How does it work?
Our Enter and View role is different to an inspection. We focus on what it is like for people receiving care. We provide extra eyes and ears, especially for the most isolated and vulnerable. Visiting places where people actually receive care is a powerful way for us to hear directly from individuals about their experiences of services.
- We arrange a visit with the service and read background information on it.
- On an agreed date, our trained volunteers spend time at the location, talking to both people receiving care as well as those providing it.
- We write a report on what our volunteers have seen and heard.
- We publish the report on this web page and share it with the organisations involved, as well as the CQC and Healthwatch England.
Where can Enter and View take place?
The legislation places a duty on health and social care providers to allow Authorised Representatives of Healthwatch West Sussex to carry out an Enter and View visit on premises where health and social care is publicly funded and delivered.
This includes:
- NHS Trusts
- NHS Foundation Trusts
- Local authorities
- Primary medical services, such as GPs
- Primary dental services, such as dentists
- Primary Ophthalmic services, such as opticians
- Pharmaceutical services, such as community pharmacists
- Premises which are contracted by local authorities or the NHS to provide health or care services, such as adult social care homes and day-care centres
The list of service providers who have a duty to allow entry is set out in section 225 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and supplemented by Reg 14 of the 2013 regulations.
Enter & View Programme 2024/25
Offers a structured, strategic approach to service visits in West Sussex, providing opportunities for our team to:
- Promote Healthwatch West Sussex and our work.
- Collect first-hand service user/resident/patient and family carer stories, experiences, views and voices.
- Make observations and assessments of the care/service environment.
- Collect specific insight and data on themes or topics linked to HW priority work, what we’re hearing from the public, and/or service provider requests and priorities.
Enter and View volunteer programme
We have a full programme for Enter and Views in the West Sussex area for 2024. For more information or if you would like to join our Enter & View team, please email Jo on jo.tuck@healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk. Full training is provided.