Cornwall Council have written to local voluntary sector leaders involved with the VCS Commissioning Board to say they want to negotiate to develop a new NHS and social care watchdog.
The letter, from Carole Theobald, Head of Communications and Strategy, says that the reason for taking this route, rather than a competitive tender, to develop the new ‘Healthwatch’ service is to “maximise the benefits of our local infrastructure and to build on the experience of patient and public involvement already gained in Cornwall.”
The letter asks the local voluntary sector to nominate a spokesperson to confirm if it wishes to enter into negotiations with a view to creating a jointly agreed model by April 2012.
Healthwatch will have three primary roles around influencing health and social care service development, providing signposting and information to users, and carrying out complaints advocacy.
Says Mark Richardson, Chief Executive of Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum: “We welcome the Council’s intention to take this approach with Healthwatch, rather than go to tender, as we believe it will create a better outcome for Cornwall. We will be consulting with colleagues in the New Year to discuss how the local sector can collectively take this forward.”
