Application Pack

Healthwatch Strategic Advisory Board

Amended January 2016

Contents

3. Welcome from Healthwatch Barnsley for Applicants

4. What is Healthwatch?

6. Strategic Advisory Boardroledescription

10. Person Specification

11. How to Apply and Further Information

12. Application Form

Dear applicant

Thank you for expressing your interest in joining the Strategic Advisory Board of Healthwatch Barnsley. This pack is designed to give you a feel of what we are hoping to achieve with the establishment of Healthwatch Barnsley and show what an exciting opportunity this is.

Healthwatch has been designed by Government to support the NHS and social care services in being “genuinely centred on patients and carers” and it is designed to ensure that citizens have a strong voice in influencing decisions about how health and social care is delivered in our area.

Healthwatch Barnsley is at the beginning of a journey to strengthen the collective voice of local people using health and social care and, through a seat on the Health and Wellbeing Board, we have been able to influence the boroughs Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, and local health and social care commissioning decisions.

Creating an organisation that is rooted in the community and responsive to their needs is a priority for us and Healthwatch Barnsley will continue to build heavily on existing networks, information and local knowledge that already exists in the borough to ensure that it is representing as many people as possible as well as creating new networks where there are gaps.

We are looking for new members to become a part of a dynamic Strategic Advisory Boardfor Healthwatch Barnsley who share our passion for creating an organisation that is an outstanding consumer champion for Barnsley residents and users of NHS and social care services and who will be able to support in the development of the organisation.

Whilst being an independent project, Healthwatch will still have to demonstrate that it is successfully achieving the outcomes stated in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and is delivering value for money for the funding it receives.

The successful applicants for the board will be playing an integral role in shaping not only Healthwatch Barnsley as a project of Voluntary Action Barnsley, but also shaping our local health and social care services and ensuring that Barnsley residents are receiving the highest quality care centred around them and their needs. If you are passionate about shaping Barnsley’s Healthwatch, then we would be delighted to hear from you.

What is Healthwatch?

Healthwatch is the independent consumer champion for both health and social care. It exists in two distinct forms – local Healthwatch and Healthwatch England. Local Healthwatch is part of the Government’s plans to give people a stronger voice and drive improvements in health and social care services. It began in April 2013, and will build on the work of Local Involvement Networks (LINks).

Guidance from the Department of Health has identified that Healthwatch will be a not-for-profit social enterprise that uses the voices and experiences of the people it serves to encourage high standards of health and care provision and to challenge poor services.

To do this, it will:

  • have the power to enter and view health and social care services
  • influence how services are set up and commissioned by having a seat on the local Health and Wellbeing Board
  • carry out engagement to gather the views of local people, and represent these views to commissioners and service providers
  • produce reports which influence the way services are designed and delivered
  • provide information and support about local health and social care services
  • forward information and recommendations to Healthwatch England and the Care Quality Commission.

Healthwatch Barnsley will be supported through Voluntary Action Barnsley and led by a shadowStrategic Advisory Board, including a chairman and vice chairman of the board, who will help determine the strategic direction for Healthwatch and ensure engagement with all segments of the local population in order to be representative of as many residents and health and social careservice users as possible.

Barnsley Council was tasked with the commissioning of Healthwatch Barnsley by the Department of Health (DH). Although commissioned by the Local Authority Healthwatch Barnsley is an independent organisation from the council, responsible for future decisions on its own staff and volunteers and will be funded via contract from the Council.

The roles advertised are for 4people to add to the current Healthwatch Barnsley Strategic Advisory Board,1 Vice Chair, and 3 Strategic Advisory Board members.

Important: The Vice Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board has additional responsibilities to the Strategic Advisory Board positions. To be considered for this position please state this role clearly in your application.

The Barnsley Joint Strategic Needs Assessment provides the evidence of needs in the local area. The Health & Wellbeing Board, Barnsley Council and the Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are in the process of developing the newBarnsley Health & wellbeing Strategy which identifies the following four areas on which to focus for a four year period 2016 – 2020:

  • Improve Population Health and Wellbeing
  • Reduce Health Inequalities
  • Integrate Health and Care Services
  • Ensure System Resilience

The aim is to influence the change required over the next few years, and achieve the following long term goals:

  • Children start life healthy and stay healthy
  • People live happy, healthy longer lives
  • People have good mental health and wellbeing
  • People live in strong and connected communities
  • People contribute to a strong and prosperous economy

We ask that you have robust experience in one or more of these areas; please make reference to these explicitly in your application.

