Stakeholder Reference Board

The NHS has a statutory duty to ensure we involve users in planning, developing and delivering health services. We take this duty very seriously and we are keen not just to meet it, but to exceed it and ensure that the engagement and consultation process throughout the Joint Services Review (JSR) is 'gold standard'.

To help us do this we have established an independent body of representatives from the private, public, voluntary and community sector to ensure that county residents are able to effectively influence the review.

The 'Stakeholder Reference Board' (SRB) has been set up to ensure that the JSR gives sufficient opportunity for the local public, patients and other stakeholders to influence the development and consideration of options for service change.

The SRB includes representatives from the county's Health and Wellbeing Board, Healthwatch, Local Involvement Network, the University of Worcester, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, Worcestershire Association of Voluntary Organisations in Community Care and Community First.

It will be chaired by Professor Rod Griffiths, former Director of Public Health for the West Midlands. 

Throughout the JSR process we aim to keep staff, the public and partners informed about the way we are making progress in deciding what the opportunities and options are for health services in the future. The SRB will quality assure the entire public engagement and consultation process.

Our committment is for the process to be carried out with integrity - open, honest, inclusive and timely.

Wherever possible clinicians will lead the dialogue and debate with local people about the emerging options. There will be extensive consultation about these options - both as they are being worked up, and again as they are being developed prior to any formal public consultation.

Membership

• Professor Rod Griffiths - Independent Chair
• Dr Richard Taylor
• Cllr Marcus Hart - Cabinet Member for Health and Well-Being, Worcestershire County Council
• Cllr Bill Hartnett, Leader, Redditch Borough Council
• Cllr Fran Orborski, Wyre Forest District Council
• Cllr Ron Davies, Wychavon District Council
• Cllr Brian Cooper, Bromsgrove Borough Council
• Ann Montague-Smith - LINk Chair
• Peter Pinfield - Healthwatch Chair
• Richard Levett, CALC
• Jim Smith, WAVOCC
• Richard Quallington, Community First
• Mark Jackson, Chief Executive, St Richards Hospice
• Jan Quallington, Worcester University
• Mike Ashton, Hereford and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

The Board will be serviced by NHS Executives and Clinical Leads including one or more of:

• Eamonn Kelly, Chief Executive, NHS Worcestershire
• Penny Venables, Chief Executive, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
• Dr Richard Harling, Director of Adult Services and Health, Worcestershire County Council
• Chris Fearns, Director of Strategy, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
• Dr Anthony Kelly, Chair of Worcestershire Clinical Senate
• Dr Carl Ellson, CCG Lead, South Worcestershire

Aims

1. To ensure that the Joint Services Review (JSR) gives sufficient opportunity for the local public, patients and other stakeholders to influence the development and consideration of options for service change.
2. To ensure that the Joint Services Review meets statutory requirements and best practice for the NHS engagement and consultation.

Out of scope

• The Stakeholder Reference Board will not itself consider the relative merits of different options for service change - this will be done through the Joint Services Review project.
• The Board will ensure that the local public, patients and other stakeholders are being given sufficient opportunity to influence the development and consideration of these options.

Objectives

1. To consider and endorse a Communications and Engagement Strategy for the Joint Services Review, and to review this at intervals to ensure that it remains appropriate.
2. To facilitate awareness and understanding of the Joint Services Review and the role of the Board - and encourage engagement from a wide section of the community and a wide range of public and patient groups.
3. To act as a focal point for the local public, patients and other stakeholders to raise issues and concerns about the engagement and consultation process.
4. To receive and consider evidence and assurances in respect of the engagement and consultation process and make an assessment of whether the Communications and Engagement Strategy is being properly followed.
5. To highlight where to the Joint Services Review Project Steering Group where this is not the case and the action required in this event.

Conduct of meetings

• Meetings will be held in public.
• Agendas will be published in advance and minutes published following meetings.
• Part of each meeting will be given over to public questions.

Roles and Responsibilities of Members

• To attend meetings or nominate an appropriate deputy.
• To contribute constructively.
• To act as a conduit for public, patient and stakeholder views about the engagement and communications process.
• To declare any and all interests which are materially relevant in respect of the Joint Services Review.

Resources

• Project Manager to manage the business of the Board.
• Secretary to organise agendas and take minutes.

Frequency of meetings

• Induction meeting: February 2012.
• 2-3 meetings to consider and approve the Communications and Engagement Strategy: end of February/early March 2012.
• 2-4 meetings to review the Communications and Engagement Strategy and ensure that it is being properly followed: April 2012.
• 1-2 meetings to sign off the communications and engagement process prior to formal consultation: June 2012.

Key outputs