Healthwatch Rochdale

What Healthwatch Rochdale does

Healthwatch Rochdale is a UK nonprofit organization established in 2013 under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, serving as the local independent consumer champion for health and social care services across the Heywood, Middleton, and Rochdale borough. Its core service suite includes a free, confidential Information, Advice and Signposting service for residents, the statutory Enter and View programme (visiting health and care settings to observe service delivery), Youthwatch (a youth engagement programme for ages 13-18), Patient Participation Group development support for GP practices, and quarterly Public Board Meetings. The organization also publishes an annual report and thematic reports (e.g., on menopause, PPG development, NHS digital access, ADHD/autism, hospital car parking) that influence local commissioning decisions.

The underlying technology is minimal: a public-facing website at healthwatchrochdale.org.uk supplemented by Google Analytics for usage tracking, with engagement delivered primarily through human channels (in-person Information Surgeries across the borough, virtual board meetings on Zoom and YouTube, and social media on X/Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram). No proprietary software, AI capabilities, mobile applications, or API offerings are disclosed. Operational support is provided by a small core staff (1-10 employees, led by CEO Kate Jones) supplemented by a 60-person volunteer network.

The business model is publicly funded under subscription-style local authority commissioning: Rochdale Council provides core funding and oversight, with the organization accountable upward to Rochdale Council and laterally to Healthwatch England and the Care Quality Commission. Services to the public are free. No commercial revenue, paid product lines, or pricing models exist. The organization is funded by and accountable to local authorities as part of the statutory Healthwatch network established under the 2012 Act. In July 2024 it announced conversion to charitable status, and in 2025 the UK Government announced plans to transfer Healthwatch functions to national and local government, both of which represent material structural risks to the current operating model.

Name

Healthwatch Rochdale

Legal name

Healthwatch Rochdale

Website

https://healthwatchrochdale.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Healthwatch Rochdale is a UK nonprofit, established in 2013 under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, providing free independent consumer advocacy, information, signposting, and Enter and View visits for health and social care services to residents of the Heywood, Middleton, and Rochdale borough.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health and Social Care Advocacy Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Quality Monitoring, Advocacy & Ongoing Care Plan Review (HSABAIAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Case Management, Referral & Care Navigation (EDALAFAJ)

Keywords

• Health and social care advocacy
• Patient engagement services
• Community health feedback
• Healthcare consumer champion
• Patient participation support

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochdale

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Local Authority Funding: Funded by and accountable to local authorities as part of the Healthwatch network established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Healthwatch Rochdale provides free, confidential information, advice, and signposting services to help local residents navigate health and social care options in the Rochdale borough. The organization gathers patient experiences through Enter and View visits to health and care settings, supports GP practice Patient Participation Groups, engages young people aged 13-18 through the Youthwatch programme, publishes reports on health and social care issues, and holds quarterly public board meetings. All services are delivered free of charge as part of its statutory role as a local independent consumer champion.

Product overview

Healthwatch Rochdale is a local independent consumer champion for health and social care services in the Heywood, Middleton, and Rochdale borough. The organization offers a suite of engagement and advocacy services rather than a commercial product portfolio. Its core offerings include the Information, Advice and Signposting Service for residents seeking guidance on health and social care options, the Enter and View Programme for observing and reporting on service quality, Patient Participation Group Development support for GP practices, and Youthwatch Rochdale for engaging young people aged 13-18. The organization also publishes reports and holds quarterly Public Board Meetings. These services collectively enable the organization to gather public feedback and advocate for improvements in local health and social care delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Information, Advice and Signposting Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Spoke to 461 local people about their experience of health and social care services in 2022/23
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Healthwatch EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Rochdale is part of the national Healthwatch network. Healthwatch England provides leadership, guidance, support and advice to local Healthwatch organizations. Local Healthwatch shares views and experiences to help Healthwatch England carry out its national champion role.
• Care Quality Commission (CQC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch England can escalate concerns about health and social care services to CQC, which is required to respond to advice from the Healthwatch England Committee. This creates a regulatory pathway for patient concerns.
• Rochdale CouncilcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Healthwatch is funded by and accountable to local authorities. Rochdale Council provides core funding and oversight for Healthwatch Rochdale services in the borough.
• NHS ImprovementmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Rochdale works with NHS Improvement as part of the broader health system stakeholders to influence service improvements.
• Atlantic DataminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal supplier for data processing, mentioned as one of the IT and HR providers used by Healthwatch Rochdale.
• Action TogetherminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal consultant organization mentioned as working with Healthwatch Rochdale for data processing purposes.
• Together Your Voice AdvocacyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partner for residents needing formal complaint advocacy support for NHS services. Healthwatch signposts individuals requiring advocacy services to this organization (01706 641 389).
• Greater Manchester Integrated CaremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Rochdale participates in Greater Manchester health and social care initiatives, including the GM Integrated Care system and related partnerships.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• The Patients Association: UK-wide charity campaigning for improvements in health and social care, with a focus on patient voice. Comparable mission around amplifying patient experiences to influence service improvement, though operating at national rather than local borough level.

Broad incumbents

• Healthwatch England: National umbrella body for the Healthwatch network, providing leadership, guidance and support to all 152 local Healthwatch organizations including Healthwatch Rochdale. Operates at national scale with the same statutory advocacy mandate under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
• Citizens Advice: National independent advocacy network providing free, confidential advice including on health-related issues. Overlaps with Healthwatch's information and signposting function but operates across all advice areas (debt, housing, employment) rather than health-specifically.

Direct peers

• Healthwatch Wigan: Local Healthwatch covering the Wigan borough in Greater Manchester, providing information, advice, signposting, and Enter and View visits under the same statutory framework.
• Healthwatch Manchester: Local Healthwatch serving Manchester residents within the same GM Integrated Care system. Delivers the same statutory consumer champion functions and serves a similar urban population profile.
• Healthwatch Bury: Adjacent local Healthwatch in the borough of Bury, part of the same Greater Manchester Integrated Care footprint. Runs the same statutory activities and receives local authority funding under the same national framework.
• Healthwatch Bolton: Local Healthwatch covering the Bolton borough in Greater Manchester. Closest operational peer given similar urban demographics, local-authority funding model, and identical statutory service portfolio.
• Healthwatch Oldham: Neighboring local Healthwatch in the Greater Manchester conurbation, delivering identical statutory functions (information & signposting, Enter and View, reports) to a single borough. Directly comparable operating model, funding structure, and service mix.
• Healthwatch Tameside: Local Healthwatch for the Tameside borough, also part of the Greater Manchester Integrated Care partnership. Operates under the same statutory mandate with comparable volunteer-driven engagement model.

Others

• Care Quality Commission (CQC): Independent regulator of health and social care in England. Healthwatch Rochdale has a formal relationship with CQC, including the ability to escalate findings to CQC for investigation. Not a competitor but a closely linked regulatory counterpart.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hwrochdale
• Facebookfacebook.com/HWRochdale
• Instagraminstagram.com/healthwatchrochdale
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/healthwatch-rochdale

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Healthwatch Rochdale