If the answer to the above is YES, we need YOU to get involved in this!
Kingston CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) and Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Council is about to create a five year Mental Health Strategy for Kingston upon Thames which will be implemented from October 2016 – 2021. The Strategy will set out how Kingston CCG and RBK Council will work with all sectors of the community to help the Borough’s population keep well, and provide high-quality services that are equally accessible to all.
The strategy will incorporate all life factors which affect people’s mental health, so it won’t just cover the NHS services but will also include important life factors such as housing, employment and education. For this strategy to deliver it needs people at the centre of it, so Healthwatch Kingston is calling out to all local members of the public and voluntary sector organisations to come together and help to construct it.
What Is HealthWatch Kingston?
Healthwatch Kingston is the Independent Consumer Champion for Health & Social Care Services in Kingston upon Thames. We have the statutory responsibility to ensure people’s views and experiences shape the services and best meet people’s needs. By law we have to deliver this service and by law the statutory services have to listen to what we have to say.
What is Kingston CCG?
Every Borough has a CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group)
Kingston CCG is a membership organisation made up of the 26 GP practices in Kingston upon Thames. The CCG works with secondary care doctors, nurses and other healthcare specialists as well as a management team to plan and commission health care services that meet the needs of local residents. CCGs control around two thirds of the NHS budget in Britain and have a legal duty to support quality improvement in general practice.
How can I be a part of this?
We have a launch event on 22nd April to kick off the engagement process. This is a planning event. It will be an opportunity for the CCG and Local authority to listen to peoples views on how, when and where people can get best have their say in this Strategy.
We then have 5 months to bring everyone in Kingston together, to go out into the community and get people’s views, work in partnership and design the strategy. We publicly launch a consultation on the strategy on World Mental Health day, 10th October 2016, and celebrate our work.
If you are not in Kingston Upon Thames, fear not. You can locate your local HealthWatch here to see how you can get involved in voicing how your local health services are doing with regards to your Mental Health treatment, care plans or overall experience. Local Healthwatch across England provide unique insight into people’s experiences of health and social care issues across the country; they are the eyes and ears on the ground stating what matters to their local communities.
Upcoming events
Mental Health Task Group meeting
When: 14th April 10.am – 12
Where: Kingston Quaker Centre, Fairfield E, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2PT
Mental Health Strategy Engagement (Launch Event)
When: Friday 22ND April, 11.am – 1pm (Lunch afterwards)
Where: Saipem House, 12-42 Wood Street, Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 1TG
Contact sophie.bird@healthwatchkingstonuponthames.org.uk – or call 020 8974 6629 to let us know you can attend, we will send out information packs to provide participants with more information.
