Speeches by Stafford.

““Healthwatch Haringey plays an enormously important role in being a champion for the ecosystem within a locality. The Local Government Association is very concerned about some of the discussions.””

“The evidence presented to this Committee points consistently in the opposite direction. Witness after witness argued that Healthwatch’s effectiveness derives precisely from the fact that it sits outside the organisations whose decisions it scrutinises. That institutional separation is not an administrative inconvenienc…”

“That intervention deserves attention, because it did not come from an Opposition Member seeking to frustrate the Bill; it came from a Member on the Government Benches, recognising the contribution made by Healthwatch in her own community and the concerns expressed by local government about the proposals before us. The …”

“There are some problems. The new clause mentions complaints but, although I fell into this trap when talking a moment ago, Healthwatch does not really deal with complaints; it raises issues and systemic failures that can be brought up through the system. Likewise, I am concerned that nothing in the new clause covers wh…”

“The question of independence was reinforced by Sarah Tilsed, speaking on behalf of the Patients Association. Her evidence was notable because it came from an organisation whose sole concern is the interests of patients, rather than the preservation of any particular institutional structure. She told the Committee:”

“Indeed, Professor Croisdale-Appleby accepted that there is variation across the 153 local healthwatch organisations. He did not seek to deny it, but he challenged the Government’s explanation for why that variation exists. He told the Committee:”

“New clause 74 was tabled by the hon. Member for Rugby, and the hon. Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket spoke to it. I have a lot of sympathy for what the hon. Member for Rugby is trying to achieve here. Clearly—I hope that I am not putting words in his mouth—he tabled it because he has similar scepticism about t…”

““an additional duty””

“and acknowledged that”

““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”.”

“He went further, observing that healthwatches are”

“The Government have relied heavily on another element of Dr Dash’s review—namely, that the performance of local healthwatch organisations is too variable to justify retaining the present statutory model. At first sight, that seems to be a reasonable criticism. If there is significant inconsistency across England, refor…”

“Professor Croisdale-Appleby drew another important distinction. He told us:”

““if there is no extra money coming…it will be pressured.”––[Official Report, Health Public Bill Committee, 16 June 2026; c. 40, Q67.]”

“That observation seems self-evident. If organisations are expected simultaneously to reduce expenditure while assuming additional statutory responsibilities, something must inevitably give.”

“The Government have not explained how those relationships will be maintained, nor have they explained how the expertise accumulated by local healthwatch organisations over many years will be preserved. The Committee is being asked to assume that a statutory function can simply be relocated without affecting the way it …”

““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.]”

““we need a truly independent patient voice”—”

““to bring the voice of patients closer to the people who plan and deliver services.”—[Official Report, 1 June 2026; Vol. 786, c. 887.]”

“The Committee has not been told how the new responsibility will be resourced. Will additional funding accompany the duties? Will specialist staff transfer? Will the expertise and local relationships built over many years be maintained? Or are we simply expected to assume that patient representation can somehow improve …”