A health watchdog has joined together with other organisations from across the country to urge the health secretary to re-think plans to scrap them. 

As part of the government's 10-year health plan and a following a recent review of patient safety, the health secretary has announced he wants to shut down the national and local healthwatch bodies, which act as a voice for patients. 

The plan is to give the patient engagement duty over to NHS commissioners and local authorities. 

Now the chief executive of Healthwatch Rutland, Kate Holt, has joined together with 131 other Healthwatch bodies to send an open letter to Labour's Wes Streeting. 

The letter states: "For over a decade, Healthwatch has served as a trusted, impartial voice for members of the public, carers, and communities. Our statutory independence enables us to speak truth to power, challenge poor practice, and amplify the experiences of those too often unheard – particularly the most vulnerable and those with the most complex needs. We work constructively with local systems, but always with the freedom to raise concerns without fear or favour. 

"The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust scandal stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of failing to listen. The Francis Inquiry made clear that independent scrutiny and public advocacy are essential. It also exposed the failure of local democratic scrutiny mechanisms, which lacked the expertise to detect serious failings – giving false reassurance to regulators. 

"Bringing public voice functions in-house risks creating a system where feedback is filtered, inconvenient truths are softened, and accountability is diluted. It sends the wrong message at a time when public trust in institutions must be rebuilt, not eroded." 

Healthwatch Rutland has had a number of successes in recent years. It has raised the issue of dentistry issues and also helped residents to have a voice in proposals to change the same day services in Oakham. Its unannounced visit to a children's mental health service in Leicester also led to changes. 

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