THE incoming chief officer of a public health watchdog is hoping to make a “real difference” by pushing health bosses to better meet the needs of patients.

Joanne Horrocks joins Healthwatch Bury after a career in local government across Greater Manchester.

Having previously held management positions in policy, governance, complaint management and commissioning, Healthwatch Bury hopes Ms Horrocks will bring a wealth of experience that will help it move forward.

Ms Horrocks said it is a “really exciting time” to have joined Healthwatch Bury with so much happening in healthcare across the borough and with health and social care devolution across Greater Manchester.

“I am looking forward to working with the people of Bury to help ensure their voices are heard so that local decision makers better meet the needs of those who live and work in Bury,” she added.

“This is a great time to get involved and I am really keen for people to come and talk to us about their experiences of services both good and bad.”

Barbara Barlow, chairman of Healthwatch Bury, added: “We welcome our new chief officer Joanne Horrocks to Healthwatch Bury and look forward to working with her in the future.

“Healthwatch Bury plays a key role as consumer champion for health and social care.

“To help ensure we deliver, we need people who are passionate about finding out about people’s experiences and how things really are on the ground.”

Mrs Barlow added that, in order to support Ms Horrocks in her new role, the organisation is recruiting new board members.

She added: “Joining the Healthwatch Bury board is a great opportunity to help make a real difference to delivering service improvements and benefits for communities across Bury.”

Anybody wanting to know more about becoming a board member should contact Mrs Barlow at barbara.barlow@helthwatchbury.co.uk for an informal conversation.

And people can also find out more by contacting Ms Horrocks by email on info@healthwatchbury.co.uk or by telephone on 0161 253 6300.