Vice Chair of the Barnsley Strategic Advisory Board

Responsible for:

Healthwatch Barnsley

Liaising with:

-Barnsley residents and those who use health and care services within the borough;

-All local statutory and non-statutory health and social care providers, and other stakeholders including but not limited to Barnsley Council and the Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group

-Neighbouring Healthwatch organisations,

-Barnsley’s Health and Wellbeing Board & Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Intelligence Group.

Role Description Vice Chair of Healthwatch Barnsley

The Role

To support the Chair to lead Healthwatch Barnsley (with Healthwatch Barnsley Manager) to bring about citizen-led quality improvement in health, care and wellbeing in Barnsley.

Oversee the direction and forward planning of Healthwatch Barnsley. Oversee the performance of Healthwatch Barnsley’s work develop and maintain constructive relationships with stakeholders with the Healthwatch Manager. Lead on voice and influence and representing Healthwatch Barnsley on external bodies and in the media and provide direction to the Healthwatch Manager.

Please note: We are looking at a leadership team that, together, has all of the following experience and skills etc. In particular if people are applying for a Vice Chair role, they may have some but not all of the skills listed below.

Person Specification:

Skills/Knowledge/Experience/Approach

  • Able to forward plan and lead a vision for Healthwatch Barnsley
  • Passionate about improvements in health and social care for all, with citizens at the centre of change
  • Strong communication and people skills
  • Able to understand, and communicate about, information and evidence gathered from a range of sources and relevant policy issues
  • Good chairing and listening skills
  • Able to assist and take forward decision making with different interests and viewpoints; and also be decisive where needed.
  • Able to influence and persuade others
  • Able to challenge constructively to bring about improvement
  • Supports the values and aims of Healthwatch Barnsley
  • A strong interest in health and social care services and some understanding of the challenges facing the NHS and local authorities
  • Commitment to high standards of customer care in Healthwatch Barnsley’s work

Strategic Advisory Board Member

Responsible for:

Healthwatch Barnsley

Liaising with:

-Barnsley residents and those who use health and care services within the borough;

-All local statutory and non-statutory health and social care providers, and other stakeholders including but not limited to Barnsley Council and the Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group

-Neighbouring Healthwatch organisations,

-Barnsley’s Health and Wellbeing Board and Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Intelligence Group.

Accountabilities:

As Healthwatch Strategic Advisory Board member you will be responsible for ensuring that Board Members, staff and volunteers work together to deliver its statutory and additional functions under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The Board will have a key role in the promotion and visibility of this organisation, raising its profile with the people of Barnsley and acting as its public face in partnership with the Healthwatch Barnsley team.

The board of directors will support the strategic plan and direction of Healthwatch Barnsley, in line with the Department of Health and Healthwatch England’s requirements, and local priorities based on evidenced need. This will involve developing tailored additional outcomes for Healthwatch Barnsley.

In addition, you are expected to:

-Provide independent leadership and strategic vision to Healthwatch Barnsley, ensuring the development of capacity and competency to fulfil its statutory requirements, which are:

  • Gathering views and understanding the experiences of patients, users and the public
  • Making people’s views known
  • Promoting and supporting the involvement of people in the commissioning and provision of local health and care services and how they are scrutinised
  • Recommending investigations or special review of services via Healthwatch England or directly to the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
  • Providing advice and information about access to services and support for making informed choices
  • Making the views and experiences of people known to Healthwatch England and providing a steer to help it carry out its role as national champion

-Work with the local health and social care, statutory, voluntary and community organisations within the borough to create a ‘network of networks’. The network created will be the foundation for Healthwatch to collect, analyse and evidence information to support commissioning decisions through the Health and Wellbeing Board.

-Build the credibility of Healthwatch Barnsley with all partners and the local community and enhance brand awareness to encourage engagement and participation

-Identify and develop business opportunities to generate income including preparation of bids and tenders to make Healthwatch a stable long-term organisation

Core Responsibilities:

  • Lead in development, monitoring and implementation of the organisation’s business plan;
  • Ensure that mechanisms are in place to lead, monitor, review and evaluate all activities of the organisation;
  • Ensure that the Healthwatch Barnsley budget is spent having regard to the best value principles, probity and financial balance;
  • To report the views and experiences of Barnsley residents known to Healthwatch England to support its role as a national consumer champion;
  • To make recommendations to Healthwatch England to advise the Care Quality Commission to carry out special reviews or investigations into areas of concern;
  • To adhere to confidentiality requirements and ensure that Healthwatch Barnsley documents and data are kept secure at all times;
  • Adhere to the Nolan 7 Principles of Public Life[1].

