Our letter to Staffordshire County Council regarding the reduction of Healthwatch Staffordshire's budget

Proposals published by Staffordshire County Council could seriously damage the ability of local residents to have their say on the running of hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes across the county.

Staffordshire County Council has announced today its intention to reduce the budget for the local Healthwatch from £415,000 to £210,000 - a cut of 50%. This constitutes one of the largest ever proposed cuts to a Healthwatch service.

Using legal powers set out in the Health and Social Care Act, we have written to Staffordshire Council calling for the authority to publicly explain how it has assessed the cost of delivering its local Healthwatch and to outline a “Plan B”, should the resources provided prove insufficient.

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Our letter to Staffordshire County Council