Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire has statutory powers to Listen, Act, Challenge and Feedback, improving Local Services and promoting excellence throughout the NHS and social care services.
To achieve this, our Enter and View Authorised Representatives enter and observe health and social care services as they are being delivered.
Enter and View applies to health services for both adults and children and social care for adults. The visits are NOT inspections, they are conducted by trained Authorised Representatives who report back to Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire from a lay person’s perspective.
What is Enter & View?
Under the Healthwatch regulations, local Healthwatch organisations have the power to Enter and View providers so that our authorised representatives can observe matters relating to health and social care services.
Organisations must allow an authorised representative to Enter & View and observe activities on premises controlled by the provider as long as this does not affect the provision of care or the privacy and dignity of people using services.
These powers do not extend to Enter & View of services relating to local authorities’ social services functions for people under the age of 18. Providers do not have to allow entry to parts of a care home which are not communal areas or allow entry to premise if their work on the premises relates to children’s social services.
Purpose
The purpose of the visit will be to identify good practice that can be celebrated and shared with others, and to identify any issues about which service users feel concerned.
What happens?
A member of the Healthwatch team will contact the provider in advance and let them know about the intended visit. A small team of Healthwatch volunteers will come to observe the service. They will all have received training, and will all have had a DBS check. They will ask staff, service users, and family members if present, some questions in a friendly and informal style about their experiences of the service. Some questions may relate to experiences of health and social care services more generally. After an Enter and View visit, a short report will be written up and shared with the provider of the service. Recommendations may be made in order to help make services better for the people who use them. The report may also be shared with relevant commissioners and be put up on this website.
View past reports
Enter & View Authorised Representatives
Our representatives are trained to visit a range of NHS and social care premises, and talk to staff, patients, carers and other service users about their experiences.
The information collected is used to make recommendations on how services can be improved. Our Enter and View Reports are shared with service providers as well as being made available to the public on our website.
Our Authorised Representatives are:
Chris Bosley
Debra Watson
Harsha Kotecha
Howard Marshall
Janina Smith
Kim Marshal-Nicols
Lynn Pearson
Moraig Yates
As part of the Enter & View role, Authorised Representatives:
- Prepare for visits by attending briefings with the Healthwatch Team
- Visit health and social care premises to observe what is happening
- Talk to patients, service users, staff and carers and gain their views on the quality of services provided
- Maintain notes of the visits and assist in the preparation of reports to outline the findings, and if applicable, offer recommendations for change
- Are willing to undergo free training relevant to the role as well as a DBS check
- Undertake all voluntary duties in line with the Healthwatch policies and procedures
Would you like to volunteer?
For those wanting to know more about becoming an Enter & View Authorised Representative please contact Dulna Shahid: