Thank you for your support

News - 26 August 2025

A national petition has been created in response to the government’s decision to abolish Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch.
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Thank you to everyone who has contacted us with messages of support. We’ve been truly overwhelmed by the response to the news that as part of the NHS 10-Year Plan Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch are set to be abolished.

So many of you have told us how concerned you are that there will no longer be a local, independent voice representing and supporting people who draw on health and social care services, as well as their families and carers. 

We remain committed to doing the very best we can for our communities and groups whose voices are often less heard, now and in the future. 

The NHS 10-Year Health Plan acknowledges that “there needs to be a greater emphasis placed on the patient voice” but also, that “The problem is that the NHS doesn’t listen well enough”.

Healthwatch is described in the Dash Review in the following terms: “Since 2013, Healthwatch has made a significant impact, aiding over a million people annually to voice their concerns and access advice.” 

We are aware that a national petition has been created asking the government to: 

  • Revisit its decision to abolish local independent services that speak up for the public.
  • Consult with the public to codesign a service which meets their needs and supports the NHS to realise its ambitions.
  • Invest in and strengthen independent services.

The petition is here: Review decision to abolish independent local Healthwatch - Petitions

If this matters to you, please feel free to sign and share it.

While we await the more information from the Government, we remain committed to our mission and we will:

  • Continue to champion the voices of users and carers in 
    decision-making.
  • Deliver our 2025/26 Workplan, shaped by local priorities.
  • Work in partnership with local organisations, providers, and fellow Healthwatch teams across the North East and North Cumbria.

We’ll keep doing all of this because we believe it’s important for residents to have a strong, independent voice to help improve services for everyone. 

Thank you again for supporting us as we work through these changes together.

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Government plans for local Healthwatch - Our Statement

We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the government’s recent decision to close Healthwatch England and transfer the responsibilities of local Healthwatch (such as Healthwatch Newcastle) to NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local authorities.

We will not know the full implications of the government’s proposals until we see the details within the NHS 10 year plan, the Penny Dash Review into Patient Safety and ultimately the legislation has been agreed and published by parliament.
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NHS Long Term Plan engagement report

During spring 2019 communities across the North East spoke about how they would like to see the NHS Long Term Plan implemented. We spoke to people in Newcastle about what the changes should look like. The responses for Newcastle were included in this report covering Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and County Durham.
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