Following a discussion held at a workshop in December 2020, the Chair and Spokespersons of the Partnerships Committee requested an update from Healthwatch Wirral. The core purpose of Healthwatch was to be the consumer champion for health and care service users. They involved patients, service users and the public in shaping local health and care services and raised awareness of their views and experiences in relation to those services amongst those in charge of services including commissioners and providers. Their vision was to ensure that the voice of the individual was heard and services were responsive to their needs, and that everyone had the opportunity to have their say and understood how and when to access their local health and social care services.

Karen Prior, Chief Executive of HealthWatch Wirral provided the update, explaining that HealthWatch Wirral:

·  had a volunteer board of Directors and five staff.

·  had won two national HealthWatch awards in the last four years.

·  had diverted from their planned work to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, working on vaccination and testing sites, printing and distributing thousands of leaflets for feedback.

·  was working on meeting with families of residents in care homes about their experiences.

·  called all patients discharged from hospital on pathway zero (requiring no support) to check if they are caring for others.

Members thanked Karen for the presentation and asked questions which drew out extra information such as that people were confused about the requirement for a second Covid vaccine treatment and whether the first vaccine was enough to allow normal activity to be resumed whereas it still allowed transmission. Members were also interested in restarting visits to care homes when the pandemic was under control, and in dealing with the low wages and stress of staff in the care sector.

RESOLVED - That the HealthWatch Wirral update be noted.