Healthwatch Sefton welcomes the King’s Fund Report
On 27 June 2025, the government announced plans to close Healthwatch England and the network of 153 local Healthwatch organisations. In line with recommendations from the Dash review of patient safety, the government plans to transfer the strategic functions of Healthwatch England to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and the statutory functions of local Healthwatch organisations to NHS integrated care boards (ICBs) on health care and local authorities for views on adult social care.
On 20th March, the King’s Fund’s published their insightful report, “The Future of Patient Voice; Learning from the Healthwatch Model”, reviewing the national Healthwatch model and identifying how local Healthwatch organisations contribute to shaping health and social care.
Read the full report here:
“The Future of Patient Voice; Learning from the Healthwatch Model”
Key Findings from the report included:
- The importance of Healthwatch independence, with the ability to reflect people’s experiences without pressure or bias from organisational interests, also enabling impartial and trusted advice and guidance to help people navigate the health and social care system, and understand their rights.
- The strength of the hub and spoke model (Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch), creating a clear upward flow of insight into national priorities and help the future of health and social care.
- The significance of both the quantity and quality of evidence collected, providing community insight into their experiences of health and social care and utilising this to create an understanding of emerging issues.