Workplan
We've now published our workplan for April 2025 to March 2026. Click below to download the full document.
Our workplan for 2025
Priority areas from April 2025 to March 2026
These priorities have been shaped through extensive community engagement and direct feedback from Halton residents, as well as insights drawn from local PLACE plans and the strategic concerns of Halton Borough Council. This approach ensures our focus aligns with what matters most to people locally and is responsive to broader system-level issues identified in local health and care planning.
Access to Primary Care services: (Quarters 1-4)
Focus: Improving access to GP services and reducing appointment delays.
Access to Women’s services : Maternity Services and Women’s Health
Focus: Supporting safe, personalised care before, during, and after pregnancy.
Other issues to consider in 2025 – 2026
- Treatment Room Services
Focus: Reviewing patient experience and access to Treatment Room services in Halton. - Access to Urgent and Emergency Care
Focus: Understanding local experience and barriers in accessing urgent and emergency care. - Access to NHS Dentistry
Focus: Tackling dental inequalities for children, families, and low-income adults. - Digital Inclusion in Health Services
Focus: Ensuring digital health solutions do not widen inequalities. - Mental Health Services
Focus: Expanding timely, inclusive, and accessible mental health support.
Community Engagement
In addition to public outreach sessions, our staff and volunteers will visit a range of community groups and events to seek patient and public opinions and views. We will ensure our visits reach across all Halton’s communities and look to gain the confidences of specific groups that we know are out there and difficult to engage with. We will also seek out the experiences and views of people who in the past have been in the minority in intelligence gathering, for example people with learning disabilities and or autism, people who have mental health, people who are blind, people who are deaf etc.
Target: Face to Face - Undertake 150+ outreach activities from April 2024 to March 2025.
Public Feedback
We will continue to encourage the public to feedback their experiences of using local health and social care services. This feedback will form part of our regular reports to the Healthwatch Independent Strategic Advisory Board and be used to identify any themes and trends in local services.
This feedback will also form part of reports provided to stakeholders and commissioners.
Aim: To collect the experiences of 1200 people between April 2025 and March 2026.
Reporting
Healthwatch Halton will continue to carry out independent reviews on the provision of various health and social care services.
We will look at how we can best keep the public informed of changes brought about due to our work and the feedback.
Reports will be published based on the feedback we receive from the public. These will be sent to the relevant Boards, Commissioners and Monitoring Officers.
Aim: To publish intelligence/insight reports on a quarterly basis.
Enter and View programme
The programme has been and will be determined by intelligence received and follow up actions from previous Enter and View visits.
The focus on the Enter and View Programme for 2026 will be to look at the quality of the services from a resident and family (care homes) or patient/service user (other health & care services) point of view. We will aim to publish our reports and recommendations on the Healthwatch Halton website within 40 days of the visitr
Aim: Carry out up to 10 Enter and View visits by March 2026.
Promotion
We will ensure our services are widely available and promoted in a range of formats. Our website and social media accounts will provide updates on engagement topics and enable networking with other organisations.
Aim: To see an increase in engagement numbers through social media. Ensure that our website is updated regularly with relevant topics and issues.
Strategic Influencing
Healthwatch Halton is represented on a wide range of strategic Boards that oversee health and social care including Halton Health and Wellbeing Board and the Health Policy Performance Board. Our remit is to work with these partnerships to ensure the voice of the public and patients are heard, and to provide advice, guidance and assurance on how to achieve this.
Aim: Healthwatch will be a strong public voice in strategic decision making.
Healthwatch Independent Strategic Advisory Board (HISAB)
Develop a well-balanced HISAB with a complimentary skill set and culture that allows collaborative working to make effective decisions and agree which decisions are implemented.
Aim: To grow the number of board members by two and ensure the HISAB receives any necessary training and support to fulfil its role during the year.
Volunteers
Volunteers play an essential role in the delivery of Healthwatch Halton. They add value and support us to achieve our mission and strategic objectives. By having an effective volunteer programme Healthwatch Halton can provide opportunities for social inclusion, skills and confidence development and possible routes into employment.
Aim: We are keen to make best use of our volunteer base this year and will look to review the effectiveness of the current volunteer programme.
Additional funded projects
Healthwatch Halton will continue to look at opportunities to take on additional funded project or pieces of work that are aligned with our mission.
Aim: To generate additional income to help sustain the current contract delivery and enhance the delivery offer.