West Yorkshire Voice

What is West Yorkshire Voice?

West Yorkshire Voice asks members of the public, community groups and organisations about their experience of health and care services.

We share what we have heard with people that make decisions about health and care services, to help make things better.

This means that the voice of people is at the centre of health and care plans in West Yorkshire.

West Yorkshire Voice is a network that brings together individuals, groups, local panels, networks, and organisations to ensure the voice of people is at the heart of health and care decision-making in West Yorkshire.

It complements existing ways to be involved that are already in place at a local and West Yorkshire level. It will not replace or duplicate what is already there but will add to and build on those existing structures.

What is the purpose of West Yorkshire Voice?

• To bring the real voice of people with lived experience and unpaid carers to decision-making.
• To connect the real lives and experiences of people with decision-making.
• To give opportunity to those who may not normally be involved and include the voices of those with the greatest health inequalities.
• To enable and support diverse involvement and representation.
• To form a key part of how health and care services, through the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), are held to account by the people of West Yorkshire.

In order to deliver care and support that meets the needs of its diverse population and communities, West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP) wants to understand what matters to people and communities, where they think services could be improved and what is working well.

To ensure the voice of people is central to its work, WY HCP asked Healthwatch (the independent health and social care champion) across West Yorkshire to develop “West Yorkshire Voice” to feed directly into decisions made about health and care.

It has already made a difference to the work of health and care services in our area. It will continue to develop in partnership with local people to make sure it is accessible to all groups and people, and is inclusive and reflective of those communities.