The future of patient voice: Learning from the Healthwatch model
Today the King's Fund has published "The future of patient voice: Learning from the Healthwatch model."
Commissioned partly by Healthwatch England, the review was developed and written independently by The King’s Fund.
The review follows the Government's decision to abolish Healthwatch at a local and national level, subject to legislation.
Chris McCann, acting chief executive of Healthwatch England, said:
"We welcome the King’s Fund review as a balanced assessment of both the strengths of the Healthwatch model and the challenges it has faced since its launch in 2013.
“As highlighted in our Public’s Perspective report published earlier this week, the public has entrusted Healthwatch with nearly 400,000 pieces of feedback over the past two years.
"This insight helps inform policymakers and drive improvements across a wide range of health and care issues, from the 8am GP rush and the NHS dentistry crisis to administrative errors that cause avoidable inconvenience, and the significant unmet need experienced by people seeking social care.
“With the government now preparing to replace Healthwatch at both local and national levels, the King’s Fund report offers an important guide to the principles that must be upheld. Ensuring that the public’s voice in health and care is not diminished but strengthened should be central to any new arrangements."
