Concern that health services in Devon will stop being properly scrutinised
Healthwatch Devon says it's worried about plans that could see it abolished as part of the Government's 10-year health plan
The chair of Devon's Healthwatch says reports it will be abolished will mean a 'loss of independent accountability'.
Details are expected to be confirmed later today to close Healthwatch England, the National Guardian's office and others.
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Dr Kevin Dixon, who chairs the independent Devon branch, said: “We are deeply saddened and concerned by the Government’s announcement to abolish Healthwatch England and the local Healthwatch network, including our own services in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.
"For over a decade, Healthwatch has played a vital role in giving people across our communities a voice—especially those whose concerns might otherwise go unheard. We have supported thousands of local residents to raise issues, navigate services, and influence positive change in health and social care.
"If the details about this reported decision are accurate, it represents not just the loss of an organisation, but a loss of independent accountability and local insight at a time when the health and care system faces significant challenges. While we recognise the Government’s desire to reduce bureaucracy, we are concerned about what this will mean for patients and carers who have relied on Healthwatch when other channels failed.
"Our volunteers and staff—passionate, dedicated individuals who live and work within the communities they serve—have worked tirelessly to ensure that public feedback leads to real improvements in care. We are proud of our record in amplifying people’s voices and contributing to a stronger, more responsive NHS and social care system locally.
"As the Government begins to implement its Ten Year Health Plan, we urge decision-makers to ensure that there remains a strong, independent mechanism for public feedback—one that is accessible, trusted, and accountable. We also echo concerns raised nationally about the risk of patient complaints being lost or diverted into costly legal action.
"We want to reassure our community that nothing changes immediately. We will continue to deliver our core services with professionalism and commitment until the transition process is complete – this includes independently capturing the patient voice and providing information and signposting.
"The local Healthwatch service continues to be run in partnership by Colebrook South West, Engaging Communities South West, and Citizens Advice Devon. The other services provided or delivered by these three organisations remain unaffected by this potential decision.
"Our thoughts are with colleagues and partners across the national Healthwatch network. Together, we will advocate for a future where people’s experiences remain central to shaping the care they receive.”
Louise Ansari, Chief Executive at Healthwatch England, added: “This is clearly a sad day for our staff, volunteers, and everyone associated with Healthwatch who have proudly supported people and communities to speak up about their experiences of health and social care.
"Over the past twelve years, we’ve helped millions of people raise concerns, access vital advice, and influence real change in the services they rely on.
"By championing the voices of local communities, we’ve helped drive countless improvements across the NHS and social care - successes I understand the Government recognises.
"Our focus now is on ensuring a smooth transition of our functions to the NHS and Government, so that the voices of patients and the public continue to be heard.”
What is happening today?
A new 10-year NHS plan will "fundamentally rewire" the health service and put care on people's doorsteps, the Prime Minister has said.
Sir Keir Starmer will use a speech in London on Thursday to unveil his vision for the NHS, which will focus on "three big shifts" in the way the health service operates.
The new plan, which will be published by the Government on Thursday, sets out how the NHS will move from analogue to digital, treatment to prevention, and from hospital to more community care.
The "status quo of hospital by default will end", according to the Government, with care shifted into neighbourhoods and people's homes.
By 2035, the intention is that the majority of outpatient care will happen outside of hospitals, with less need for hospital-based appointments for things like eye care, cardiology, respiratory medicine and mental health.
New neighbourhood health services will be rolled out across the country to bring tests, post-op care, nursing and mental health teams closer to people's homes.
The aim is to give people access to a full range of services, leaving hospitals to focus on the sickest, with neighbourhood health centres opening at evenings and weekends.
These will be staffed by teams including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, palliative care staff and paramedics.
New services will also include debt advice, employment support and stop smoking or obesity services - all of which affect people's health.
Community outreach, with people going door to door, could also reduce pressure on GPs and A&E, the Government said.
The plans also outline training for thousands more GPs, as the Government pledges to "bring back the family doctor" and end the "8am scramble" to get an appointment.
Sir Keir said: "The NHS should be there for everyone, whenever they need it.
"But we inherited a health system in crisis, addicted to a sticking plaster approach, and unable to face up to the challenges we face now, let alone in the future.
"That ends now. Because it's reform or die. Our 10-year health plan will fundamentally rewire and future-proof our NHS so that it puts care on people's doorsteps, harnesses game-changing tech and prevents illness in the first place.
"That means giving everyone access to GPs, nurses and wider support all under one roof in their neighbourhood - rebalancing our health system so that it fits around patients' lives, not the other way round.
"This is not an overnight fix, but our Plan for Change is already turning the tide on years of decline with over four million extra appointments, 1,900 more GPs, and waiting lists at their lowest level for two years.
"But there's more to come. This Government is giving patients easier, quicker and more convenient care, wherever they live."
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the plan would deliver "one of the most fundamental changes in the way we receive our healthcare in history".
He added: "By shifting from hospital to community, we will finally bring down devastating hospital waiting lists and stop patients going from pillar to post to get treated.
"This Government's Plan for Change is creating an NHS truly fit for the future, keeping patients healthy and out of hospital, with care closer to home and in the home."
In a bid to free up time, GPs will be encouraged to use artificial intelligence to take notes, while technology will be used to speed up the answering of calls to surgeries.
Dental therapists, who tend to carry out some of the straightforward work of dentists, could undertake check-ups, treatment and referrals, according to the plan.
And there will be a new requirement for newly-qualified dentists to practise in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be three years, according to the Government.
Ministers also want to improve access to dental care for children, such as by allowing dental nurses to give fluoride varnish to children in between check-ups.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said a key part of making sure the plan is successful "will be resetting the relationship between the NHS and the public so that local communities are placed at the heart of these reforms and people are supported to be active agents in their own health and wellbeing".
He added: "Health leaders fully support the commitment to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community. Boosting neighbourhood health services is a vital step towards a more preventative, community-based NHS."
Thea Stein, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, said: "Top quality community services, like district nursing, end of life care and rehabilitation, are, in pockets of the country, already working around the clock to fit care around patients' needs, working closely with GPs, charities and council staff.
"This approach is essential if we want to end the disjointed ways of working that too often leave patients to do the time-consuming and often bewildering job of joining up their own care."
She said, however, that a lack of detail on how it will all work "casts doubt on whether it will stick".
She added: "What's more, care closer to home doesn't mean care on the cheap.
"While ministers are always keen to cite examples of community services saving money, often this kind of care costs more, not less, as the economies of scale that might have been realised in hospital are difficult to achieve in communities.
"Better community services is the right aspiration - siloed care is often frustrating and distressing for patients and contributes to waste. But let's be under no illusion, this is not a money-saving measure."
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King's Fund, said: "As the Government publishes its 10-year plan for health today, what patients, the public and those working in the NHS will want to know is, why it will be different this time, and how soon it will lead to improvements?
"When will it mean people can see a GP more easily, or get mental health support for their child, or not wait hours in A&E?
"There is plenty to welcome in the details we've seen so far, with the biggest changes outlined being about how people access NHS services, with the rollout of new neighbourhood health centres and a much greater role for the NHS app.
"At the King's Fund our call for a fundamental shift of care from hospital to community and a more people-first approach has been echoed by successive governments, so, whilst welcome, the vision itself is not new, the radical change would be delivering the vision."
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