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"Being a Healthwatch Torbay Champion has never been more important"

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We are going through a period of major change in our health and social care services and it is vital that people have an opportunity to have their say.

Getting your voice heard is not always easy.  Many people struggle to be listened to, can feel excluded and ignored.  Having someone in their community who they can talk to and trust to put their views can make a real difference.

Healthwatch Torbay provides training and support to volunteers wishing to become a local Champion.

“Being a Healthwatch Champion is a vital role and has never been more important”, said Pat Harris, Healthwatch Torbay CEO, and  urged “anyone with a passion for helping people or a commitment to improving health and social care services to get in touch with us today and become a local Healthwatch Champion. You would make a real difference”.

The role of Healthwatch Champion can be carried out by an individual or a representative from an organisation

  • Champions in local areas may work together and support each other
  • Champions will be supported by the Healthwatch Torbay staff team and have the opportunity to attend quarterly meetings.
  • Champions will have adequate opportunity to share their views and suggestions about Healthwatch Torbay
  • Champions will receive regular updates from Healthwatch Torbay
  • Champions contributions will be recognised at the Healthwatch Torbay annual awards

If you would you like to become a Healthwatch Torbay Champion click here for more information

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(Author)

Apart from five years studying in Oxford I’ve lived most of my life in London where for many years I was Head of English in a prestigious girls’ school, but since taking early retirement and heading West to be nearer to my two daughters - settling in Torbay with my wife, Anna, in 2011 - I’ve worked in the voluntary sector. I took on the role of Service Provider, for example, promoting the Red Cross Torbay Navigators Project, while now I’m a Trustee and part of the Media Team for our local Healthwatch. I’m a governor at Torquay Academy, too, giving me the chance to stay up to date with what’s happening in the world of education. Other interests, aside from friends and family, include art and art history, reading - from contemporary fiction and poetry to Elizabethan/Jacobean literature - history, politics, cooking, walking, and music, in particular Bob Dylan, the blues, and early Elvis. I love writing, too, with one novel published so far – Elvis in Wonderland – and another, Who’s There?, that still needs plenty of work!