SURREY residents keen to help improve healthcare services are invited to apply for seven new, part-time, paid roles with the county’s NHS watchdog.

Healthwatch Surrey, has created the openings through newly created citizen ambassador roles.

Its chief executive Kate Scribbins said: “This is an unique opportunity to bring an independent perspective to help health and care professionals and other interested groups to redesign services.

“No experience of working with the health service is needed – using services, an interest in changing how things are done and a willingness to contribute views as part of the team are more important to us than people who have done this sort of thing before.”

Citizen ambassadors will receive £20 per hour for up to 10 hours a month and the seven roles are open to anyone with compassion and tenacity.

Applications from adults of all ages are welcomed, with or without caring responsibilities, working or not working.

The ambassadors will be fully supported by Healthwatch Surrey and work closely with clinicians and managers as part of the Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership, which covers Waverley.

Dr Claire Fuller, a GP and Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership member, said: “We are already receiving extensive national attention and praise for the ways in which we are involving our citizens in helping to design our work to improve health and social care provision.

“The fact that Healthwatch Surrey is dealing with their recruitment and ongoing management will underline the independence of the citizen ambassadors, who will be a valuable addition to the stakeholder and citizen overview of our seven clinical transformation programmes in the New Year.”

The application deadline is Friday, December 15.

For more details go to: www.healthwatchsurrey.co.uk/ca or call 0303 303 0023.