Social Care Task Group
The Social Care Task Group aimed to ensure that users and carers living in Northumberland have a voice and an influence social care services, to contribute towards improving the experience of people using social care services in Northumberland and to work in partnership with providers, commisioners and inspectors of social care services to gain a better understanding of the commissioning process and influence change where the need to do so is evident.
The group’s remit was to:
- Understand the provision of social care services in Northumberland and monitor and challenge these services.
- Seek the views of users and carers, follow up issues raised by them and share this information with providers, commissioners and service users.
- Work with Northumberland County Council as principal commissioner, plus providers of social care through the Health and Social Care Liaison Group, on the findings of the task group, and link in to work undertaken by the Care Quality Commission inspection unit and Healthwatch England.
- Monitor CQC reports and their impact on improving performance.
- To work in a transparent, inclusive and timely manner, considering equality and diversity issues in relation to the matters under consideration, and any impact current services or future recommendations may have on equalities groups.
The social care task group was led by a member of the Healthwatch Northumberland board. Membership was open to Healthwatch Northumberland board members, staff and stakeholders with an interest in social care including carers, commissioners and providers of services relating to social care.
