The Chair informed the Board that the Chief Executive Officer of Healthwatch was unwell and had therefore passed apologies and sought the views of the Board on whether to defer the item. Members continued with a discussion on the information contained within the report which included feedback from health and care users on the quality of service. It was noted that a significant element of the report pertained to access to General Practitioner services which the Partnerships Committee had recently looked at, and that the primary themes from the report could be linked into that work. It was reported that from January to June 2021 there were 791,000 GP appointments in Wirral and it was queried whether this had increased. In response, it was noted that the overall number had increased, but this could be down to the new ways of accessing GP services. Representatives of health providers undertook to take on board the key outcomes from the report.

It was moved by Councillor Yvonne Nolan, seconded by Councillor Wendy Clements, that the Board places on record its appreciation to Healthwatch colleagues for providing the report. The motion was put and agreed by assent. It was therefore –

Resolved – That

(1)  the report be noted.

(2)  the Board’s appreciation for the report be fed back to Healthwatch.