These ‘Core Responsibilities’ are not listed in priority order and post-holders should not place emphasis on the location of the task within the job description. Actual key tasks may be varied and the post-holder is expected to take on variations within the constraints of the role in line with national legislation and guidance.

Person Specification

Key competencies (applicable to all Strategic Advisory Board positions including the Vice Chair)

  • Ability to work analytically, strategically and with enthusiasm to deliver the Healthwatch Barnsley agenda;
  • Commercial awareness and business acumen, with the ability to develop Healthwatch Barnsley and make use of any available opportunities for income generation and sustainability;
  • Proven ability to influence and negotiate successfully at a senior level;
  • Political astuteness with mature insight into organisational leadership and success;
  • Understanding of developing policies and procedures within an organisational context;
  • Outstanding communication skills, coupled with developed networking skills that inspire trust, encourage forward thinking and involvement;
  • Proven influencing and persuading skills across a diverse range of stakeholders across a range of sectors;
  • The ability to deliver the responsibilities of the role and organisation within due regard to relevant diversity and equality principles;

Knowledge and experience

The successful candidate will possess:

  • Excellent and demonstrable understanding of health, social care and wellbeing policy issues and the related challenges facing the NHS and Local Authorities;
  • Excellent and demonstrable recent senior experience in the direct delivery, commissioning or regulating of a health, social care or inspectorial organisation.
  • Thorough knowledge and understanding of legislation and guidance that supports the creation of local Healthwatch organisations and Healthwatch England, including the statutory functions of these organisations;
  • Experience, or excellent understanding, of best practice surrounding engagement with the public and service users at an operational and strategic level and the representation of service user views, including hard to reach users;
  • Experience of chairing professional and public meetings at a senior level;
  • Knowledgeable about Barnsley and demonstrate an understanding of the area. This should include demonstrable knowledge of the borough’s health and social care strategies and be able to identify key priorities in the borough. You will also have a commitment to understanding local issues and knowledge of local demographics and our local health and social care landscape.
  • A proven history of financial management, business development, market research and collecting service user experiences, and experience in developing or leading a community based organisation
  • A strong understanding of the commissioning process and health and social care service delivery.

Eligibility to apply:

Applicants must be over the age of 18 and have a strong knowledge of Barnsley and its local health and social care economy. It is important that applicants, or members of their immediate family, do not have a conflict of interest as a result of their existing roles in the local health and social care economy.

Therefore applicants who are not:

-Health or social care providers and their employees within Barnsley or whom supply health and social care services to people in Barnsley;

-Providers affiliated with a private company providing goods and services to local healthcare and social care providers;

-Commissioners of health and social care services in Barnsley;

-Councillors of the Barnsley Borough;

-Current senior employees of Barnsley Council.

-Current senior employees of the CCG

are likely to be preferred.

How to apply

We welcome CVs that cover all areas of the Person Specification. Please send a CV and covering letter to with a completed application form (attached). If you have any questions regarding the application process please email the above address or call 01226 320106. If you cannot send your application electronically please call for assistance.

Independence

Healthwatch Barnsley will be an independent, nonpartisan organisation serving the needs of all communities, so it is essential that the successful candidate can fully demonstrate that they, and their close family members, have no actual, perceived, or potential conflicts of interest with any private interest or paid or voluntary roles that they have recently undertaken, or are currently undertaking.

Appointment

Three years initially, after this point the organisation has governance arrangements in place that will determine the longer-term appointment and arrangements for the role of Chairman and other Strategic Advisory Board members.

Enhanced DBS Check and Employer References

The formal appointment of the Independent Chairman will be subject to the completion of an enhanced DBS check and a minimum of two references.

Equality & Diversity

Healthwatch Barnsley will be subject to the public sector equality duty under the Equality Act 2010 and as such will be committed to Equal Opportunities and expect all staff and volunteers to recognise and value differences and to treat everyone with dignity and respect. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Healthwatch Barnsley
Strategic Advisory Board / Chair Application Form
Please fill in both parts of the application form below. Do not type/write using only capital letters and please remember to check it carefully.
Details entered in this form will be held by Healthwatch Barnsley. The details entered in part 1 will be made available to the shortlisting panel. The shortlisting panel will not have access to the details entered in part 2. Please note that questions marked with an asterisk * in part 2 are mandatory and therefore must be answered.

PART 1

Please refer to the role profile and job pack and particularly to the individual criteria for appointment.

Please state if you are applying for the Chairman of the Board role.

Attach a CV and give a statement, with evidence, of suitability below (go onto additional page(s) if necessary) which shows how you match the specification for a Healthwatch Barnsley role.

Volunteer Role application is for:
Insert CV and provide a statement outlining your suitability for the role:

PART 2