HEALTHWATCH Warrington has appointed local resident Ruth Marie Dales as its new Chair of the Advisory Board.
Ruth received her Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) Degree with Honours and registered as a Pharmacist in 2004 and qualified as an Independent Prescriber in 2011. Working across various sectors of health has given Ruth a valuable understanding of the processes and challenges faced by different organisations involved in health provision. In particular, she has worked to develop a specialism in Primary Care through the opportunities provided over 9 years’ experience as a Senior Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist and a Prescribing Advisor.
Ruth was formally appointed to the Healthwatch Advisory Board on January 1 2019.
Of her appointment to the position of Healthwatch Warrington Chair Ruth said: “I feel incredibly honoured to have been appointed as Chair of the Healthwatch Warrington Advisory Board, and I will ensure that the voice of the Warrington residents is heard loud and clear by providers of both health and social care services. We will ensure that the insight we gather will be used by service providers, and commissioners in the design, delivery and review of services, and that it will be utilised to make a genuine difference where it matters most.”
The Healthwatch Warrington work programmed is currently focused on three workstreams; evaluating patient experience at the Frailty HUB, talking with young people about Mental Health services in Warrington and reviewing the provision of Oral Health throughout the Care Homes in Warrington. Healthwatch Warrington is also working in partnership with Warrington third sector agencies to lead on the engagement of the “Peoples Panel” for Warrington Together.
Lydia Thompson, Healthwatch Warrington Manager said: “We are in challenging times in terms of local health and social care in Warrington. I am sure that Ruth will be kept very busy ensuring that Healthwatch Warrington continues to be the voice of local people, using their experiences to influence change and improvement in services.”
Healthwatch Warrington is overseen by an independent advisory board, that helps to make sure that its statutory and contractual obligations are met. All board members are volunteers who live in and use services in Warrington. They are selected because of their skills, knowledge and experience. A new Advisory Board has also been appointed to support the new Chair, and we are delighted to welcome Nigel Thompson, Dida Goode and Louise Bridgford to the Advisory Board. Public Board meetings are held every quarter and the next meeting will take place on 27 March.Venue details will be available on our website shortly.
People can let Healthwatch Warrington know what they think about local health and care services by phone 01925 246893, by post ‘Healthwatch Warrington, The Gateway, Sankey Street, Warrington, WA1 1SR by email [email protected] or online at www.healthwatchwarrington.co.uk. The more comments received, the more influence Healthwatch Warrington has to improve services for local people.
