Picker responds to The King’s Fund’s ‘The Future of Patient Voice: Learning from the Healthwatch model’ report

Commenting on the publication of The King’s Fund’s ‘The Future of Patient Voice: Learning from the Healthwatch model’ report, Olli Potter, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Picker, said:

“Today’s report on Healthwatch’s legacy and the future of patient voice in the NHS is clear that the model that follows the planned abolition of Healthwatch England must safeguard an independent public voice. This is essential to enhancing the system’s capability to understand and act on people’s experiences of health and social care, and to ensure the ability to speak truth to power.

“Since the publication of the Ten Year Plan for Health and Dash review of the patient safety landscape, we have continued to express our concerns about the closure of Healthwatch England and its local branches, and the risks this creates. Our recently published ‘State of Person Centred Care 2025’ report laid out clear recommendations calling for the Department of Health and Social Care to commit to an independent patient voice in the health service – something that has been a central feature of the NHS in England, in various formats, for over 50 years. 

“Our report also called for an update on the appointment of a Director of Patient Experience within the Department, as committed to in the Ten Year Plan. We echo The King’s Fund’s recommendation that the role’s remit must be clarified as soon as possible, and that the role must have sufficient authority to hold the system to account on people’s experiences of care. Only with the appropriate powers, can we ensure that the Ten Year Plan’s vision for amplifying the patient voice is realised.”