Yes, to have a fully sortition-appointed Board that then chose the Chair and Vice-Chair would be very radical; but I’m not sure even I would advocate being quite so radical with such an important organisation (and I’m a pretty radical person!)

I’m hoping that we’re looking at a new and innovative way to get more citizens engaged in local health and social care services; with the back-up of some very experienced people who can share their learning and up-skill people who might not have had opportunities like this before.

I hear your view about fairness in contrast with a membership organisation.

Thanks for engaging with the idea and taking the time to comment: suggestions, refinements, arguments against; all are welcome. This is very much a live process, and I’m just one of the people involved, blogging how I see it. What we really want to get to is a solution that means the people of Leeds get the best (most engaging, most effective, most efficient) organisation they can. I’m already enjoying sharing the learning journey to get to that point.

The law I was referencing was the Health and Social Care Act, that has changed the landscape significantly and initiated the formation of the.local Healthwatches.

Lets keep talking!

It was interesting at the weekend to see that report from the Royal College of GPs about screening the health of informal carers – something like 44% apparently suffer depression and the GPs are anxious to do something to help. It never occurs to them why informal carers get depressed – because they feel isolated and unsupported – and that what they really need is good reliable social care support – that would be far more useful than some anti-depressant tablets prescribed by a GP. A classic case of where the medical model clashes with the social model.

Just out of interest what law created Healthwatch?

Full disclosure: Sam is the CEO of one of the consortia partners (Inclusion North) who won the tender to deliver HWLeeds.