Two letters published in the Guardian warn that the government's plan to abolish statutory NHS trust governors and Healthwatch will undermine local accountability in England's health service. Jean Flanagan, a former health professional and principal nursing educator, argues that removing hundreds of skilled volunteer governors is ill-advised, while Jonathan Phillips, co-chair of Healthwatch Leeds, says the loss of Healthwatch will leave local people without a trusted independent body to address problems like AI receptionists failing to understand regional accents.
Governors bring essential local scrutiny
Flanagan, who has volunteered as a governor at two hospital trusts in Yorkshire for several years, points out that the latest health plan for England, due to be ratified by parliament this autumn, abolishes the role of statutory governors on all health trusts. She was elected locally and has brought years of experience to the role. She says that for any organisation to wilfully remove hundreds of such skilled and committed activists from their supportive scrutiny seems ill-advised.
Flanagan describes local scrutiny by informed practitioners as an essential check on the powers of a centralising Department of Health and health minister. She suspects that the government's replacement of governors with "more dynamic stakeholders" is shorthand for health industry shareholders. She finds it strange that a Labour government would propose such "bureaucratic butchery" and hopes the concerned public can prevent this centralisation of hospital oversight.
Healthwatch abolition leaves a gap
Jonathan Phillips, co-chair of Healthwatch Leeds, refers to a Guardian article from 21 August about Healthwatch Rotherham's concerns that an AI telephone receptionist used by GP practices could not understand broad Yorkshire accents. He says the story was amusing but had serious undertones, as access to GP services is an issue Healthwatch has highlighted across the country. In Leeds, he says their work has led to welcome improvement.
Phillips notes that the government is abolishing Healthwatch, so local people will no longer have a trusted independent organisation to which they can refer problems such as the AI receptionist failings. He says the health bill is still being debated, and hopes the government sees sense so that the experience of people using health and care is still heard loud and clear, as that is how things get better.
