Influencing the NHS in Wales

Sadly, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections still suffer from high levels of prejudice which can make people less likely to be open about their condition. This has a negative knock-on effect when it comes to sexual health services, as people are less likely to campaign for improvements or complain when they receive a poor standard of care. We would encourage all our supporters to get involved in your local NHS structures to raise our voice and make sure sexual health makes it onto the agenda. Patient Power is growing in importance and you can now have a greater influence than ever before.

PALS

If you have problems dealing with any aspect of your local NHS or receive a poor service it's important to complain to ensure that the service improves for you and other people that use that service after you. Again, people can often be too embarrassed to make a fuss if they encounter poor sexual health services so bad practice often goes unchallenged.

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is a confidential service you can use to raise issues with your local services anonymously. They can also give you advice and information on how to make the most of the services that are on offer to you. Find out more at www.pals.nhs.uk.

Community Health Councils

Community health councils are also known as your local health watchdog and are a great starting point for anyone wanting to influence NHS services in Wales. They have three main functions: to monitor and evaluate NHS services from patient viewpoint; to represent patient views and raise public awareness of NHS; and to provide independent help and advice to individuals with problems with the NHS. They can be quite powerful and have a right to attend Local Health Board meetings and even enter and inspect NHS services, from hospitals to GPs' and dentists' surgeries.

To find your local health council visit The Board of Community Health Councils website. We also suggest you click on the 'Consultations' link on that page and sign up so that they will send you information on any new consultations that they put out.

Patient Panels and Forums

Most Trusts and Local Health Boards will have a range of patient panels and forums which they use to consult with local service users about current and planned services. How these forums are structured varies in each area and could involve focus groups, consultations or interviews. As well as more general groups there are also likely to be service specific user groups, for example in HIV clinics. If you use a service it's a great idea to sign up to its patient forum as you'll be helping to improve the service for you and everyone else that uses it.

If you live in Wales but use services in England you can still be part of the patient forums for those services. Take a look at our guide on influencing NHS services in England for more information on English clinics' mechanisms for patient involvement.

Patient panels are often fed into or run by Community Health Councils so we suggest you talk to them about the local groups and which you should join. You could also ask staff when you next visit your clinic.

Local Health Boards and Trust Boards

Each LHB has a decision-making board made up of a range of health-professionals, local authority representatives, members of voluntary organisations and individuals representing the voice of patients. The Board is responsible for overseeing and directing all of the organisation's performance and operation. If you have specific skills and a bit more time to spare you can stand to become a Non-Executive Director on the board of your LHB, which is a formal role with a fixed term of office. NHS Boards generally look for people with specific skills in areas such as finance or law to become Non-Execs, and there is an appointment process much like a regular job interview.

Non-Executive Directors will be expected to devote a few days a month and will be paid in return. When you become a Non-Exec you will take on some legal responsibilities but will usually have significant influence over local services. You should be able to find more information and contact details online through the website of your LHB.

Your MP or AM

Local MPs and Assembly Members usually have close links with PCTs and you can write to ask them to encourage your PCT to prioritise and spend more on sexual health. You can also raise specific service problems you have encountered with them.

You might like to take a look at the campaigners pack on our website for information on how best to influence your elected representatives.