Healthwatch Oxfordshire

What Healthwatch Oxfordshire does

Healthwatch Oxfordshire is an independent charity and Company Limited by Guarantee (company number 08758793, charity number 1172554) that operates as the statutory local health and social care watchdog for Oxfordshire under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It gathers public feedback and lived experiences of NHS and social care services — including GP surgeries, hospitals, pharmacies, dentists, and care homes — and channels those voices into formal reports shared with NHS trusts, the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board, Oxfordshire County Council, Healthwatch England, and the Care Quality Commission. Its service portfolio spans community research, statutory Enter and View visits to publicly funded care settings, information and signposting, an online Feedback Centre, webinars, open forums, and Patient Participation Group support, all delivered free of charge to Oxfordshire residents.

The organization does not operate proprietary technology; its infrastructure is a public-facing website with a Feedback Centre, phone and email contact, social media channels, and webinar hosting, supported by secure data-sharing arrangements with Healthwatch England under GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 compliance (ICO registration ZA099136). It maintains a small paid team of approximately 6 staff led by an Executive Director, supported by a 6-member volunteer board of trustees and a wider body of volunteer ambassadors and Enter and View authorised representatives. Notable community-facing outputs include engagement with 684 women on cervical and breast screening that influenced the National Cancer Plan for England, and translated focus-group research with South Asian women through the Sunrise Multicultural Project that shaped the Thames Valley 10 Year Cancer Strategy.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire's business model is non-commercial: services to the public are free, and income is derived from statutory funding under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, with the organisation operating as part of the national Healthwatch network coordinated by Healthwatch England (a committee of the Care Quality Commission). Its go-to-market is community-led rather than sales-led, relying on grassroots outreach at events, surveys, phone engagement, webinars, open forums, and partnerships with NHS bodies, voluntary-sector organisations, and minority community groups to reach Oxfordshire residents, particularly vulnerable and marginalised populations facing health inequalities.

Name

Healthwatch Oxfordshire

Legal name

Healthwatch Oxfordshire

Website

https://healthwatchoxfordshire.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Healthwatch Oxfordshire is an independent statutory charity that collects Oxfordshire residents' feedback on NHS and social care services and channels it to NHS trusts, the ICB, and the council to drive service improvement. It operates via community outreach, research, and Enter and View visits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Witney

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable funding and grants: Healthwatch Oxfordshire operates as a registered charity (no. 1172554) and likely receives funding through statutory requirements under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, which established local Healthwatch organizations. Specific funding sources are not detailed in the available source material.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Healthwatch Oxfordshire is an independent charity that acts as the statutory local health and social care watchdog for Oxfordshire. It collects public feedback on NHS and social care services through an online Feedback Centre, phone, email, and community outreach; conducts community research and statutory Enter and View visits to care settings; and produces reports, webinars, and signposting information. All services are provided free of charge to Oxfordshire residents, with findings shared with NHS decision-makers to influence service improvement.

