Following publication of its 10 Year Health Plan, along with the Dash review of patient safety, the government has announced plans to abolish the Healthwatch network as a part of broader organisational changes and planned legislation.
For Healthwatch, at this stage, while no official timeline has yet been confirmed, it is business as usual and your voice still matters.
Since the formation of Healthwatch in 2013, we’ve helped many thousands of people raise concerns, access vital advice, and influence real change in the local services they rely on. The legal duty of Healthwatch – to listen to your experiences and make sure your voice shapes the care you receive – currently remains unchanged.
What facts we know
The government has announced that it wants to change the law to:
- Transfer the work of Healthwatch England to the Department of Health and Social Care.
- Transfer the work of local Healthwatch services to the NHS and local authorities.
Until legislation is passed, the Department of Health and Social Care will advise local authorities to continue commissioning local Healthwatch services. We will work with commissioners, system partners and community stakeholders on a smooth transition in due course.
What does this mean right now?
While these changes will happen over time, the law has not yet been changed. This means local Healthwatch is still here, open, and working for you. Our teams will continue to:
- Listen to your experiences of health and social care.
- Share what we hear with those in power to help improve services.
- Provide advice and information to help you find the support you need.
We remain dedicated to championing people’s voices in health and social care and will provide updates on our local Healthwatch work as more information becomes available.
Evolving Communities Chief Executive, Lucie Woodruff, said:
“As an organisation we remain committed to our purpose of ensuring patients and the public have meaningful opportunities to speak out, be heard and influence health and care services through the important work of our Healthwatch teams. This remains our number one priority at this challenging and uncertain time. I want to thank our staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the past 12 years to champion and support local people and their communities, working with their local health and care systems to ensure views and experiences make a difference.”