What is Enter & View?
Under the Healthwatch regulations, local Healthwatch organisations have the power to Enter and View providers so that our authorised representatives can observe matters relating to health and social care services.
Healthwatch have a power under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and Part 4 of the Local Authorities Regulations 2013 to carry out Enter and View visits.
Organisations must allow an authorised representative to Enter & View and observe activities on premises controlled by the provider as long as this does not affect the provision of care or the privacy and dignity of people using services.
These powers do not extend to Enter & View of services relating to local authorities’ social services functions for people under the age of 18. Providers do not have to allow entry to parts of a care home that are not communal areas or allow entry to premises if their work on the premises relates to children’s social services.
Purpose
The purpose of the visit will be to identify good practices that can be celebrated and shared with others and to identify any issues about which service users feel concerned.
What happens?
A member of the Healthwatch team will contact the provider in advance and let them know about the intended visit. A small team of Healthwatch volunteers will come to observe the service. They will all have received training, and will all have had a DBS check. They will ask staff, service users, and family members if present, some questions in a friendly and informal style about their experiences of the service.
Some questions may relate to experiences of health and social care services more generally. After an Enter and View visit, a short report will be written up and shared with the provider of the service. Recommendations may be made in order to help make services better for the people who use them. The report may also be shared with relevant commissioners and be put up on this website.
Read our Enter & View protocol for more information.