Product overview

Healthwatch Oxfordshire is a single, unified service offering — an independent charity that acts as the local health and social care watchdog for Oxfordshire. The organization operates as a unified service rather than a platform with separate modules. Its core offering centers on gathering public experiences and feedback about NHS and social care services, then amplifying those voices to drive service improvements. The service portfolio encompasses community research, statutory Enter and View visits, information and signposting support, a help hub, webinars, Patient Participation Group support, and various reports and publications. The organization does not offer a commercial software product but rather delivers advocacy, research, and engagement services to local residents and healthcare decision-makers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Feedback Centre ("Have your say") Online portal and service where Oxfordshire residents can leave feedback and ratings about local health and social care services, including GP surgeries, hospitals, pharmacies, dentists, and care homes. Free to use, designed for the general public, and feeds into reports shared with NHS decision-makers.
• Information and Signposting Service Free service that provides information about local health and social care services and signposts Oxfordshire residents to the right support. Accessed via phone, email, and the website, and led by the Business Manager.
• Enter and View visits Statutory visits by authorised representatives to publicly funded health and social care services in Oxfordshire to observe and assess the quality of services from a patient perspective. Reports are published and shared with providers and regulators.
• Community Research programme Programme of qualitative and participatory research into the experiences of specific communities using local health and care services, including marginalised groups. Findings are shared with NHS bodies such as the Thames Valley Cancer Alliance and ICB to shape strategy.
• Health and care webinars Public webinar series on health and care topics, featuring experts and people with lived experience. Open to Oxfordshire residents and stakeholders.
• Support Hub directory Online directory of helpful health and care organisations in Oxfordshire, helping residents find relevant support.
• Patient Participation Group (PPG) support Support, resources, and networking for Patient Participation Groups attached to GP practices across Oxfordshire, helping amplify patient voice at practice level.
• Help and complaints support service Free service helping Oxfordshire residents understand their patient rights and navigate the process of making a complaint about local health and care services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Feedback from 684 women about women's health services influenced the National Cancer Plan for England
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Healthwatch EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Oxfordshire is required to share information with Healthwatch England to ensure patient views are considered at national level. Healthwatch England is a committee of the Care Quality Commission but acts independently. A secure digital system is used for data sharing with data processing agreement in place.
• Thames Valley Cancer AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Oxfordshire works with Thames Valley Cancer Alliance to improve cancer services and outcomes across the region, with focus on diagnosis, treatment, and personalised care. Feedback was shared to shape the Thames Valley 10 Year Cancer Strategy.
• Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Oxfordshire shares feedback and research findings with the ICB to help shape local health services and strategy development.
• Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch findings on cancer care and access were shared with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to help inform service improvements.
• Oxford Health NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeedback findings on palliative and end-of-life care were shared with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust to support service improvement.
• Oxfordshire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Oxfordshire works with Oxfordshire County Council, including sharing reports and findings on health and social care to inform local decision-making.
• Sunrise Multicultural ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity research partnership with Sunrise Multicultural Project in Banbury focusing on cancer awareness and healthcare access for South Asian women. Healthwatch Oxfordshire provided support using a community research approach, running focus groups and producing translated materials.
• Oxford Breast Imaging CentreminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSam Evans, Clinical Nurse Specialist from Oxford Breast Imaging Centre, visited Sunrise Multicultural Project for a Q&A session on breast cancer as a result of the community research partnership.
• Oxfordshire County Council Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOxfordshire County Council Public Health participates in Healthwatch Oxfordshire webinars on neighbourhood health and public health matters.
• Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCVA participates in Healthwatch Oxfordshire webinars on neighbourhood health development in Oxfordshire.
• Maggie's OxfordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaggie's Oxford spoke at a Healthwatch webinar about services offered and support available following a cancer diagnosis.
• Care Quality Commission (CQC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Oxfordshire works with the CQC as part of its statutory role to share feedback and insights about local health and social care services.
• Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Oxfordshire provides regular reports to the Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing Board to inform local health and care strategy and decision-making.
• Oxfordshire Health Improvement BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthwatch Oxfordshire has a volunteer ambassador (Robert Majilton) who serves on the Oxfordshire Health Improvement Board representing the organization.
• Oxfordshire YouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to engage young carers and youth voices in health and care feedback.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Healthwatch Leeds: Local Healthwatch for Leeds, delivering community research, Enter and View, and patient engagement under the 2012 Act. Functionally equivalent to Healthwatch Oxfordshire with the same service mix in a different city.
• Healthwatch Kent: Local Healthwatch for Kent running the same statutory patient voice and community engagement services as Healthwatch Oxfordshire. Directly comparable in operating model and statutory powers.
• Healthwatch Birmingham: Local Healthwatch for Birmingham operating under the same statutory framework, funding model, and service portfolio (Enter and View, signposting, community research). Directly comparable in mandate and operating model, differing only in geography.
• Healthwatch Suffolk: Local Healthwatch for Suffolk delivering Enter and View, community research, and information/signposting services under the 2012 Act. Same mandate and service portfolio as Healthwatch Oxfordshire in a different county.
• Healthwatch Camden: Local Healthwatch for the London Borough of Camden delivering the statutory Healthwatch functions including community research and Enter and View visits. A near-identical operating model to Healthwatch Oxfordshire.
• Healthwatch Manchester: Local Healthwatch for Manchester, delivering the same patient voice, Enter and View, and community research services under the 2012 Act. Operates an almost identical model to Healthwatch Oxfordshire in a different urban geography.
• Healthwatch Bristol: Local Healthwatch for Bristol providing statutory patient advocacy, signposting, and community research. Operates the same model as Healthwatch Oxfordshire under the national Healthwatch framework.
• Healthwatch Hackney: Local Healthwatch for the London Borough of Hackney, providing the same statutory health and social care advocacy, community research, and signposting services to its local population as Healthwatch Oxfordshire does in Oxfordshire.

Others

• Citizens Advice: National charity network providing independent advice and advocacy on consumer, legal, and welfare issues including health-related disputes. Comparable as an independent, charity-funded advocacy body, but with a broader scope and different statutory basis than Healthwatch Oxfordshire.

Broad incumbents

• Healthwatch England: National committee of the CQC that coordinates the network of local Healthwatch organizations. It is the umbrella body that Healthwatch Oxfordshire must report into and share data with, making it the closest hierarchical peer despite its national rather than local remit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw51AG_eVxdiXsvY8MTcACw
• Facebookfacebook.com/HealthwatchOxfordshire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/healthwatch-oxfordshire
• Instagraminstagram.com/healthwatchoxfordshire

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Healthwatch Oxfordshire