Minister Cooper retains Healthwatch England — The Guardian

In the United Kingdom, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has abandoned plans to abolish Healthwatch England, an independent organisation representing the interests of NHS patients. The decision was made after criticism from parliamentarians across political parties, The Guardian reports.

The organisation will continue its work

Healthwatch England and its 150 local branches will continue to collect and analyse patients’ feedback on their experience of using NHS services and areas requiring improvement. Cooper said that Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch would not only be retained but also strengthened so that patients’ voices could influence changes in health and social care services.

The change of plan is to be confirmed by Department of Health and Social Care minister Gillian Merron during debates on the health bill in the House of Lords. The previously planned abolition of Healthwatch was criticised by representatives of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties.

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The transfer of functions has been cancelled

The government had previously planned to transfer Healthwatch’s functions to regional integrated care boards and local councils. The organisation will now have a greater role in identifying recurring problems and determining areas where action is needed to improve quality, safety and patient experience.

Healthwatch has published reports on deteriorating access to NHS-funded dental treatment, years-long waiting lists for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessments, and shortcomings in the service’s communication with patients. The Local Government Association warned that abolishing the organisation could create confusion for patients and result in NHS bodies effectively assessing their own work.