Our statement on plans to close Healthwatch

News - 1 July 2025

This is our full response to the Government's plans to close Healthwatch, including Healthwatch Milton Keynes.

We are deeply saddened and concerned to hear the Government intends to abolish Healthwatch England and all local Healthwatch’s including Healthwatch Milton Keynes.
 

In his announcement, Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said: “We are putting a megaphone to the mouths of patients so the NHS listens to them, and responds.”
 

Healthwatch Milton Keynes is the trusted, independent mechanism through which local patients and residents have their voices heard, and their feedback acted upon. If implemented, these Government proposals will result in the erosion of any meaningful independent patient voices in NHS services. This is devastating for patients and service users. The consequences will be far reaching, and profoundly damaging.
 

In place of Healthwatch Milton Keynes, 'Patients will be encouraged to leave feedback on the NHS app', using a 'star rating system'. Replacing patient conversations with star ratings will not keep patients safe. It will not improve care. It is reductive and harmful. For those who have access to smartphones and tablets, digital apps are a useful tool but they are not a solution in themselves. And what about those who are digitally excluded?
 

We are urging Government and our local MPs to remember the widespread systemic failures – notably the mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust scandal - that led to the creation of Healthwatch in the first place. The national inquiry that followed in 2012 is a clear reminder that when patients have no voice, when services aren't  held accountable, and when there is no robust, independent scrutiny of those services, patient safety and quality of care will undoubtedly suffer.
 

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank people for the outpouring of support we’ve received in the last few days. The emails, messages and phonecalls mean the world to us. From NHS professionals, to MK City Council, to partner organisations and residents, your support is testament to the strong collaborative relationships that have made Healthwatch Milton Keynes so effective over the past 12 years. We are truly overwhelmed and thankful.
 

As we understand it, these proposals are not being implemented immediately. So, for now, we would urge residents to read the upcoming Dash Report when it’s published on Thursday, to understand what comes next for patient and community voices in NHS care.  
 

For as long we remain, our small but ambitious team will continue to work with tenacity and dedication. We’re still here to listen to your experiences of health and care services, to help you navigate the healthcare challenges you have, and we’ll seek to influence positive change wherever we can.
 

Maxine Taffetani, CEO Healthwatch Milton Keynes

You might also be interested in