Information Advice and Signposting Surgery

The Information, Advice and Signposting Service is here to listen to your experiences of using local health and social care and to provide information to help you make informed decisions about services or support available locally. 

What can Healthwatch Rochdale do to help?

• Give a free, friendly and confidential service that is independent from the NHS and social care services.
• We can perform as a signposting role only. This means that we will give you the contact details for a range of services that best supports your request.
• We can give you information about choices you have with regard to where you might get help in relation to your health, social care and wellbeing needs.
• We can put you in touch with sources of information on NHS and social care services in Rochdale and it neighbouring localities.
• We can give you information about what to do when things go wrong and you don’t understand how to make a complaint.

What are Healthwatch Rochdale unable to do?

• Our service is not supported by trained clinicians or health and care professionals. It means that we cannot offer advice on clinical matters. This might include advice and information about medication, queries about a diagnosis made by a doctor or recommendations about a choice over a particular treatment pathway.
• We are not a part of the NHS or Rochdale Borough Council. Whilst we will use your feedback to improve services, we have no powers to investigate individual formal complaints about them.
• We cannot offer advice on the ‘best’ place to go to receive a service or offer an opinion on which service you should choose for treatment, care or further information.
• We are not an advocacy service and so cannot make a complaint to a service on your behalf. If you need help or support to formally complain about an NHS service, then you should contact Together Your Voice Advocacy on 01706 641 389.
• We are not able to offer financial, relationship, legal or similar specialist advice. This form of advice should always be sought from a trained specialist such as a solicitor, counsellor or financial advisor.