What is West Yorkshire voice?
And how you can join the growing voice of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP), which plans and delivers health and care services for people across the area, has asked Healthwatch, the independent health and care champion, to develop West Yorkshire Voice.
What West Yorkshire Voice does
West Yorkshire Voice asks members of the public, community groups and organisations about their experience of health and care services.
We share what we have heard with people that make decisions about health and care services to help make things better.
This means that people’s voice is at the centre of health and care plans in West Yorkshire.
Why we do it
- To bring the real voice of people with lived experience and unpaid carers to decision-making.
- To connect the real lives and experiences of people with decision-making.
- To give opportunity to those who may not usually be involved and include the voices of those with the greatest health inequalities.
- To enable and support diverse involvement and representation.
- To form a crucial part of how health and care services, through the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), are held to account by the people of West Yorkshire.
Who can join West Yorkshire Voice?
Anyone who:
- Lives or works in West Yorkshire (Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Craven and district, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield and district).
- Uses health and care services in West Yorkshire.
- Cares for someone who lives in, or uses services in, West Yorkshire.
West Yorkshire voice is made up of:
- Individuals
- Community groups and organisations
- Existing networks and panels in local places
- NHS patient groups and networks
- Voluntary sector organisations
- Locally elected members
- NHS trust governors
The aim of West Yorkshire Voice is to reflect the diverse population and communities from across West Yorkshire.
How to get involved
There are a range of opportunities and people can get involved in a way that works for them.
There is a focus on ensuring the voices of those with the greatest health inequalities are heard. Members of West Yorkshire Voice will be kept informed and updated about actions and outcomes relating to topics and issues they have been involved with. How feedback has been used and the impact of West Yorkshire Voice on health and care decisions will be clear.
To join West Yorkshire Voice:
Click here to join West Yorkshire Voice as an individual
Click here to join West Yorkshire Voice as a group
To find out more
Call Healthwatch on: 0113 898 0035 or
email: info@westyorkshirehealthwatch.co.uk
or visit: https://www.wypartnership.co.uk/wy-voice
What happens when you become a member
- Share feedback: We will offer lots of ways that you can share your views and experiences of health and care services. We want you to be involved and have your say in a way that works for you.
- Newsletter: We will send out a newsletter every three months to give you information and updates on the work we have been doing and how you can get involved in future work.
- Events: We will have events (in person and online) where we will offer different ways for you to give feedback and contribute ideas.
- Updates: Through the newsletter and at events, we will also update people about how their feedback has been used to make services better.
- Feedback loop: We will also ask about the changes made. This will help us learn more about how and if things have improved – this is the ‘feedback loop’.
Accessibility and flexibility: Some people might want to give more of their time and get involved in one of our groups. This involves working more closely with staff to discuss the details of the changes we want to improve services. We will make sure this is accessible and help people to get to any meetings so that people won’t have to pay for travel. We can also pay people or offer vouchers for their time and contributions. This will be agreed with the person when they join the group.