How Healthwatch Shapes Commissioning Decisions for Better Local Services
Decisions about which health and social care services Derby receives are made through commissioning, and your experiences help guide those choices more than most people realise. This process can often feel distant and complex, leaving many residents unsure whether their views truly reach the people who plan and buy services. At Healthwatch Derby, we collect your feedback and turn it into clear evidence that commissioners use when they decide what to fund and how services should work.
According to Derby City Council’s Adult Social Care Commissioning Strategy 2024–2027, co-production with people who use services is now a required part of local planning, creating a direct route for your input to influence outcomes.
1. Gathering real experiences to inform needs assessments
We speak with patients, carers, and service users across Derby to record what works and what does not. Commissioners then include these findings in formal assessments that decide future service priorities, ensuring your frontline experiences shape future plans.
2. Sitting on key boards with statutory authority
Our place on NHS and local authority boards lets us present trends and case examples during discussions about new contracts, ensuring decisions reflect actual demand rather than assumptions alone.
3. Contributing to service evaluations and contract monitoring
We continue to collect feedback after services begin, empowering commissioners to adjust contracts when standards slip and ensuring your ongoing comments help maintain quality throughout the life of each agreement.
4. Reaching groups whose views are often missed
We run targeted outreach to include people who rarely respond to official surveys, providing commissioners with a fuller picture and enabling them to design services that work for everyone.
5. Translating complex plans into plain language for residents
We explain proposed changes in simple terms and gather your reactions before final decisions are taken, fostering a two-way flow that keeps the public informed and gives commissioners practical insights they can act on.
6. Supporting co-production in the new Integrated Care System
Joined Up Care Derbyshire now requires stronger public involvement in service design. We package your stories and data into the formats commissioners need, effectively turning lived experience into evidence that shapes strategy.
These opportunities show how Our Work turns everyday experiences into lasting improvements. When you share what you have seen or felt, we make sure it reaches the right people at the right time, helping us influence strategic health decisions and supporting evidence-based commissioning across Derby and the wider East Midlands. The result is services that better match what local people actually need.
Ready to make your voice count?
We turn what you tell us into action that improves health and social care for everyone in our area. You can email us at [email protected] with your enquiry, complaint or concern – emails are regularly monitored and will be responded to within the same day.