Brent Patient Voice (BPV) extends a warm welcome to Healthwatch Brent(HWB) in its new incarnation. Some of our members attended the Healthwatch Brent public meeting on 1st October (details below). We are pleased that although HWB is under new management there are familiar faces among the staff.
Ian Niven, formerly Co-ordinator, is now Head of Healthwatch Brent and will be its public face. All operations will now be from one address, 3 Rutherford Way, Wembley, HA9 0BP. The new management, after a tendering exercise conducted by Brent Council, are CommUNITY Barnet, the co-ordinating organisation for voluntary bodies in our neighbouring borough.
BPV co-operates with HWB to further the interests of patients in Brent. To this end we have already had two sessions with Ian Niven to work on the practicalities. We are glad to have been offered a place on the Advisory Board for HWB. Our representative is Lola Osikoya, a Steering Group member and Chair of the adult social care user group BHeard.
Details of HWB’s public meeting as given in their newsletter are:
“We would like to invite you all to our next public meeting.
When: Thursday 1st October, 5 pm – 7 pm
Where: Training room, 5 Rutherford Way, Wembley HA9 0BP
Some of the speakers will be:
• Julie Pal, CEO CommUNITY Barnet
• Melanie Smith, Director of Public Health Brent (tbc) – public health priorities – to be confirmed
• A Healthwatch Brent volunteer – Enter & View programme
• Ian Niven, Head of Healthwatch Brent – HWB work programme
There will be opportunities for questions.”
Robin Sharp 1st September 2015