Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, when implementing the recommendations of the Review of patient safety across the health and care landscape, to ensure that integrated care boards are properly scrutinised by an independent patient body when they propose a major change to their services.

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.