Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, when they implement the recommendations of the Review of patient safety across the health and care landscape in relation to Healthwatch England, to ensure that there is an independent voice for patients at a national level.

As set out in the Dash Report and the 10-Year Health Plan for England, the strategic functions of Healthwatch England will transfer to a new directorate for patient experience within the Department.

We are committed to ensuring that the patient voice is not only heard but embedded at the highest levels of our leadership and decision-making structures. By creating clear routes for patient insight, feedback, and lived experience to directly influence senior leaders at the national level, we will ensure that policies, strategic priorities, and service design will be shaped by what matters most to the people who use health services.