A PATIENT group has pledged to ramp up the scrutiny of NHS services after taking on 16 volunteer ‘inspectors’.

Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen is training the people to carry out ‘enter and view’ observations of various health services in the borough.

Chairman Sir Bill Taylor said the group is hoping to carry out more than six visits in its first year, compared to the two completed last year by its predecessor LINk, the Local Involvement Network.

He said: “We’ll go beyond the work of the previous LINks and we intend that Healthwatch will have much more rigorous and effective processes. We had more than 30 people turn up to a recruitment day, which was really encouraging, and we’ve started 16 of them on a training programme. I still don’t think it’s enough but it’s a good start, and I think we’re ahead of most Healthwatch groups.

“What we want is a rigorous group of people and to arm them with decent training to enable them to give critical views. And if we start to hear rumblings about any organisation then they it be prioritised.”

He expects the teams to be ready in November.

Chief executive Mark Rasburn said: “We are here to make sure your views on local health and social care services are heard with an independent voice.

“Volunteers will help us to improve local services, such as local GPs, care homes, hospital services, dentists, pharmacists, and or any publicly-funded health and social care service.

If you’re interested in getting involved, or for more information, call 01254 504985 or email info@healthwatchblackburnwithdarwen.co.uk.