{"id":287303,"date":"2025-07-24T07:13:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T07:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/287303\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T07:13:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T07:13:13","slug":"city-health-leaders-shock-over-government-axing-york-watchdog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/287303\/","title":{"rendered":"City health leader\u2019s shock over government axing York watchdog"},"content":{"rendered":"

York council will aim to keep giving patients an independent voice if plans to scrap a health care watchdog body go ahead.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the message of Labour\u2019s Cllr Lucy Steels-Walshaw, the council\u2019s health lead, who said she was shocked that the Government was planning to axe Healthwatch York.<\/p>\n

She responded to Liberal Democrat opposition councillor Chris Cullwick who called on her to condemn the move and plans for app-based health care feedback which he said could disenfranchise millions of patients.<\/p>\n

It comes as Government proposals would see all the Healthwatch teams axed as part of plans to scrap 201 organisations under its ten-year strategy for the health sector.<\/p>\n

Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Parliament earlier this month the strategy aimed to localise NHS care, invest in technology and focus on prevention to make services fit for the future.<\/p>\n

\"\"Cllr Lucy Steels Walshaw. Photograph: Supplied<\/p>\n

The Labour health secretary said patients did not need ventriloquist arms-length bodies speaking for them .<\/p>\n

Healthwatch was set up in 2012 to take feedback from health and care service users to hold the NHS and other providers to account and push for improvements.<\/p>\n

The functions of Healthwatch would be brought under the control of local authorities under plans to end what Mr Streeting said was an overly-complex system of regulation and oversight.<\/p>\n

Patients will instead be encouraged to give feedback using the NHS smartphone app which Mr Streeting said would become the front door of the service under the Government\u2019s 10-year plan.<\/p>\n

But the plans have sparked fears that the independence of those providing feedback on services could be undermined.<\/p>\n

\"\"Health Secretary Wes Streeting. Photograph: Lucy North \/ PA wire<\/p>\n

The heads of 131 local Healthwatch bodies, including York\u2019s\u00a0Si\u00e2n Balsom, wrote to Mr Streeting saying the move risked softening inconvenient truths and diluting feedback.<\/p>\n

Liberal Democrat Cllr Cullwick told the council\u2019s full meeting on Thursday, July 17 Healthwatch played a vital role in amplying patients\u2019 voices.<\/p>\n

The Huntington and New Earswick ward councillor said: \u201cPushing people to provide feedback through an app will only serve to widen health inequalities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The council\u2019s ruling Labour health executive member Cllr Steels-Walshaw said she was concerned about people potentially being excluded by the plans.<\/p>\n

She added she hoped the moves to digital services would free up support for those who were unable to access them.<\/p>\n

The executive member said: \u201cWhen I saw the 10-year plan I was really shocked that it spoke about Healthwatch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m mindful that staff and volunteers are going through an uncertain time, we recognise that new structures are needed but we will do our utmost to maintain that independent voice.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"York council will aim to keep giving patients an independent voice if plans to scrap a health care…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":287304,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4316],"tags":[105,4348,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-287303","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-healthcare","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114906975673093773","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=287303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=287303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=287303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}