Dear Stakeholder We are writing to you to let you know that we are pleased to have been awarded the

contract to deliver the local Healthwatch in Leeds. The Healthwatch Leeds consortium is made up of Leeds Involving People, Touchstone, Inclusion North and Health Together, part of the institute for Health and Well-being at Leeds Metropolitan University. Our consortium combines in-depth knowledge and experience of working with groups that find it hard to access services and rarely have a voice; local knowledge of systems; extensive experience of involvement activities and nationally recognised expertise in research, building evidence and developing policy for community engagement. Our Mission is to strengthen the collective voice of the public in order to improve the quality of health and social care in Leeds. To achieve this, Healthwatch Leeds will engage members of the public and train a growing constituency of volunteers - who will be individuals drawn from users of services and the public in general, particularly those who are seldom heard within existing involvement mechanisms, such as young carers or people from BME communities. We will support many volunteers to have a variety of roles from being Health Champions in their communities and workplaces, to sitting on the Health and Wellbeing and Healthwatch Leeds Boards. We hope to work with a broad, engaged and growing network of organisations, groups, charities, statutory and private partners who will be Friends of Healthwatch Leeds, with whom we will work in close partnership. This is an incredibly exciting time for involvement in Leeds and we believe all stakeholders will benefit from the new arrangements described in this letter. Our promise is that we will work with you with integrity and transparency whilst being solution-focused at all times. The challenge ahead is to work together, to learn together and to be part of the delivery of excellent health and social care services to the citizens of Leeds. In the coming weeks and months, Healthwatch Leeds will be in touch with you to find out what your needs and expectations of us are but, in the meantime, do not hesitate to contact the consortium members below.

Alison Lowe CEO Touchstone

alisonl@touchstonesupport.org.uk 0113 271 8277

Samantha Clark Judy White Director of Health Together CEO Inclusion North
J.White@leedsmet.ac.uk
0113 8121920

Jagdeep Passan CEO Leeds Involving People

Jagdeep.passan@leedsinvolvement.org.uk

Samantha@inclusionnorth.org 0113 262 6409

0113 2374508