Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch
(asked on 20th January 2017) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) how much funding has been allocated to and (b) how many staff have been employed by (i) Healthwatch England, (ii) Healthwatch Hull and (iii) each other local Healthwatch in England and Wales in each of the last three years.
Healthwatch England has provided the following information.
Allocation of funding
Healthwatch England
Local Healthwatch | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 |
Healthwatch England | £4,160,000 | £4,500,000 | £3,000,000 |
Healthwatch Kingston upon Hull
Local Healthwatch | April 2014/ March 2015 | April 2015/March 2016 | April 2016/November 2016 | December 2016/May 2017 |
Kingston Upon Hull | £213,800 | £213,800 | £184,4631 | £97,8652 |
1The rate equivalent to £276,696 per annum was applied from April through November 2016 due to the delay in the new tender.
2The rate equivalent to £195,729 per annum was agreed for a six month extension from December 2016 to May 2017 due to the delay in the new tender.
All funding from April 2016 now includes both Healthwatch core funding and additional funding for advocacy services. Under the previous contract Kingston upon Hull Healthwatch received an additional £79,000 on top of the £213,800 for the advocacy contract.
Funding allocations to each other local Healthwatch in England is attached, extracted from Healthwatch England's State of Support, providing details of 2016-17 Healthwatch network finances, published in October 2016.
A number of local Healthwatch have provided amended details of their 2016-17 funding. Healthwatch England intends to publish a revised set of figures in February 2017.
Staff numbers full-time equivalent (FTE)
Healthwatch England
| April 2014 | April 2015 | April 2016 |
Healthwatch England | 32 | 53 | 46 |
Healthwatch Kingston upon Hull
| April 2014 | April 2015 | April 2016 |
Kingston Upon Hull | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Other local Healthwatch in England
Given fluctuations in contractual arrangements and staffing numbers across the Healthwatch network, it is not possible to provide a definitive figure for FTE staff across the remainder of the Healthwatch network over the last three years.
However, the below provides an estimated figure on FTE staffing numbers for the network, based on the data provided in Healthwatch England’s annual data intelligence return. These figures are extrapolated, based upon the responses provided by the Healthwatch network to our questions on staffing numbers.
| April 2014 | April 2015 | April 2016 |
Healthwatch network | 593 | 593 | 656 |