A new initiative to give people a greater say in health services and healthcare is being launched by NHS Suffolk (28 May).

Membership of the new Suffolk Health Forum is open to any individual, community group or voluntary organisation that wants to voice their opinion on health matters in Suffolk, be kept in touch with local issues that matter to them and take part in projects, surveys and meetings that will contribute towards making healthcare in Suffolk the very best it can be.

It costs nothing to join and people can get as involved as they like – from just receiving notifications and news to becoming a full member of the Community Reference Group to work more closely with NHS Suffolk to plan and commission health services.

You will be able to choose health and healthcare topics which specifically interest you and to be involved on a local or Suffolk-wide basis.

Martin Royal, who leads the external relations agenda at NHS Suffolk, said: “Making healthcare in Suffolk the best it can be can only be achieved by listening to local people. Joining the new Suffolk Health Forum will mean people have another way to voice their views and concerns and make a real difference to the health of the county.”

Joining is easy – just call the NHS Suffolk Community Engagement Team on 01473 770014 for an application form or e-mail [email protected]

The community engagement team is committed to keeping management costs down. Time and staff effort are currently the only spend on this project with the addition of £506.00 cost to produce the Suffolk Health Forum leaflet.
NHS Suffolk is making sure all communities in Suffolk have a say, which is why language translations are on the front page on the leaflet.

For more information about NHS Suffolk visit www.suffolk.nhs.uk