Healthwatch Wakefield and Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service.

Healthwatch Wakefield is a statutory service which influences and shapes the improvement of Health and Social Care services in Wakefield district or accessed by Wakefield district residents. It follows national standards set by Healthwatch England and is designed to empower local people to influence services. It promotes greater patient and public involvement by actively encouraging participation from residents, particularly seldom heard and under-represented groups such as young people and those facing health inequalities, to ensure diverse voices are represented. Additionally, it strengthens the role of the public in the commissioning, delivery, and scrutiny of local services. The service will also provide a Wakefield Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service; a free, independent, and impartial service. The core purpose of the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service is to ensure that people who use local NHS services have access to the support they need to clarify and articulate their concerns, to navigate the complaints process and to pursue a resolution to the satisfaction of the people using services or the exhaustion of the process. The Service will play no role in relation to matters where a complainant determines to resort to direct legal action other than appropriate signposting. It is expected the Contract will be for a period of 3 years with an option to extend up to a further 7 years (10 years in total), with an expected commencement date of 1st October 2025. The Contract is proposed to be a single lot with a lead provider. Contract value in the region of £295,000 per annum