Local Healthwatch organisation

FOIA Schedule 1 Part II includes:

• 35E - A Local Healthwatch organisation, in respect of information held in connection with—

  (a) arrangements made under section 221(1) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or

  (b) arrangements made in pursuance of arrangements made under section 221(1) of that Act.

Local Healthwatch organisations are bodies with which local authorities have entered into contracts under section 221 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. Every local authority in the list below is required to enter into such contracts, so for each area there must be at least one Local Healthwatch organisation.

The list of local authorities is defined by section 229(1) of the 2007 Act:

(a) a county council in England;

(b) a district council in England, other than a council for a district in a county for which there is a county council;

(c) a London borough council;

(d) the Common Council of the City of London; and

(e) the Council of the Isles of Scilly.

Healthwatch England have a list of Local Healthwatch organisations.

DH expects that Local Healthwatch organisations will generally be bodies corporate[1]. It's not clear whether they're expected to be separate bodies from other local charities. Their predecessors (local involvement networks) tend to be services provided by charities that have other roles as well, but there seem to be a fair number of new companies with names beginning "Healthwatch".

• Barking and Dagenham: Appears to be provided by Harmony House Dagenham Community Interest Company (06565448)
• Barnet: Web site. Appears managed by CommUNITY Barnet (3554508) [2].
• Barnsley: Web site. Healthwatch Barnsley Ltd (08121510)?
• Bath and North East Somerset: Web site. Managed by The Care Forum (03170666)
• Wiltshire: Healthwatch Wiltshire C.I.C. (08464602)

References

• Section 189 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012