Healthwatch Health Matters: Wellbeing walkabout in Woodley

You know that the NHS and social care have to look at doing thing differently in order to continue to meet increasing demands on decreasing budgets.

You may not know that Wokingham Borough has a Health and Wellbeing Board – a formal partnership of local council members, Public Health, GPs, local business, Healthwatch and voluntary sector aimed to improve better joint working and integration across services. The Board was set up as part of the Governments reorganisation of health and social care in 2012.

The Health and Wellbeing Board is responsible for identifying the current and future social care and health needs of the local area and setting strategies which influence decisions taken in the Council and health services. The aim of the Board is to create healthy and resilient communities across the Borough.

The Board does not have a budget so does not commission services, but has a responsibility to provide an oversight of how things across health and care are working, with a keen focus on you – users of services. The aims are to improve the care people receive, improve health and wellbeing and ensure services are efficient.

In order to achieve its aims the Board must engage with Wokingham people.

Without the involvement of residents, the Board will never be able to achieve its goals. This means patients, the public, carers, clinicians, stakeholders and individual local health organisations (such as GPs, hospitals and local authorities) joining forces to agree a plan to improve local health and care services.

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The Board have tried to involve public with limited success; Meetings are held every other month in public.

Residents can submit questions, but they must following the Council regulations for submitting questions, which can be intimidating, formal and off putting.

A Twitter account was set up (@WokinghamHWBB), the second Monday of every month there are tweets including local news, information and advice from groups around the Borough.

In an attempt to better connect and involve residents, especially across the geography of the Borough, next month the Board are taking to the streets and doing a walk around of Sandford Farm in Woodley on Thursday, October 11, between 5pm and 6pm.

Part of the purpose of this walkabout is to get to talk to local people about the issues that matter most to them.

The walk will hopefully highlight possible actions that need to be carried out to decrease social isolation, increase physical activity and close the gap between those who are comfortably off and those who may be struggling to make ends meet.

If you are interested in joining part of the Wellbeing Walk or have a question to ask please contact Charlotte Seymour Project Support Officer, Wokingham Borough Council by calling 0118 974 6050 or email charlotte.seymour@wokingham.gov.uk