A charity which works across the north of England to advocate for under-represented people and communities calls on new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to make retention of Healthwatch a priority.
Local Healthwatch are the voice of patients, people who use social care, and under-represented communities. Healthwatch takes the feedback they gather to service providers, such as NHS integrated care boards and local authorities, so that the patient and care-user voice positively influences future services.
Under Keir Starmer, the Government introduced the NHS Modernisation Bill, which includes the abolition of Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch nationally.
People First Independent Advocacy delivers local Healthwatch across County Durham, Cumberland, Lancashire, Stockton-on-Tees, and Westmorland & Furness.
Mark Pannone, Chair of People First’s Board of Trustees said:
"This has been a year in which our five Healthwatch teams have reached more than 30,000 people and turned what they heard into real change, from better care for families experiencing miscarriage in County Durham and shaping women’s health services in Lancashire, to hearing from the Trans community about their experiences of health care locally.
“As national reform reshapes how the NHS works, we were encouraged to see that argument made so clearly last year by Andy Burnham, and we hope his government continues to recognise what independent patient and social care voice delivers, in numbers and in lives changed, as it decides Healthwatch's future.
“We welcome the PM's commitment to reform social care, a profoundly important issue that local people share with us on a daily basis. We believe that Healthwatch has a role in this reform and could be a powerful force in connecting the experience of people into the developing plans for the future of care across our communities.”
The Prime Minister’s visit to Barrow-in-Furness last week is welcome. Barrow is one of the most deprived areas in England, with several neighbourhoods ranking within the 10% most deprived communities nationally. Average life expectancy in Barrow is approximately 77.7 years for men and 81.5 years for women, both significantly below the England average. Self-harm hospital admissions are significantly worse than the England average.
It is communities such as these that Healthwatch teams go to, actively listen to and speak up for, making sure that their feedback reaches service commissioners and providers.
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has previously written to Wes Streeting, who was then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, making the case to keep Healthwatch. The letter from November 2025 argued that Healthwatch's independence was ‘central’ to its value: “Healthwatch organisations … are uniquely positioned to act as a bridge between people and the system, offering insight that is grounded in lived experience. People speak to Healthwatch because they are outside the system – they are impartial, trusted, and provide a safe space for concerns to be shared.”
As Mayor of Manchester, he often spoke of a ‘place-first’ model of government. Examples are the community-led health and wellbeing initiatives such as Greater Manchester's ‘Live Well’ programme.
As Prime Minister, he has made clear his ambition to devolve power from Westminster to the regions, as well as radically overhaul how social care is delivered. This must include increased community participation and co-production, with those with lived experience involved in shaping services and policies.
Retention of Healthwatch is essential for hearing what those communities need and ensuring that services are held accountable for any changes to services.