Healthwatch Suffolk says patients could lose their voice in the NHS
It's as the government is proposing to close all of them
Concerns are being raised over government plans to scrap local Healthwatch organisations.
The watchdogs currently act as an independent patient voice, feeding back experiences and complaints to NHS services.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said the current system is too complex, adding that the NHS needs “more doers and fewer checkers” as the 153 local boards face being brought in-house
The announcement comes ahead of Labour’s 10-year health strategy, which is due to be published next week.
Under the proposed changes, a total of 201 organisations will be scrapped, including bodies established under the previous Conservative government to develop local health plans.
Locally, the local Healthwatch team’s functions will be transferred to local authorities and NHS integrated care boards once new legislation has been passed. No further details are currently available.
The government has said it believes simplifying the landscape in this way will make things clearer for patients and users.
Healthwatch Suffolk begs to differ.
They've responded and said "Independent Healthwatch organisations are established in law, and it would be a regrettable day if new laws were created to remove the independent voice of patients and the public.
"This voice cannot come effectively from ‘within’ systems and services. This is ostensibly the end of all independent health and social care lived experience influencing the quality and equality of care in England."
Why is this important?
They say these changes will impact every single person in the country, without exception.
"We believe the loss of independent voice will only serve to widen health inequalities in communities and leave significant gaps in the understanding of people’s lived experiences, ultimately affecting the safety of patients and the public using services. We must not forget the reasons why the local Healthwatch network was created in the first place. "
"Our independence is vital to influence meaningful changes"
They also believe the changes will mean people feel unable to be truthful about the care they've recieved.
"At times when we know people’s experiences have been deeply impacted by challenges in our local NHS and care systems, it is our staff who carry those experiences into spaces that may not be motivated to hear them. We bring them anyway, and leaders listen and respond.
"Independence matters because it’s hard to be honest when someone holds your care or funding in their hands: The freedom to listen to what people want to say requires independence of the system. People need distance to give feedback about services with honesty, and without fear, consequence, or judgment. So many experiences will go untold if people cannot trust in how their experiences are being gathered and used.
"Independence matters because we need to hear from everyone if we are to create meaningful change: We are not there to champion politically led health and social care services or systems, and we cannot be silenced by ‘in-house’ pressure or external political direction. We deliver our role robustly and powerfully, balancing challenge and collaboration, and always with impact for the public as our aim.
"To do this, we gather feedback from everyone in communities, utilising relationships and partnerships to reach people who would not have a voice otherwise. It is this independent connectivity into communities that will be immediately lost if these plans remain unchanged.
"Independence matters because services are siloed, lives are not: The NHS and social care system is intimidatingly huge and too-often works against the most vulnerable people. Without an independent organisation that works across systems, we cannot understand the gaps in provision that lead people to fall into crisis. You cannot see outside the box if you are the box.
"Ultimately, this ‘clarity’ for the public will not equate to impact for the public. Impact for the public requires a strong, informed, locally connected, and independent voice that is currently being silenced."