Open Letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Re: The Future of Public Voice and the Importance of Independent Advocacy
Dear Secretary of State,
We, the Chief Officers/Chairs of local Healthwatch services across England, are deeplyconcerned by the government’s proposal to bring public voice functions under the control of local authorities and NHS bodies – undermining the independence that makes public feedback effective.
For over a decade, Healthwatch has served as a trusted, impartial voice for members of the public, carers, and communities. Our statutory independence enables us to speak truth to power, challenge poor practice, and amplify the experiences of those too often unheard – particularly the most vulnerable and those with the most complex needs. We work constructively with local systems, but always with the freedom to raise concerns without fear or favour.
The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust scandal stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of failing to listen. The Francis Inquiry made clear that independent scrutiny and public advocacy are essential. It also exposed the failure of local democratic scrutiny mechanisms, which lacked the expertise to detect serious failings – giving false reassurance to regulators.
Bringing public voice functions in-house risks creating a system where feedback is filtered, inconvenient truths are softened, and accountability is diluted. It sends the wrong message at a time when public trust in institutions must be rebuilt, not eroded. We have countless examples of where people have chosen to share their experiences with local Healthwatch instead of providers, due to fear of repercussions, previous dismissal, or lack of access. People often tell us we are the first service to truly listen and the only one that follows up to ensure they receive the support needed.
Beyond gathering feedback, Healthwatch provides trusted, independent information and signposting to help people navigate complex health and care systems. We also respond to concerns from the public by carrying out Enter and View visits and conducting focused research that has resulted in real changes to local services. Our local knowledge and impartial advice are often the only support available to those struggling to access services – something not readily offered by the NHS or local authorities, nor covered in the new 10-Year Health Plan.
Since 1974 there has been continuous parliamentary support for independent public voice initiatives being able to hold services to account. Therefore, we urge you to reconsider this direction. Instead of dismantling independence, we should be strengthening it – ensuring every community has access to strong, well-resourced, and fearless local public voice initiatives that hold services to account and shape care that truly meets people’s needs.
We ask to meet with you to discuss why preserving independent public voice is essential. We remain committed to improving services – but cannot do so effectively if our independence is compromised.
Yours sincerely,
The Chief Officers/Chairs of 131 Local Healthwatch services
- Manisha Modhvadia Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham
- Debra Gordon Healthwatch Barnet
- Sarah Campbell Healthwatch Barnet
- Dan Rogers Healthwatch Barnet, Healthwatch Croydon, Healthwatch Haringey and Healthwatch Hounslow
- Lesley Cooper Healthwatch Barnsley
- Amrit Kaur Healthwatch Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire
- Kevin Peltonen-Messenger Healthwatch Bath and North East Somerset, Healthwatch Bristol,
Healthwatch Gloucestershire, Healthwatch North Somerset,
Healthwatch South Glos, Healthwatch Swindon and Healthwatch
Wiltshire - Simone Kerr Healthwatch Bexley
- Andy Cave Healthwatch Birmingham and Healthwatch Solihull
- Sarah Johns Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen
- Julie Darbyshire Healthwatch Bolton
- Helen Rushworth Healthwatch Bradford & District
- Patricia Zebiri Healthwatch Brent
- Gina Aston Healthwatch Brent, Healthwatch Kensington & Chelsea and
- Healthwatch Westminster
- Alan Boyd Healthwatch Brighton and Hove
- Geoffrey Bowden Healthwatch Brighton and Hove
- Carolina Echegaray Healthwatch Bristol, Healthwatch North Somerset and Healthwatch
- South Gloucestershire
- Charlotte Bradford Healthwatch Bromley
- Zoe McIntosh Healthwatch Bucks
- Andrew Holland Healthwatch Bury
- Stacey Appleyard Healthwatch Calderdale and Healthwatch Kirklees
- Jess Slater Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Healthwatch Peterborough
