Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that a nationally-determined and ring-fenced budget is maintained for each integrated care board, to fund community and user input, when they implement the recommendations of the Review of patient safety across the health and care landscape in relation to local Healthwatch.

The Government has accepted the Dash review recommendations and will abolish Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch (LHW) in their current form.

We are proposing to place responsibility for the health function of LHW with integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs will ensure the functions are incorporated in provider organisations alongside existing patient engagement work such as Patient Participation Groups. Local authorities will be responsible for the social care LHW functions.

However, the abolition of Healthwatch England and LHW arrangements will require primary legislation and is subject to the will of Parliament. Details of how any proposed changes will impact ICBs will be developed in due course.