The Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) has voiced its support for the continuation of Healthwatch Norfolk in a letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting.
The chair of Norfolk HOSC, Councillor Brenda Jones, writes on behalf of the committee about its “serious reservations regarding the proposals outlined in the Government’s Fit for the Future: 10-year Health Plan for England, which would see the disbanding of Healthwatch England and, by extension, Healthwatch Norfolk”.
Norfolk HOSC includes both County and District Councillors and has powers to scrutinise NHS bodies in the county.
‘An impartial, trusted forum’
The letter continues: “Healthwatch Norfolk has, since its inception in 2012, provided an impartial, trusted forum for patients and service users to share their experiences of health and social care.
“It has acted as a critical friend to NHS providers and commissioners, ensuring that the voices of Norfolk’s residents are not only heard but acted upon.
“Importantly, Healthwatch Norfolk is the only independent statutory body in the county that scrutinises all aspects of NHS and social care provision. While other patient advocacy groups exist, none offer the same breadth of coverage or statutory independence.”
Cllr Jones goes on to highlight the hundreds of patients who have been directly supported with healthcare advice and the 40 reports that Healthwatch Norfolk has published in the last year, noting “these achievements are not merely numbers—they represent lives improved, services shaped, and accountability upheld.”
She adds: “Moving its functions in-house risks filtering feedback through institutional lenses, potentially softening critical insights and undermining public trust.”
Policy change concerns
In June the Government announced that the functions of Healthwatch England and the 150 local Healthwatch across the country should be absorbed into local authorities and Integrated Care Boards. The proposed changes were revealed as part of a policy shake-up that will also affect hundreds of other organisations responsible for overseeing and running parts of the NHS.
Last month Chief Executive of Healthwatch Norfolk, Alex Stewart, joined colleagues across the country in calling for a meeting with the Health Secretary to highlight the importance of the Healthwatch network. In a strongly-worded letter, Healthwatch leaders argued that these changes will lead to patients losing the right to raise concerns with an independent body which will hold the health and social care system to account.
Thank you
Of the letter Norfolk HOSC sent to the Health Secretary, Mr Stewart said: “On behalf of the team at Healthwatch Norfolk I would like to thank the members of the Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for their steadfast support of our work as outlined in the letter to Mr Streeting.
“It is of the utmost importance that an independent, impartial body exists in the future to make sure the views and concerns of patients across Norfolk are heard and acted upon.
“We continue to fight to protect patient voice and are extremely grateful for the support of our local partners going forward.”
You can read the full letter here: HOSC letter to Hon Wes Streeting MP
