More than a hundred people attended the launch of the Service User Involvement Charter
which will help put service users at the heart of future Social Services and Health developments in Waltham Forest.

The Charter has been developed over the past four years by the Service Users Forum and the Service User Involvement Project - part of Voluntary Action Waltham Forest. It will ensure that service users have a greater say in the planning of services and how they are provided and monitored.

The Charter sets out the rights of patients and service users. It lays down guidelines to ensure that all partners who have signed up to the Charter provide information on how to access personal records, how to challenge assessments and how to make a complaint.

Cllr Graham Smith, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said:
“ If we are to provide the best possible service it is vital that we speak more with people who use our care services on a regular basis. It is by talking with them and learning from their experiences that we can improve in the future. It is also about making sure that we speak with all sections of our community, including under-represented groups, to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to have their say.”

The Charter has been signed up to by Waltham Forest Social Services, Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust, Whipps Cross University Hospital Trust, North East London Mental Health Trust and the Redbridge and Waltham Forest Learning Disabilities Partnership. It is thought to be one of the only charters of its kind in the country to be agreed by so many partner organisations. As the Service User Involvement Project comes to an end in March 2005, we were particularly pleased to see this piece of work completed and the Service User Involvement Charter adopted by statutory services.