations or pictures of real people, objects and places.  

• Do not overthink it – if you are asking for someone’s address, you do not always have to use a postcode symbol.  

• Attend a training course (Healthwatch England provides these) or find a local provider to help you produce Easy Read formats.  

Our Easy Read role description, application form, volunteer agreement, declaration of interest and volunteer handbook are all available below as downloads which you are welcome to use.  

Work as a team and be patient

Co-production works best when people with lived experience form a working group alongside health and care professionals to influence how services are designed, commissioned and delivered. Make sure you manage your volunteers’ experience. These are huge organisations, and it can take time and a lot of patience to influence and change services.  

Get your engagement method right 

Remember that all voices should be heard and that each project may need a different approach. It may be a survey, focus group, one-to-one conversations or social media campaign but remember to be flexible in meeting the needs of your volunteers.   

Carry out volunteer well-being checks  

The well-being of your volunteers is so important. Check-ins are a great way to keep up to date with how they are feeling and give them time and space to share any concerns they may have. These can be by phone or face-to-face. Remember, well-being checks are not always about mental health and well-being. It could be something they have seen or witnessed that they feel they need to bring up with you, or it could be that they are struggling with their physical health and need to take some time off. This will help you support and retain your volunteers.  

We asked Dan for his reflections on a small group of local Healthwatch coming together to discuss his approach and what they all learned. 

• Being able to share good practice between local Healthwatch was brilliant as everyone is so different, and you can learn from each other. 

• There was a high level of engagement and sharing from the group, and everyone was committed, which made it easy to facilitate. 

• Everyone appreciated the supporting resources and documents, particularly the Easy Read forms, role descriptions and handbook.  

• Six Healthwatch had made progress which they were happy to give updates on in the second session. 

What have local Healthwatch done as a result? 

• Recruited learning disability ambassadors. 

• Ran a learning disability steering group meeting. 

• Worked on digital transformation and addressed learning disability access to Zoom and Teams.

• Set up a learning disability health check programme.

What is community research? 

Community research involves working with communities - speaking to people, identifying key issues, and seeing where change or practical solutions can be achieved. 

The research is action-focused and participatory, meaning communities are at the heart of this approach from beginning to end. 

Working this way means local Healthwatch can bring resources, time, and effort to support, listen, and build skills.  It can help communities to bring their views and voice to the fore and explain what health and social care issues are important to them. 

Together, we can work creatively - building skills with individual community researchers or supporting community groups to do their own research. 

Community research is important because it is: 

• Community-led throughout and focused on issues of concern 

• Action focused – achieving results for the community themselves 

• Reaches people whose voices are underrepresented 

• Builds confidence and recognises skills, knowledge and expertise in communities

• Reimburses community members for their time and input 

• Can start to address inequalities in access and resource 

• About the process as well as the result 

• Moves away from extractive research approaches 

• Supporting communities is a continuous ongoing dialogue: it can influence health and care providers to build responsive and culturally appropriate  services for underrepresented communities, based on equity, trust and access.

How do we do it? 

Healthwatch works with communities in many ways. Through open discussions we can support communities to identify how best to raise what is important to them in health and care and to get their voices heard. This two-way process takes time to build relationships, trust and dialogue. It is not a shortcut approach. 

In 2021 Healthwatch Oxfordshire supported two community researchers under a Community Participatory Action Research (CPAR) programme. This support was initiated and funded by Health Education England South-East and developed in collaboration with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the Scottish Community Development Centre and NHS England and Improvement.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire developed two models of community research

Model one: Supporting community action researchers on their chosen topic 

People from a community who want to focus on an issue of importance to them can work with Healthwatch as community researchers. We support them in highlighting the important concerns in their community. We are alongside them to provide support, build skills, help research planning, and provide resources for this to happen. We help the researchers and communities to share what they have heard directly with the health and care system. 

In this model, the community chooses the issue, the research methods, and how the research will be used. This process takes time and strongly focuses on participation and change, identifying areas for practical action.  

Model two: Working with community researchers on specific issues 

In this model, Healthwatch can work with community researchers on a specific piece of research. The focus topic is defined up front, either from the community or in response to pressing issues or themes.  

