About us
National Voices is the new umbrella organisation established by and for the voluntary sector. It brings together all national voluntary organisations representing users of health and social care to give them a stronger voice in policy-making.
What is National Voices?
- National Voices is a new umbrella group for national voluntary organisations representing users of health and social care in England
- It has been established by key players in the voluntary sector to address the gap between rhetoric and practice in user led policy
- National Voices will work with policy-makers in Westminster and Whitehall to make sure that the voices of patients, carers and service users are heard and that their diverse needs and preferences are genuinely placed at the heart of policy development
Why is it being set up?
- There is long standing frustration within the voluntary sector at the failure of national policy to reflect the needs of individual users
- And there’s frustration from Government and other policy-makers at their inability to get to the heart of what users think about the policies they make and the services they provide
- National Voices will bridge that gap by bringing together service users and policy-makers in a way that’s never been done before and It will ensure that government hears from everyone affected by health and social care policy, not just the chosen few
What will National Voices do that’s so different?
- National Voices will place people at the heart of national policy-making by involving the organisations that represent them in the policy-making process
- National Voices will look at both health and social care issues not just one or the other
- National Voices will represent all service users including those with long term conditions, young people, older people, people with disabilities, carers, minority and ethnic groups and those who find it hard to be heard by policy-makers
- National Voices will look at every issue from the individual’s perspective, regardless of who they are or the condition they have and by bringing the voices of users together we’ll increase the impact that they can make on policy-making at national level
- Essentially we’re turning everything that’s been done before on its head so that services are shaped by what service users really need, not by what policy-makers think they need
How will you do all that?
- Our core task will be to find out from patients, carers and service users what they want from service providers and make sure that those who provide the service genuinely take their views into account
- National Voices will provide Government and policy-makers with direct access to users and their views
- National Voices will provide users with direct access to the people who make the policy that affects them
What sort of issues will you look at?
- National Voices will focus on the cross cutting issues that affect everyone regardless of who they are or the condition they have
- National Voices will look at what’s currently on the policy agenda and how it impacts on users, carers and those who represent them and we’ll look at what’s not on the agenda but should be, such as connecting health care with social care, the provision of rehabilitation services and the creation of a benefits system that supports rather than hinders people with health needs
What difference will National Voices make to the people who use health and social care services?
- National Voices will make sure that the views of the people who use health and social care services are heard by the people who shape and provide those services
- That means patients, carers and other service users will have a better chance of getting what they want, when they want it and how they want it
Won’t National Voices just be dominated by the large organisations?
- National Voices is seeking membership from right across the voluntary health and social care sector large and small organisations will each have something to gain from joining National Voices
- Large organisations will be able to contribute to discussions about cross cutting issues that they don’t have the time to address at the moment. Then they can concentrate on the issues that are specific to them such as breast cancer treatment or support for people affected by autism
- Smaller organisations will be able to contribute to consultations on government policy that they don’t have the time and resources to do at the moment and we’ll bring those views together as a unified voice and make sure that policy makers hear what we all have to say
