I have been working with Healthwatch for 10 years. A year at Healthwatch Staffordshire and 9 years in Warwickshire. At all times I have felt it to be a privilege to have served the patients and public to the best of my ability.
Healthwatch has developed enormously in that time. We have become an integral part of our health and care system, trusted by providers, commissioners and patients alike. We have continuously sought to find the balance between being a patient and public champion and a critical friend to those who provide and commission services – I like to think we have had some success in very trying circumstances. The Covid 19 pandemic impacted hugely on the way we worked, but we quickly adapted and we have now emerged stronger than ever.
Looking forward I believe ever more strongly in the ability of Healthwatch to ensure that the lived experiences of patients, carers and residents increasingly inform decisions about the commissioning and provision of health and care services. We also have the experience, insight and commitment to hold service providers and commissioners to account on behalf of patients and residents, and to do so in a balanced way based on evidence and intelligence received.
Our future is bright, our potential enormous. I hope I can continue to play my small part in the further developments for a while to come.
Chris Bain 