No loss of funding for Rochdale Healthwatch despite lower finances for whole network

Healthwatch Rochdale

Rochdale Healthwatch will receive £136,000 in 2018/19, meaning no loss of funding for the forthcoming year.

The budget remains the same as same as last year, despite the Healthwatch network receiving £26,064,086, 4.3% lower compared to the previous financial year. 

This means that total annual funding has fallen by 35.3% since 2013, when the Healthwatch network was established.

The reported funding reductions in this financial year are concentrated to a third (56) of local Healthwatch services. Healthwatch in these areas are facing an average cut of 10.4%. 

However, in 18 areas local Healthwatch services report that their funding has fallen by more than the average, with some seeing budgets reduced by nearly half.

Healthwatch have legal powers to find out what people want from health and social care, and share these views with those running services to help make them better. They also give information and advice to people about local services.

With health and social care services under pressure and facing significant change, their work giving communities a strong and independent voice has never been more important.