Healthwatch Hertfordshire Annual General Meeting 2017
From the agenda
Michael announced that this would be his last AGM and that he would not be standing for nomination next year. He has been an excellent Chair, guiding us through a complex time where we have grown and evolved as an organisation. He spoke with pride about the work we’ve done, despite the pressures we’ve faced with funding and a challenging health and social care backdrop.
Afterwards was the proposal of four new trustees, all of whom were accepted. This is wonderful news as they all have unique and exceptional talents that they will be bringing to Healthwatch Hertfordshire.
After that came the annual accounts report. Despite a cut of 20% to our funding, it was reassuring to hear that Healthwatch Hertfordshire will be fine moving forward. Despite receiving considerably less than other Healthwatch in the region, we will continue to be able to produce high quality work. This year we had released reserves, allowing us to go £80,000 over budget. Next year we have additional plans in place to ensure we are able to reduce that level of deficit.
Presentation from the Chief Executive
After a short break, Geoff opened the second half by talking about the various statutory roles Healthwatch Hertfordshire has. The most telling was our signposting service. So often we are the place of last resort for many of the people who call us. They simply feel that they have no other avenue left open to them. He also spoke about our other two main roles, namely holding commissioners to account and acting as a patient voice. It’s important for all of us to remember that that is what we are; the voice for the people of Hertfordshire. We must continue to do all that we can to ensure that their thoughts, feelings, and concerns are continually represented to power.
After this we moved into the questions section, which was open and frank and involved some exciting suggestions from the audience. To get a better idea of the kind of questions that were asked – as well as what we had to say – the minutes of the AGM will be available shortly.
All in all this meeting felt almost like a gathering of friends rather than a stuffy AGM. With people chatting and sharing laughter over a cup of tea, it was heart-warming and humbling that so many people came to what was really a relatively small affair. We all look forward to tackling the issues we face, building on our success, and hosting next year’s AGM, which will be bigger, better, but still with a slice of cake and a cup of tea during the break.
