Speeches by Stafford.

““One of the reasons there is a difference or variation among the 153 is that the amount of funding is very different. Some of them get 10 times the funding of others”.”

“Successive Governments have reorganised the NHS many times, sometimes for the better and sometimes not, but they have consistently preserved an independent patient voice. This Bill breaks with that principle. The burden of proof therefore rests with the Government, and I do not believe that they have discharged that bu…”

““Abolishing healthwatches creates a fragmentation of patient engagement responsibilities across ICBs and local authorities.”––[Official Report, Health Public Bill Committee, 16 June 2026; c. 46, Q75.]”

““patients trust independent organisations. I feel that that trust might be lost in local communities.”––[Official Report, Health Public Bill Committee, 16 June 2026; c. 46, Q75.]”

““wrong in fact and law.”—[Official Report, 6 July 2026; Vol. 789, c. 143.]”

“However carefully the internal governance arrangements are drafted, public perception will inevitably change. Once confidence in independence is weakened, rebuilding it may take many years, which is why I remain unconvinced that the Government have demonstrated either the necessity or the proportionality of these claus…”

“”

“That is, in my view, one of the most important pieces of evidence heard by the Committee. If inconsistency is principally the product of funding disparities rather than organisational design, the logical response is to address the funding disparities. It is not to abolish the organisation altogether.”

“Taken together, those statements are striking. They come not from campaign organisations or from political parties, but from organisations working within the health and care system itself. Far from arguing that independence has become unnecessary, they argue that it remains fundamental to the effectiveness of patient r…”

“That conclusion is reinforced by the evidence submitted by Healthwatch Surrey. The chief nursing officer described Healthwatch as a “third eye”. The chair of NHS Surrey and Sussex said:”

““The point of bringing it into the CQC…is that we are trying to simplify this landscape…The hope…is that by bringing HSSIB into the CQC, you can align the work of the two.”––[Official Report, Health Public Bill Committee, 16 June 2026; c. 7, Q8.]”

““What it does not allow…is a change in the quality of the way in which the research is done.”––[Official Report, Health Public Bill Committee, 16 June 2026; c. 48, Q78.]”

“If the Government’s argument is one of administrative efficiency, the evidence we have heard from those who have spent years improving patient safety demonstrates why efficiency cannot come at the expense of independence. Perhaps no witness was better placed to address that than my right hon. Friend the Member for Goda…”

“That is a significant concession: a witness prepared to contemplate structural reform who nevertheless regarded independence as indispensable.”

“I ask the Minister again: if the concern is excessive bureaucracy across more than 150 organisations, why have the Government chosen to abolish one of the smallest, most focused and arguably most cost-effective organisations within that landscape? How does removing one body, responsible for just a handful of carefully …”

“One further aspect of Professor Croisdale-Appleby’s evidence deserves attention. Throughout our debates, much has been said about ensuring that patients are heard, but Healthwatch does considerably more than just listen. Professor Croisdale-Appleby reminded the Committee of the scale of its work, saying:”

“More importantly, Healthwatch does not simply publish reports before moving on to the next issue. As Professor Croisdale-Appleby went on to explain:”

“The Committee also heard important evidence from Sir Ciarán Devane, whose evidence was particularly valuable because he did not approach the question from the perspective that no change should ever be made. Indeed, he accepted that the reform of patient engagement arrangements may be appropriate. Yet even he identified…”

““the principle of HSSIB was modelled on the airline industry, where the air accidents investigation branch has a superb track record of identifying safety breaches. There is a very good rail accident investigation branch that does the same for the railway industry, to make sure lessons are learned.””

“These are important questions because, during her evidence, Dr Dash repeatedly referred to simplification and alignment. She explained that:”