Speeches by Stafford.

“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:”

“That deserves careful attention. Differences in organisational capacity do not necessarily imply differences in professional standards. A smaller organisation with fewer resources may produce fewer reports than a larger one. That is not the same as suggesting that its work is less rigorous. The evidence therefore point…”

“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 …”

““trusted because they are outside the system”.”

““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.]”

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

“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 …”

“not simply a patient voice, but a truly independent voice. She went on to warn:”

“The problem was not powers; it was safe space protections. Why have Ministers accepted that assertion and many others that are simply untrue?”

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

“That was a perfectly reasonable question, but the Secretary of State did not explain how independence will be preserved. Instead, he returned to the argument that patient voices will be brought closer to those planning and delivering services. Again, that is a different proposition. Closer does not mean more independen…”

“Building trust with communities experiencing the greatest health inequalities cannot be achieved through an organisational redesign alone; it requires sustained engagement and relationships built over time. More importantly, it requires confidence that those listening are independent of the institution whose performanc…”

“”

“During our evidence session, my hon. Friend the Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham asked Dr Dash directly about the obvious conflict created by merging HSSIB into CQC. Dr Dash’s response was strikingly brief. She said,”

“The Committee has heard evidence suggesting that independence is itself one of the principal reasons that patients are willing to engage. That concern was echoed on Second Reading: the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) warned that abolishing independent patient bodies risked weakening the patient voice. In the o…”

““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 have had 52 years of independent organisations representing the patient voice, as well as that of the carer.””

“Healthwatch Surrey, which covers part of my constituency, including the town of Haslemere, has provided statements from NHS leaders and from Surrey county council. Those are not organisations resistant to partnership working; they are organisations that work with Healthwatch every day. The chief executive of NHS Surrey…”

“That observation goes to the heart of this clause. Trust cannot simply be transferred from one statutory body to another, and nor can it be created by legislation. It is earned over time through experience.”

“When questioned about that change, Sir Ciarán accepted that the responsibilities represented”