A message to our community: Healthwatch Derbyshire's future

Last week, national media announced that as part of a wider reorganisation of NHS bodies, Healthwatch England, along with more than 150 local Healthwatch services, will be closing.

Our Chief Executive, Helen Henderson, has issued the following response:

"You may have seen the recent news about the closure of Healthwatch England and the local Healthwatch network. Unfortunately this includes us at Healthwatch Derbyshire.

This announcement came as a shock to all of us and was completely unexpected. Our staff, volunteers and board are taking some time to absorb the news and to consider what it means for our team, and the people of Derbyshire.

At this stage, we are still waiting for further details. We hope things will become clearer in the coming week or so, when the Department of Health and Social Care publishes its 10-year plan and the findings of the DASH review.

For over a decade, we’ve helped thousands of people share their views and navigate complex health and care systems. We exist to speak out on your behalf. We’ve helped turn feedback into real influence and improvements. We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved together, with our communities and partners.

We know how much our work means to local people – and how powerful your voices are in shaping better care. At the moment, our duty to local people continues – unchanged.

We’ll keep the public and partners in the loop as we learn more. If there are ways you can support or help us in the future, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Thank you for your continued support."

How can you help? 

At the moment we're still waiting to hear more details. As things become clearer in the coming weeks, if we need support from the community, we'll be sure to let you know how you can help. In the meantime, we'd be grateful if you could still share your health and care experiences with us - what we do still matters, so does your voice. Tell us about your care.

Read more

Healthwatch England - Government plans around the future of Healthwatch

BBC News - Hundreds of NHS agencies to be scrapped