Health secretary Yvette Cooper has abandoned plans to abolish Healthwatch England, the NHS's independent patient champion, after MPs from all major parties criticised the move, marking the latest in a series of government U-turns on the health bill since Andy Burnham became prime minister in July.
Cooper has decided to retain and extend the role of Healthwatch England, which was due to be axed as part of the government's reorganisation of the health service in England. The rethink means the statutory body and its 150 branches will continue to collect and analyse feedback from patients about their experiences of the NHS and where its services need improvement.
Supporters in parliament say Healthwatch helps identify areas where NHS care is lagging behind patient needs and holds the service to account. Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parliamentarians had criticised the planned abolition.
Cooper told the Guardian: "Patients need a voice in our NHS. I've always been clear on the importance of people and communities having a say in local services and that's why I said I would review all reforms in this area."
She added: "We will retain Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch, while strengthening them to ensure patient voices are heard and can influence real change across health and care services."
Gillian Merron, the Department of Health and Social Care minister in the Lords, will confirm the change of plan when peers debate the health bill on Wednesday.
Until now, the government had planned to transfer Healthwatch's functions into NHS regional integrated care boards and local councils. Healthwatch will now play a greater role in identifying recurring concerns and highlighting where action is needed to improve quality, safety and patient experience.
Thea Stein, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust thinktank and a former head of an NHS trust in Leeds, said: "Abolishing Healthwatch would have thrown away the independence that gave it credibility, without doing anything to address the reasons the NHS often don't listen."
She added: "It was the wrong solution to a real problem. Healthwatch has played a valuable role in making it more difficult for the NHS to ignore patients' often frustrating experience of using it."
The Local Government Association had warned that abolishing Healthwatch "risks [NHS] organisations being seen to mark their own homework" and could create confusion for patients.
Other recent government climbdowns on the health bill include dropping plans to axe the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, end councils' automatic representation on the boards of integrated care boards, and remove the requirement for a nurse on every NHS foundation trust board.
Department of Health and Social Care sources said Cooper's decision to retain and strengthen Healthwatch and its network of branches illustrated her strong belief in public and local accountability, which Burnham shares.
Stein said: "This retreat needs to be followed by a cultural shift away from a health service where patients' voices are all too often at the bottom of a long and impossible list."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Healthwatch England is a statutory body that collects patient feedback and holds the NHS to account; its preservation means continued independent oversight of patient experience.
- The U-turn is the latest in a series of government climbdowns on the health bill, signalling that ministers are willing to revise controversial elements under parliamentary and public pressure.
- The move affects patients across England who rely on Healthwatch's 150 local branches to flag issues such as declining access to NHS dental treatment and long ADHD assessment waiting times.
Background
Healthwatch England was created as an independent patient champion to gather and analyse feedback from users of NHS services. The government had proposed transferring its functions to regional integrated care boards and local councils as part of a wider reorganisation under the health bill. The change of plan follows criticism from MPs across Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, as well as organisations such as the Local Government Association, who argued that abolishing the body would weaken accountability and leave patients without a dedicated independent voice.
Key Perspectives
Yvette Cooper: said patients need a voice in the NHS and she has always been clear on the importance of people and communities having a say in local services. She said the government will retain and strengthen Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch to ensure patient voices are heard and can influence real change.
Thea Stein, Nuffield Trust chief executive: said abolishing Healthwatch would have thrown away the independence that gave it credibility, without addressing why the NHS often does not listen. She called for a cultural shift away from a service where patient voices are at the bottom of a long list.
Local Government Association: had warned that abolishing Healthwatch risks NHS organisations being seen to mark their own homework and could create confusion for patients.
What to Watch
- The debate on the health bill in the Lords on Wednesday, when minister Gillian Merron is expected to confirm the change of plan.
- Whether further U-turns or amendments emerge on other contested parts of the bill.
- How Healthwatch's strengthened role is implemented and whether its local branches receive additional resources to fulfil the expanded remit.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedYvette Cooper has abandoned plans to abolish Healthwatch England, the NHS’s independent patient champion.World news | The Guardian: “Yvette Cooper has abandoned plans to abolish the NHS’s independent patient champion”
- SupportedCooper’s decision followed an outcry from MPs across the political spectrum.World news | The Guardian: “Yvette Cooper has abandoned plans to abolish the NHS’s independent patient champion after an outcry from MPs across the political spectrum.”
- SupportedThe move is the latest in a series of health-bill U-turns since Andy Burnham became prime minister in July.World news | The Guardian: “The move is the latest in a series of U-turns by ministers on core elements of the health bill since Andy Burnham became prime minister in July.”
- SupportedLabour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parliamentarians had criticised the planned abolition.World news | The Guardian: “Labour , Conservative and Liberal Democrat parliamentarians had criticised the planned abolition.”
- SupportedHealthwatch England and its 150 branches will continue to collect and analyse patient feedback about NHS experiences and areas needing improvement.World news | The Guardian: “The rethink means Healthwatch England and its 150 branches will continue to collect and analyse feedback from patients about their experiences of the NHS and where its services need to improve.”
- SupportedCooper told the Guardian: “Patients need a voice in our NHS. I've always been clear on the importance of people and communities having a say in local services and that's why I said I would review all reforms in this area.”World news | The Guardian: “Cooper told the Guardian: “Patients need a voice in our NHS . I’ve always been clear on the importance of people and communities having a say in local services and that’s why I said I would review all reforms in this area.””
- SupportedCooper added: “We will retain Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch, while strengthening them to ensure patient voices are heard and can influence real change across health and care services.”World news | The Guardian: ““We will retain Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch, while strengthening them to ensure patient voices are heard and can influence real change across health and care services.””
- SupportedThea Stein said: “Abolishing Healthwatch would have thrown away the independence that gave it credibility, without doing anything to address the reasons the NHS often don't listen.”World news | The Guardian: “Thea Stein, the chief executive of the Nuffield Trust thinktank and a former head of an NHS trust in Leeds, said: “Abolishing Healthwatch would have thrown away the independence that gave it credibility, without doing anything to address the reasons the NHS often don’t listen.””
- SupportedThe Local Government Association warned that abolishing Healthwatch “risks [NHS] organisations being seen to mark their own homework”.World news | The Guardian: “The Local Government Association had warned that abolishing Healthwatch “risks [NHS] organisations being seen to mark their own homework””
- SupportedGillian Merron will confirm the change of plan when peers debate the health bill on Wednesday.World news | The Guardian: “Gillian Merron, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) minister in the Lords, will confirm the change of plan when peers debate the health bill on Wednesday.”
- SupportedThe government had planned to transfer Healthwatch’s functions into NHS regional integrated care boards and local councils.World news | The Guardian: “Until now, the government had planned to transfer Healthwatch’s functions into NHS regional integrated care boards (ICBs) and local councils.”
- SupportedStein said: “This retreat needs to be followed by a cultural shift away from a health service where patients' voices are all too often at the bottom of a long and impossible list.”World news | The Guardian: “Stein said: “This retreat needs to be followed by a cultural shift away from a health service where patients’ voices are all too often at the bottom of a long and impossible list.””