Healthwatch Dudley welcomes decision to retain and strengthen Healthwatch
The government announced the decision on 28 October 2026, following concerns about earlier plans to abolish Healthwatch and transfer its work to the NHS and local authorities.
The original proposals formed part of the NHS 10-year plan published in 2025. Since then, local Healthwatch organisations and MPs have called for independent patient and public voices to be protected.
What does this mean for local people?
We will continue to listen to your experiences of health and social care and make sure the people who run services hear what matters to you. Your feedback helps services understand what is working well and where things need to improve.
Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles, who lobbied ministers to protect Healthwatch, welcomed the decision. She said:
“I am delighted that the Government has listened and Healthwatch will be going nowhere.
Independent patient voices are essential to continuing to shape an evolving healthcare system that works for everyone.
Healthwatch plays a unique role in gathering real experiences from local people and ensuring those voices are heard by decisionmakers.
By retaining Healthwatch, we are protecting an important mechanism for accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement across health and care services.”
How will Healthwatch be strengthened?
The government will remove the clauses in the Health Bill that would have abolished Healthwatch.
Plans to strengthen Healthwatch could include new national standards, closer monitoring of how services are performing and support to help them improve. However, what this could mean is currently being developed. We intend to push for local Healthwatch and communities to be involved in the conversation.
Our response
Jason Griffiths, Chief Officer of Healthwatch Dudley, said:
"We believe and have seen how important it is for local people to voice their varied experiences of accessing health and care services, in a way that they feel comfortable and safe to do so and that doesn't compromise the care they receive.
"Having a local independent service that can listen and amplify experiences, both positive and constructive, allows health and care partners to learn and adapt based on transparent local intelligence and feedback.
"Building trust and an open dialogue with local residents is key to navigating and improving complex systems.
Working with an independent and local service enables this to happen effectively without a risk of marking own homework.
We are delighted that a local proven model can continue to ensure experiences are listened to, understood and influence changes in health and care services for everyone in the Dudley borough."
The decision means independent patient voices will continue to help shape health and social care services across Dudley borough and England.
