National report from King's Fund highlights role of Healthwatch in championing patient voice

The Kings Fund has published its report on the ‘The future of patient voice’, including the role that Healthwatch has played nationally and locally to gather the views of people using the health and care system in England.

Commissioned partly by Healthwatch England, the review was developed and written independently by The King’s Fund.

The review follows the Government's decision to abolish Healthwatch at a local and national level, subject to legislation.

Key learning outlined in the report includes:

• Independence in patient voice enhances its credibility with communities and enables objective scrutiny
• Unsolicited feedback has enabled Healthwatch to identify emerging issues that matter to patients and service users which are not captured elsewhere
• Moving forwards, the health and care system’s capacity to hear, understand and act on people’s experiences should be strengthened
• Public sector workforce reductions raise concerns about their ability to engage communities meaningfully at scale
• Any future models linked to patient voice need to reflect the importance of partners listening together and acting on what is learnt   

The report strongly warns that any replacement to Healthwatch must remain independent. It highlights that moving patient feedback into government or NHS bodies could undermine trust and discourage open complaints. 

• "People won't raise concerns if the only place to do so is within the system itself," one expert noted. Embedding the function risks services "marking their own homework." 

The value of independence is cited repeatedly, for example:

• “Independence from government and services has enabled local Healthwatch and Healthwatch England to provide objective, impartial and trusted advice and guidance to help people navigate the health and social care system and understand their rights.” 

The value of Healthwatch is descibed as "a neutral and trusted voice, able to reflect people’s experiences without organisational interests shaping its stance."

Why this matters

The report reflects on over a decade of learning from Healthwatch and considers what should happen next. For organisations like Healthwatch Brighton and Hove, and the communities we serve, this raises important opportunities, challenges, and questions about the future.

The report sets a clear test for the future of patient voice: 

“Any future model must enhance – not weaken – the system’s capacity to hear, understand and respond to people’s experiences.”

The government's plans would move Healthwatch functions into organisations such as Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), local authorities, and the Department of Health and Social Care.

This could bring patient voice closer to decision-making. However, the report highlights some important risks:

• Loss of independence, which could affect trust and openness
• Reduced ability to challenge the system
• Potential gaps in how patient experiences are gathered and used

This report reflects much of what we see locally every day:

• The importance of listening to people’s experiences
• The value of independent, community-based insight
• The need to ensure feedback leads to real improvements in care

As the system evolves, it will be essential that the voices of local people continue to be heard clearly and acted upon.