Brighton and Hove residents face losing their independent voice in the NHS and care
Independent voice
For the first time in 50 years, people in Brighton and Hove could be left without an independent voice in health and care after the Government confirmed plans to abolish Healthwatch, the only statutory, independent organisation that listens to patients and speaks up on their behalf.
The Health Bill, which will undergo Parliamentary debate in June would scrap Healthwatch England and all 153 local Healthwatch organisations across England and transfer their duties to the very NHS bodies they currently hold to account. In Brighton and Hove, responsibility for gathering patient feedback would pass to the Surrey and Sussex NHS Integrated Care Board, which has recently merged and restructured and are under pressure to cut staffing and costs.
"This is about more than structures. It is about whether people in Brighton and Hove still have a safe, independent place to speak up. We know from our work that independence builds trust. Without it, there is a real risk that the people who most need to be heard will be least likely to come forward or to be listened to."
Geoffrey Bowden, Chair
We are not the only voice raising these concerns. The King's Fund, in its independent national review of the Healthwatch model published in March 2026, found that any future arrangement must maintain independence from the health and care system so it can "speak truth to power and raise difficult messages where necessary."
What Healthwatch Brighton and Hove does and what would be lost
We work with thousands of people across the city every year, helping them share experiences of GP services, hospitals, mental health care, dentistry, social care and more.
We have prepared a short briefing paper (below) which gives examples of where independent community insight has led or supported improvements in care. In each case, the changes may not have happened without an independent organisation.
Many of the people who rely on Healthwatch do so because it is not part of the NHS or the council and that distance is precisely what makes them feel safe enough to speak honestly. This includes disabled people, carers, people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, migrants, people who don't speak English as a first language, and those who are digitally excluded.
Briefing paper
Download the following document for more information and examples of our work in the local community. If you have any questions, please email office@hwbh.co.uk or call 01273 234 040
How you can help
If you would like to change the Health Bill, write a letter to your MP using our template as a guide - below.