New agreement for health bodies welcomed

An agreement has been signed by Shropshire’s Health and Well-being Board, Shropshire Council, and Healthwatch Shropshire, which seeks to improve the health and well-being of Shropshire residents.

A “Memorandum of Understanding” has been agreed by Shropshire’s Health and Well-being Board, Healthwatch Shropshire, and Shropshire Council’s overview and scrutiny committees.

The document sets out how the organisations will work together to involve patients and the general public in improving health and social services in the county.

Councillor Karen Calder, chairman of Shropshire’s Health and Well-being Board, which includes representatives from Shropshire Council, the NHS, Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), voluntary and community groups, and Healthwatch Shropshire, welcomed the agreement.

Karen Calder said:

“The Memorandum of Understanding is really important because it sets out the collective responsibility to make Shropshire an even healthier place to live.”

Councillor Joyce Barrow, chairman of the young people’s scrutiny committee, who signed the memorandum along with the health and adult social care scrutiny committee chairman Gerald Dakin, said it was an important step forward.

Joyce Barrow added:

“This will enable us to engage more with the people of Shropshire, and I am particularly keen to involve children and young people as much as we can.

“I was delighted to sign this agreement, which will help us to work together more effectively in future.”

The main principles agreed in the document are:

• To promote the safety, health and well-being of the Shropshire population
• To hold each other to account for decisions and delivery
• To respect each other and each organisation’s independence
• To maintain public confidence by engaging and communicating with the communities we serve
• To consistently promote openness and transparency
• To use resources efficiently and effectively.

Jane Randall-Smith, chief officer of Healthwatch Shropshire, said:

“Healthwatch Shropshire is a full member of the Health and Well-being Board and participates in the meetings to represent the views of the people of Shropshire.

“One of our roles is to make sure that people’s opinions are heard by the service providers and commissioners to enable change.  This Memorandum of Understanding will underpin the way we work together, which should help even more people’s views get heard in the future.”