Standing together: A new chapter of local collaboration

The health and care system is undergoing significant structural change. The planned abolition of Healthwatch under the the Health Bill (NHS Modernisation Bill 2026) marks the end of an important independent infrastructure for listening to millions of people and communities to drive real improvements in health and care. While this creates a period of transition and uncertainty for the organisations that provide the local Healthwatch contracts, at moments like these, collaboration matters more than ever. 

At National Voices, our mission is to advocate for more equitable and person-centred health and care, shaped by the people who use and need services most. As the leading coalition of more than 200 health and social care charities, we believe that the voices of people and communities must continue to influence decisions at every level of the health and care system. 

Local Healthwatch providers play a vital role in making that happen. Every day, they listen to people using health and care services, gather experiences from their communities, particularly from people whose voices are under-represented, who might be at risk of health inequalities and whose needs are not met by current services, ensuring those insights help shape local services. Their work strengthens accountability, improves care, and keeps people’s lived experience at the heart of decision-making. 

The planned abolition of Healthwatch as a statutory function does not diminish the importance of this work. If anything, it reinforces the need to strengthen relationships across the sector and ensure that community voices remain influential both locally and nationally. 

Through a generous grant from the Point of Care Foundation, National Voices is in a position to offer every local Healthwatch the chance to join us as members for the next 12 months.  

This is first and foremost an expression of solidarity. We recognise the essential contribution local Healthwatch organisations make to health and care and we want to demonstrate our commitment to standing alongside them during this period of change. 

We also see this as an opportunity to strengthen our collective voice. Local Healthwatch organisations are deeply rooted in their communities, have built trusted relationships, and bring invaluable insight from engagement at neighbourhood and Integrated Care Board (ICB) level. Their experience compliments the expertise of our existing members and will help build an even stronger network of organisations working to create more equitable, person-centred health and care. 

By welcoming local Healthwatch organisations into membership, we hope to create new opportunities for shared learning, collaboration, collective influence and best practice. Together, we can amplify the experiences of people and communities, strengthen evidence for change, and advocate more effectively for a health and care system that is shaped by those who use it. 

There are currently 153 organisations that provide the local Healthwatch contracts across England. Not all of them will take up the offer, but we look forward to working with many of them over the coming year and to building stronger connections that will benefit the wider health and care sector long into the future. 

Periods of change can create uncertainty, but they can also create opportunities to come together. We hope this offer is the beginning of an even closer partnership, built on our shared commitment to ensuring people’s voices remain at the heart of health and care.