About Us
Healthwatch
Healthwatch East Sussex is an independent voice for the people of East Sussex. We’re here to understand the lived experiences of people who use health and social care services in the county. We will work hard to ensure that all sections of the community are represented in the decision making process and that your views are listened to, recorded and reported.
What Healthwatch East Sussex do
We capture the voice and lived experience of the people of East Sussex through a range of activities. This includes:
- undertaking innovative engagement to build up a detailed picture of people’s experiences;
- improving access to information about health and social care services and answering your questions via our telephone information service;
- recruiting and training a thriving network of volunteers, who are the ‘eyes and ears’ of Healthwatch East Sussex, and help us liaise with organisations across the statutory and voluntary sectors;
- working with community and voluntary groups to find out what’s important to the people of East Sussex.
- representing the views of local people to the East Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board
- providing a complaints advocacy service via our partner organisation The Advocacy People to support people who make a complaint about health services.
Who we report to
We’re one of 152 local Healthwatch organisations in England. The network is overseen and supported by the national body, Healthwatch England, which provides a formal link to the Department of Health and Secretary of State for Health. We are a charity and we’re independent. Our performance is closely monitored by Healthwatch England and East Sussex County Council, which receives money from the Department of Health to fund us.
