Advisory Group members

We are excited to be seeking new members to expand our Local Healthwatch Advisory Group, to help ensure that we hear as many voices as possible in our mission to be a strong champion for users of health and social care services in Surrey.

Who we are looking for?

Healthwatch Surrey has established a Local Healthwatch Advisory Group, which meets monthly, and helps advise our team and Board on what priorities and issues we work on, and how we use our statutory powers.  We are looking for more volunteers to join this group.

This might be your first role of this kind, or you might have experience in a charity, social enterprise or in the NHS or social care. Whatever your background, if you are passionate about ensuring that local health and social care provision is exceptional, we want to hear from you.

We want to be representative of the communities we seek to serve and are actively encouraging people from those who may be at risk of health inequalities or find it harder to have their voices heard. We value diverse perspectives, so we also want to hear from people who can bring fresh ideas to the table as to how we operate.

Our application process involves a written application, plus an interview with our Local Healthwatch Advisory Group. Interviews will be held in person on 12th and 14th September 2023, in Guildford. Deadline for your application to reach us: 9am on 30th August 2023.

What skills do I need?

We have a number of priority areas we are working on, and familiarity or experience (lived experience or work experience) in one of more of these areas would be highly desirable. These are:

• Access to primary care
• Social care
• Mental health
• Information and signposting
• Listening to people who use services.

Having a balance of perspectives means having a range of skills and knowledge in the discussions, so we are also keen to speak to those who bring new areas of experience to our conversations.

In return, you will be part of a friendly group, helping the work of an organisation which is a vital part of the NHS and social care landscape, ensuring the voice of local people is heard. You will gain extensive experience of how the NHS and Surrey County Council work, how governance works, and how to influence change. You will also be part of having a real say in improving health and care services for everyone.

We speak to members individually about their training and development needs, and will provide an induction programme. We also ensure we commit to collective learning and are confident that members leave our service with new knowledge and skills.

We don’t want any member to be out of pocket for contributing to our work, so we reimburse expenses relating to Advisory Group matters, including travel and caring costs.