HEALTHWATCH Warrington has a new chair to help communities have their say on services in their area.

Ruth Marie Dales was appointed on Janurary 1 as the chair of the Healthwatch Advisory Board.

Lydia Thompson, Healthwatch Warrington manager said: “We are in challenging times in terms of health and social care in Warrington.

“I am sure that Ruth will be kept very busy ensuring that we continue to be the voice of people, using their experiences to influence change and improvement in services.”

Of her appointment to the position of Healthwatch Warrington chair Ruth said: “I feel incredibly honoured to have been appointed as Chair of the Healthwatch Warrington Advisory Board, and I will ensure that the voice of the Warrington residents is heard loud and clear by providers of both health and social care services.

"We will ensure that the insight we gather will be used by service providers, and commissioners in the design, delivery and review of services, and that it will be utilised to make a genuine difference where it matters most.”

Healthwatch Warrington is overseen by an independent advisory board, that helps to make sure that its statutory and contractual obligations are met.

All board members are volunteers who live in and use services in Warrington and are selected because of their skills, knowledge and experience