STAFF and volunteers at Healthwatch Warrington have been left shocked by Government plans to abolish the independent public voice of NHS services.
The abolition of Healthwatch is part of the Government’s 10-year NHS plan which is set to be published in full tomorrow, Tuesday.
In response to the news Warrington South MP Sarah Hall said: “I’m aware of the announcement regarding Healthwatch and understand this is linked to wider changes expected in the forthcoming NHS 10-Year Plan.
“I need to review the full details to understand the implications, unfortunately, they haven’t yet been published.
“Healthwatch has played an important statutory role in patient advocacy, and I’ll be looking closely at what the Government proposes to ensure there is clarity on the future of that function.”
Healthwatch Warrington CEO Lydia Hughes added: “The news was very unexpected, and we await clarity on the details of this decision. The NHS 10-year plan will have further details, so I welcome this to plan to answer Healthwatch and the public’s questions. I hope that the public’s voice and an ‘independent service’ will still be the way forward, as the public deserve to have their voices heard, especially those who are hard to reach and are unable to access digitally”.
The shock news was delivered at 5 pm on Friday, almost at the same time as Healthwatch Warrington released its annual report.
Healthwatch Warrington released its 2024–2025 Annual Report on Friday, showcasing a year of impactful community engagement, advocacy, and service improvement across the borough’s health and social care landscape.
A full copy of the report can be read by CLICKING HERE
