Information on Service Change for Local Healthwatch including our Rotherham branch.
“Protect the Independent Patient Voice,” says Healthwatch Rotherham
June 30, 2025
June 30, 2025
On Friday, Ministers announced plans to reform Healthwatch—the statutory patient and public watchdog for the NHS and social care.
HWE CEO, Louise Ansari, has issued the following response:
HWE CEO, Louise Ansari, has issued the following response:
“Successive governments have said they want patients and the public to have a real say in the care they receive. But the patient voice can only be meaningful if it is independent of the system, not part of it.That independence has always been part of Healthwatch’s DNA and it is precisely what Ministers now appear to be trying to dismantle. If the reports circulating over the weekend are accurate, they want Healthwatch England’s role absorbed by a senior manager in the Department of Health and Social Care—someone embedded in the very system that Healthwatch exists to hold to account."
"Scrapping Healthwatch England is dangerous, and dismantling local Healthwatch like ours would be just as damaging. Here in Rotherham, we have played a central role in exposing failures at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust—from protracted waits in A&E to inconsistent access to mental health support. Public scrutiny forced real change; without that independent pressure, those issues would have risked being swept under the carpet.”
Healthwatch Rotherham’s commitment to the public remains unchanged:
- We will continue gathering feedback in GP surgeries, care homes, community centres and online.
- We will keep producing in-depth, evidence-based reports on the issues that matter most—from GP access to social care delays.
- We will continue working with councillors, the Integrated Care Board, and local MPs to ensure patient voices are central to decision-making.
- We urge Rotherham’s health and care leaders to recognise the continued need for an independent patient voice—whatever structural changes are made nationally.
It is concerning that such a significant announcement was made late on a Friday afternoon without consultation or clarity for the local Healthwatch organisations. Our staff and volunteers, who work tirelessly across Rotherham, would have welcomed the opportunity to engage with this decision in a transparent, consultative process
You are not statistics. You are people. Your experiences shape services.
Share your story with us at info@healthwatchrotherham.org.uk
Together, we can ensure Rotherham’s voice remains strong, independent and heard.
