Share your health stories with watchdog in Chichester

Healthwatch West Sussex will be in Chichester today to hear residents’ stories about their experience of health and social care services.

Find them at the Cross in the city centre from 11am-3pm.

“Every voice counts when it comes to shaping the future, but people rarely speak up, some perhaps for fear of repercussions, others because they don’t think they can make a difference,” said Frances Russell, chair of Healthwatch West Sussex.

“We aim to change that with Healthwatch which is an opportunity for the public to use its voice to have real influence. It’s the new local independent consumer champion for health and social care.”

The watchdog is also interested in your good experiences of health and social care too.

From the information shared by patients, carers and other consumers of these services, Healthwatch is able to spot trends and quickly identify common or serious issues. It has been set up to investigate consumers’ concerns and tell decision-makers about these issues so they can take action – and it will check that they do.

Healthwatch West Sussex is also there to provide information about health and social services in the county, and offers an independent advocacy service for people making a complaint against a health and social care service provided or commissioned by the NHS.

As well as visiting the Healthwatch bed, people can get in touch by calling the Healthwatch West Sussex helpdesk on 0300 012 0122, emailing [email protected] or visiting the website. You can also follow Healthwatch on Twitter @healthwatchws.

Healthwatch West Sussex can be found at the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) in Bognor Regis and Chichester.