- Stephen Heard Healthwatch Camden
- Diana Blackmun Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire
- Louise Barry Healthwatch Cheshire East and Healthwatch Cheshire West
- Rachel Cleave Healthwatch City of London
- Debbie Gilbert Healthwatch Cornwall
- Julia Catharall Healthwatch County Durham
- David Blacklock Healthwatch County Durham, Healthwatch Cumberland,
Healthwatch Lancashire, Healthwatch Stockton-On-Tees and
Healthwatch Westmorland and Furness - Sally Thoburn Healthwatch Cumberland
- Michelle Thompson Healthwatch Darlington
- James Moore Healthwatch Derby
- Helen Henderson Healthwatch Derbyshire
- Pat Harris Healthwatch Devon, Healthwatch Plymouth and Healthwatch
Torbay - Fran Joel Healthwatch Doncaster
- Louise Bate Healthwatch Dorset
- Jason Griffiths Healthwatch Dudley
- Carleen Duffy Healthwatch Ealing, Healthwatch Hammersmith and Fulham,
Healthwatch Hillingdon and Healthwatch Lewisham - Helen Grimwood Healthwatch East Riding, Healthwatch Hull, Healthwatch North
East Lincolnshire and Healthwatch North Lincolnshire - Carrie Duran Healthwatch East Riding, Healthwatch Hull, Healthwatch North
Lincolnshire, Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire - Veronica Kirwan Healthwatch East Sussex
- Sam Glover Healthwatch Essex
- Yvonne Probert Healthwatch Gateshead and Healthwatch Newcastle
- Lucy White Healthwatch Gloucestershire
- Dave Wilson Healthwatch Halton
- Lydia Hughes Healthwatch Halton and Healthwatch Warrington
- Stephen John Healthwatch Hampshire, Healthwatch Portsmouth, Healthwatch
Reading, Healthwatch Somerset, Healthwatch Southend,
Healthwatch West Berkshire and Healthwatch Wokingham Borough - Paull Addae Healthwatch Haringey
- Yaa Asamany Healthwatch Harrow
- Christopher Ackers-Belcher Healthwatch Hartlepool
- Ian Buckmaster Healthwatch Havering
- Christine Price Healthwatch Herefordshire
- Ivana Chalmers Healthwatch Hertfordshire
- Lisa Taylor Healthwatch Hillingdon
- Lynn Hill Healthwatch Hillingdon
- Aastha Binjrajka Healthwatch Hounslow
- Catherine Fuller Healthwatch Isles of Scilly
- Laura Saksena Healthwatch Islington
- Robbie Goatham Healthwatch Kent
- Stephen Bitti Healthwatch Kingston upon Thames
- David Aspin Healthwatch Knowsley
- Paul Mavers Healthwatch Knowsley
- Folake Segun Healthwatch Lambeth
- Hannah Davies Healthwatch Leeds
- Gemma Barrow Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire
- Liz Ball Healthwatch Lincolnshire
- Navaz Sutton Healthwatch Lincolnshire
- Sarah Thwaites Healthwatch Liverpool
- Pat Lattimer Healthwatch Luton
- Neil Walbran Healthwatch Manchester
- Svajune Ulinskiene Healthwatch Medway
- Dave Curtis Healthwatch Merton
- Maxine Taffetani Healthwatch Milton Keynes
- Danielle Ruane Healthwatch Network Greater Manchester
- Pratima Dattani Healthwatch North Northamptonshire
- Paul Jones Healthwatch North Tyneside
- Ashley Green Healthwatch North Yorkshire
- Derry Nugent Healthwatch Northumberland
- Sabrina Taylor Healthwatch Nottingham and Healthwatch Nottinghamshire
- Veronica Barry Healthwatch Oxfordshire
- Alice Kunjappy-Clifton Healthwatch Reading and Healthwatch Wokingham
- Cathy Turland Healthwatch Redbridge
- Mike Derry Healthwatch Richmond
- Simon Boddis Healthwatch Richmond
- Kate Jones Healthwatch Rochdale
- Margaret Parker Healthwatch Rochdale
- Duncan Gall Healthwatch Rotherham
- Kate Holt Healthwatch Rutland and Healthwatch West Northamptonshire
- Sam Cook Healthwatch Salford
- Alexia Farmer Healthwatch Sandwell
- Amritpal Randhawa Healthwatch Sandwell
- Diane Blair Healthwatch Sefton
- Lucy Davies Healthwatch Sheffield
- Lynn Cawley Healthwatch Shropshire
- Sheila Scott Healthwatch South Tyneside
- Amanda Kelly Healthwatch Southampton
- Owen Richards Healthwatch Southend
- Rhyana Ebanks-Babb Healthwatch Southwark
- Jayne Parkinson-Loftus Healthwatch St Helens
- Anna Mather Healthwatch Staffordshire
- Maria Kildunne Healthwatch Stockport
- Simon Fogell Healthwatch Stoke-on-Trent and Healthwatch Telford and Wrekin
- Andy Yacoub Healthwatch Suffolk
- Samantha Botsford Healthwatch Surrey
- Janet Wingrove Healthwatch Sutton
- Alex Leach Healthwatch Tameside
- Andy Latham Healthwatch Trafford
- Lewis Smith-Connell Healthwatch Wakefield
- Aileen Farrer Healthwatch Walsall
- Dianne Barham Healthwatch Waltham Forest
- Stephen Hickey Healthwatch Wandsworth
- Norman Holding Healthwatch Warrington
- Kate Rees Healthwatch Westmorland and Furness
- Lacey Briscoe Healthwatch Wigan and Leigh
- Kirsteen Sheppard Healthwatch Wirral
- Stacey Lewis Healthwatch Wolverhampton
- Siân Balsom Healthwatch York