This is a shorter-term commitment and focuses on enabling voices to be heard by the health and care system. We provide support and training to community members to build research skills and highlight areas for change to decision-makers.  

Whilst the community researcher builds skills, there is less focus on wider community participation within the research process. 

Step-by-step guide.  

NB flexibility and adaptation are required! 

Action research cycle through five steps – Plan, Observe, Act, Disseminate, Reflect. 

Step one: Plan  

Lay foundations (Healthwatch led): 

• Set up internal Healthwatch procedures first 

• Establish scope, timeline and budget for the project 

• Agree on reimbursement process for community members' time in group sessions, including transparency around responsibility for tax/benefits declarations etc.  

• Provide equipment and staff support as needed  

• Provide dedicated staff time for support and mentoring 

• Recruit community researchers via local links (E.g. from a community of interest, place, culture)  

• Provide training, induction, mentoring and support for community researchers  

Community plan (community researcher-led) 

• Support researchers to identify the community of focus  

• Support researchers to identify project theme/problem/question/issue in collaboration with the community 

• Build bridges and dialogue between researchers, community and local health and care services 

Step two: Observe (community researcher-led) 

• Develop research methods, approach and plan with the community 

• Promote any events through community networks and social media 

• Gather information, listen and involve communities – make sure research is inclusive, culturally appropriate and accessible and remove barriers to participation 

• Use creative methods to reach people and hear their voice  

• Focus on process, challenges and solutions 

Step three: Act (community researcher-led) 

• Based on what you hear, decide the way forward and identify action points 

• With the community, determine what practical changes are needed; where, how and by whom? 

• Decide on how you will tell the story. 

Step four: Disseminate (Healthwatch with researcher and community) 

• Help community researchers and community members share insights and lessons, e.g. to health and care providers, Health and Wellbeing Board  

• Facilitate round table discussions, community events etc. 

• Make sure health and care providers report back to the community and highlight what has happened as a result. 

Step five: Reflect 

• Change may not be immediate and make take years. Follow impact over time  

• Keep the community updated about progress and changes  

• Keep learning and developing with communities’ input: use lessons to inform the improvement of this approach for

Community action research is part of a family of participatory approaches, e.g. Community Participatory Action Research (CPAR), Action Research, and Community-led research. To learn more:  

Resources and helpful guides: 

Healthwatch Oxfordshire's community researchers explainer film

Scottish Community Development Association

Centric community research hub

Literature review community research

Healthwatch Oxfordshire are happy to share insights into their experience working with community researchers. Please get in touch with them by email at hello@healthwatchoxfordshire.co.uk or calling 01865 520520. You can see examples of this work on their website.  

Costs (based on model one, up to nine months)

• Training (three days @ £11/hour): £231
• Research (100 hours @ £11/hour): £1,100
• Support (10 hours @ £11/hour): £110
• Presentations (10 hours @ £11/hour): £110
• Phone: Nine months @ £15/month: £135
• Travel: Reimbursement/mileage @45p/mile: £100
• Events: 2 @ £200: £400

Total/community researcher: £2,065

Community research is: 

• A process as much as an outcome 

• Time-consuming 

• It takes commitment, skill, risk and an iterative learning approach 

• Rewarding for both community and Healthwatch 

• Highlights issues, perspectives and concerns of seldom heard communities on their own terms and led by them 

• Action-based and focused on change 

• A way of working with communities based on respect, partnership and value 

What community research is not:

• A quick fix 
• Easy 
• Tokenistic
•  A clear-cut ‘toolkit’ approach 
• A guaranteed product, outcome or ‘success’ 
• Without risk 
• Appropriate in all circumstances

What are the challenges?

• Doesn’t stick to ‘office hours’ -challenges boundaries  

• Researchers vary in skills and confidence and may need different levels of support 

• Researchers and community members have busy lives, often juggling jobs and family, so they have little time 

• Needs ongoing problem solving, e.g. challenges with boundaries, GDPR and confidentiality 

• May not be free of community ‘politics’ 

• Needs understanding how to support beyond the research to protect/ navigate researcher and community in dialogue with health and care system and subsequent demands 

• Organisational and service change is slow and takes time, leaving communities frustrated. Make sure to focus on real changes that people can see