Scrapping patient watchdog 'like marking own work'

Ieuan Jehu says Healthwatch were "excellent" when he was trying to save NHS dentistry provision in West Wight

Concern has been raised about plans to scrap local Healthwatch organisations and bring feedback and engagement in-house.

Healthwatch acts as the independent patient voice, feeding back experiences, complaints and local needs to NHS trusts and primary care providers, including integrated care boards (ICB).

But the government has announced plans to scrap all 153 of the local boards with Health Secretary Wes Streeting saying the NHS needs "more doers and fewer checkers".

One patient who has used Healthwatch on the Isle of Wight said bringing the service in-house would be allowing the ICB to "mark their own homework".

Ieuan Jehu turned to Healthwatch Isle of Wight last year when the final dentist practice in Freshwater providing NHS services announced it was to close.

He said: "Healthwatch were invaluable in helping to save the service and find a new operator to take the surgery over.

"My experience with them was excellent - they listened and kept me informed of what was happening."

Mr Jehu said he would welcome a stronger organisation representing patients as sometimes Healthwatch "lacked teeth", but said ICBs themselves would not be able to advocate for patients and hold their own management to account.

Healthwatch chairs across the south of England have said the plan would undermine the independence and effectiveness of the public voice in health and social care.

Dr Veronica Barry, executive director of Healthwatch Oxfordshire, said the watchdog proud of its work engaging with people and communities across the county, including those who do not always give their views.

"The voice outside the system for patients to advocate or listen on their behalf was really important," she said.

"Once you bring that function within a system, within health and care it, it can be very difficult for them to really engage and hear."

A picture from Healthwatch Oxfordshire's annual report with the slogan "your voice counts"

Siobhain McCurruch, Healthwatch area director for Hampshire and Portsmouth, added: "It's hard to understand the reasoning behind dismantling something that will eventually need to be rebuilt."

She added: "We urge the government to urgently rethink this very important decision that will have an adverse impact on the local, independent voice".

In a statement, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) acknowledged the successes of Healthwatch but said: "These changes will make things clearer for patients and give them a stronger voice.

"Through our 10 Year Health Plan we will bring patient care into the 21st Century, using tech and AI to make checks more rigorous and efficient and ensure we never turn a blind eye to failure."

The timeframe for the closure of the Healthwatch network is still unclear and is subject to further legislation by the government.

For now, the organisations said they would continue to fulfill their roles and are encouraging patients to contact them about their health and social care experiences.