Cooper drops plan to abolish Healthwatch England after cross-party criticism
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has abandoned plans to abolish Healthwatch England after an outcry from MPs across the political spectrum. Instead, she has decided to keep the body and extend its role, according to The Guardian.
Healthwatch England, the NHS's independent patient champion, was due to be axed as part of the government's reorganisation of the health service in England. Under that plan, its work would have been transferred to NHS regional integrated care boards, the bodies that oversee local health services, and to local councils.
Cooper said: "We will retain Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch, while strengthening them to ensure patient voices are heard." Healthwatch England and its 150 branches will continue to collect and analyse feedback from patients about their experiences of the NHS and about where services need to improve. Healthwatch will also take on a greater role in identifying recurring concerns and highlighting where action is needed to improve quality, safety and patient experience.
Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parliamentarians had criticised the planned abolition. The Local Government Association warned that getting rid of Healthwatch risked NHS organisations being seen to mark their own homework, and could create confusion for patients.
The decision is one of several changes to the health bill, the government's legislation for the reorganisation. Ministers have also dropped plans to axe the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, to end councils' automatic seats on the boards of integrated care boards, and to remove the requirement for a nurse on every NHS foundation trust board.
The change will be formally confirmed by Gillian Merron, a minister at the Department of Health and Social Care who sits in the House of Lords, when peers debate the bill on Wednesday.
Cooper succeeded Wes Streeting as health secretary. Andy Burnham became prime minister in July, before the latest changes to the bill.
