Healthwatch Wirral is here to stay
News - 03 November 2026
Healthwatch Wirral welcomes the Government’s announcement on 28 October that Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch organisations will be retained and strengthened.
The Health Bill, currently in the House of Lords, contains clauses to abolish Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch organisations. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper announced last week that these proposals will be withdrawn from the current bill. This means that we will continue our work as the independent champion for people using health and social care services across Wirral.
Protecting an independent voice
Following concerns that abolishing Healthwatch would weaken the independent voice of patients and the public, Yvette Cooper told The Guardian:
Patients need a voice in our NHS. I’ve always been clear on the importance of people and communities having a say in local services and that’s why I said I would review all reforms in this area.
We will retain Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch, while strengthening them to ensure patient voices are heard and can influence real change across health and care services.
Councillor Dr Wendy Taylor MBE, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, commented ‘we are pleased the Government has listened to our calls to retain local Healthwatch’. Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, also welcomed the announcement: ‘We’re pleased the government has listened to concerns about the future of Healthwatch and acted to retain an independent voice for people using health and care services […] It is a good thing that the government is changing its approach.’
A word from our CEO
These statements recognise why independent organisations like Healthwatch matter: people need to be able to speak openly about their care and have their experiences heard by those responsible for services. The future of health and care services should be shaped by the people using them, and Healthwatch Wirral looks forward to being a key part of that process.
Over the last 16 months, our staff have managed the uncertainty with tenacity and commitment and demonstrated the importance of Healthwatch as the independent public voice. We would like to thank the public and local stakeholders for their incredible support during this time, and for recognising the value of Healthwatch within our local health and care system.
Karen Prior, CEO, Healthwatch Wirral
What next?
As we look forward to further details about the Government’s plans to strengthen Healthwatch and what that means locally, our work in Wirral continues.
We will continue to listen to people’s experiences, share what we hear to improve local services, and offer information and signposting to help people find the support they need.