Ways to get involved

The People Panel is our public assurance group.

The Panel provides a single recognised structure to oversee the delivery of public involvement, experience of care and equality, diversity and inclusion activity. It makes sure that impact and change is demonstrable both internally and externally and that real changes that benefit local people are delivered. Through this group, the Wakefield and District Health and Care Partnership will receive advice and assurance.

The Panel meets every six weeks and members are drawn from across Wakefield district to represent wide range of views. Their role is to inform commissioning decisions and identify possible improvements.

The Panel has been crucial in the contributions and development of the governance arrangements for our local Health and Care Partnership. It has also formed the basis of our submission to the Good Governance Institute’s assessment of our involvement. You can find their report, which includes a section specific to Wakefield District, on the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership website.

Patient participation groups (PPGs) are groups of patients interested in health and healthcare issues, who want to get involved with and support the running of their local GP practice. Most PPGs also include members of practice staff and meet at regular intervals to decide to help make a positive contribution to the services and facilities offered by the practice to its patients.

The activities of PPGs vary but normally include the following:

• improving communication with the practice population through newsletters, websites and other means
• organising health promotion events in partnership with the practice
• providing strategic advice, influencing commissioning and carrying out research
• supporting the practice in its dealings with other bodies.

To find out if there is a PPG at your GP practice please contact your surgery for more information.

Organised by the Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership, the Patient Participation Group Network acts as the link between local PPGs and the Partnership.

It also provides support to local groups and practices both on a one to one basis as well as via organised training.

You can see more on the work of this group and what topics have been looked at in previous engagement annual reports.

The Community Champions are individuals and community representatives who have an interest in helping to reduce the rates of Covid-19 in the Wakefield District. Those who have a network of family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, group members that they can share information with.

Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) is a group of women and their families, commissioners, maternity staff working together to review and contribute to the development of our local maternity care.

More information can be found at Wakefield District Maternity Voices Partnership – Healthwatch Wakefield

Build Our Futures are the umbrella group for all of Wakefield Youth Voice activities.Organisations work together to make sure that all children and young people have their say on the things that affect them.

More information can be found at Youth Voice – WF Youth

A number of our Committee meetings are held in public. Come along and listen to the discussion and find out more about what we do. You can also submit questions in advance to wyicb-wak.wdhcp@nhs.net

We organise a range of public events throughout the year. These are open to all and include the opportunity to find out more about the work of the Partnership, meet staff, and have your say.

Details of our upcoming public events can be found on our events page.

Healthwatch Wakefield is the independent champion created to listen to and gather local people’s experiences of using health and care services. This includes services like doctors, chemists, hospitals, dentists, care homes and community based care. They work to help people get the best out of local health and care services by:

• providing people with the advice, information and signposting they need
• gathering the views and experiences of local people along with other information
• giving local people a voice to influence the design and delivery of services

Local Healthwatch has eight statutory functions, or activities by law, to perform, such as promoting and supporting the involvement of local people in health and care services and gathering the views of local people. They also have a seat on the Health and Wellbeing Board, making sure that the views and experiences of patients, carers and other service users are taken into account when local needs assessments and strategies are prepared. This helps to make sure that they have a role in promoting public health, health improvements and in tackling health inequalities. Local Healthwatch laws also make sure there is a complaints advocacy service to support people who make a complaint about health services.

Healthwatch Wakefield is an independent charity. They employ a small staff team and are helped by volunteers. Their Board of Trustees oversees and steers the work, and members of the board are not paid for their role.

For more information visit http://www.healthwatchwakefield.co.uk/

We are an active partner in the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership integrated care system and are committed to meaningful conversations with people, on the right issues at the right time.

We believe that this approach informs the ambitions of our partnership – to work in an open and transparent way with communities.

More information on the partnership’s engagement can be found on the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership website.

Care Opinion is a feedback platform for the public so they can share their story or experience of health and care services. Anyone can post an opinion on the website.

The NHS website provides a similar facility. We search these facilities by provider to pick up what people are saying about services and use this feedback to see what people are saying. We use feedback to identify quality improvement and engagement opportunities and create positive change through our Experience of Care Network.

A BSL video is available on the Care Opinion website if you prefer signed information about this site.

Friends and family test (FFT) – This test aims to gather as real time patient feedback as possible with every patient being given the opportunity to give feedback. NHS England publish information on a regular basis.

Find out more about the friends and family test.

You can also give feedback directly to health and care providers.

Your feedback helps us to continue to develop and improve what we do for everyone and we welcome your suggestions and feedback about health and care services for the Wakefield District.

Visit this page for the contact details of the service you want to share your views on.

Alternatively, you can send your views and comments for Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership to:

Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership
Patient Relations Team
White Rose House
West Parade
Wakefield
West Yorkshire
WF1 1LT

Telephone: 01924 315803
Email: wyicb-wak.contactus@nhs.net

The group is made of members of the public who are living with either a mental and /or physical health condition or as carer and would like to be part of the decision making process within Wakefield.

Our group members have completed or are in the process of completing NHS England’s free Peer Leadership Development Programme. The course promotes the benefits of personalised care, giving people the skills, knowledge and confidence to be able to use their lived experience at a strategic level by being part of discussions where decisions are made at a system level.

The group meet once a month in person at White Rose House, Wakefield and there is also an option to join virtually via MS teams.

You can hear about the project in the words of one of our Peer Leaders and find more information in this film Why join the Peer Leadership Development Programme (opens an external website).  Further details can also be found on the NHS England website (opens an external website).

If you would like to know more or would like to get involved, please email Tracey.lowe6@nhs.net.