A new partnership has launched in Surrey putting families at the heart of improvements for local NHS community health services for 0-5 year olds.
The Birth to Five Community Health Partnership is a new initiative devised by health staff and local people representing families across Surrey and is thought to be the first of its kind in England. Local families are invited to talk about their experiences of health visiting and therapies services and they are also invited to work with staff to co-produce community health services to make changes for the better.
Birth to Five Years Community Health Partnership is chaired by eight independent representatives known as Lay Chairs across the four key areas of Surrey - North West, South West, North East and South East. They are reaching out to families in their local communities at baby and toddler groups, family centres and other local settings to listen to their experiences.
Trudy Mills, Executive Director for Children’s Community Services in Surrey, said: “By creating this Partnership we are giving families in Surrey a continuous voice in heath improvements and developments. This is part of work across Surrey Health and Care Partnership to create services that serve the needs of our communities well.”
If you have children under the age of six, and you’ve seen a health visitor or used other NHS community health services for your child in the past year, your local Lay Chair would love to hear from you. You can chat to them about your experiences and put your feedback to work on improving services for everyone.
Find out more and link with your local Lay Chair by visiting the Surrey Heartlands website.