Values

We collectively agreed on our five values and announced them at our National Healthwatch Impact Awards event in March 2024.

Our five shared values (introduced by Healthwatch England Chief Executive Louise Ansari in this video) are:

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 links above will take you to short videos featuring Louise and a local Healthwatch leader discussing what we can all do to bring that value to life in our everyday work. 

You can also read some further thoughts and reflections on our values from Louise in this recent blog.

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.