What are Partnerships Boards?
The Partnership Boards give people with lived experience of using adult social care services a voice regarding their current and future care.
Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council work with our Healthwatch to organise and develop five Partnership Boards.
Each Partnership Board includes:
- People who frequently use Health and/or Social Care services, known as Independent Members (volunteers/people with lived experience)
- Voluntary sector service providers i.e Camsight, SteelBones etc
- Statutory services, opertational managers and commissioners from health and social care services in your area.
The aim is for at least half of the Independent Members of each Board and every Chair to be users of the health and/or adult social care service.
What is the focus of each Partnership Board?
The five Partnership Boards are:
- Carers Partnership Board Find out more
- Learning Disability Partnership Board (including autism services) Find out more
- Older People's Partnership Board Find out more
- Physical Disability Partnership Board (including long-term health conditions) Find out more
- Sensory Impairment Board Find out more
- Wheelchair Users Forum Find out more
Each Board and the Wheelchair Users Forum meets every two or three months and, in each case, they are chaired by an Independent Member. We accommodate all accessibility needs, e.g., speech to text, British Sign Language and Easy Read, etc.
How can I get involved?
If you have experience of using social care services, or experience of caring for someone who does, then you can join a relevant Partnership Board. You can share your knowledge and understanding to help develop and improve local services.
Apply today!
Interested in joining us? You can come along for a couple of meetings to see if you would like to become a member, contact Graham or Miranda to find out how.
Graham’s mobile: 07432 865996
Miranda’s mobile:
Email: 07719 780162
graham.lewis@healthwatchcambspboro.co.uk
Miranda.Knell@healthwatchcambspboro.co.uk
If you are sure you want to be involved, please complete the online volunteer application form below.
Apply to join a Partnership Board
If you need help, just ask. If you would prefer to complete a paper version, please let us know and we can send one to you.
Once you have applied, we’ll arrange an informal meeting to discuss the role. Here, you can tell us more about yourself and ask any questions you may have.
Want to know more?
Read on to learn more about the work that each Partnership Board does and the part Independent Members play in helping to improve adult social care services.
What is the role of the Partnership Boards?
Everybody has the right to be involved in the decisions that affect their daily lives. The Partnership Boards help ensure that every voice is heard by social care service providers. Social care includes providing social work, personal care, protection or social support services to children or adults in need or at risk, or adults in need due to illness, disability, older age or poverty.
Each Board’s role is to support and improve care for people who use health and adult social care services. They do this by involving people who use these services in their design, delivery and evaluation.
Raising issues with adult social care
The Chairs of the Partnerships Boards attend the Adult Social Care Forum organised by Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, jointly chaired by the Heads of Adult Social Care Commissioning for both councils. This gives the Boards and other partner organisations a direct communication link with the adult social care senior management for both councils.
Supporting people
Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough organises the Partnership Board meetings and provides support and training to the Independent Members to help them in their roles.
“I can make a difference by putting my views and my experiences into the mix regarding visually impaired and mental side of being severely sight impaired.”
The role of Independent Members (volunteers/people with lived experience)
Independent members use their lived experience to help improve how health and care services support older people, disabled people and carers. In their role, they tell NHS, social care and local authority decision makers what is working and where things need to be better and discuss issues such as public transport that affect daily life.
Main activities of Independent Members
With support from our team, Independent Members are invited to:
- Attend Partnership Board meetings every two or three months, depending on the Board that you join.
- Act as a voice for people of lived experience of disability, who are older or are carers.
- Talk with people of lived experience (friends, colleagues, or at support and social groups) about the services they are receiving.
- Join focus groups and workshops to look in detail at issues.
- Help us to give out information about the Partnership Boards and Healthwatch in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Read the volunteer role description here
Independent Member volunteer role description:
Please ask us if you need a copy of this in a different format.
How we will support you in your role
We provide training, ongoing support and pay reasonable out of pocket expenses.
This includes providing any communication support you may need, such as a British Sign Language interpreter or information in Easy Read.
We'll make sure you know about things like our health and safety policies and give you training in listening skills and other areas as needed.
Last year we were awarded the 'Investors in Volunteering' award for our commitment to supporting our volunteers.
Any questions?
You can talk to Graham Lewis, our Partnership Development Manager, or Miranda Knell, our Administration Officer, before you apply if you would like to.
Office: 0330 355 1285
Graham’s mobile: 07432 865996
Miranda’s mobile: 07719 780162
Email: