Healthwatch Doncaster: Independent voice on NHS and social care 'under threat', says CEO
The independent voice holding NHS and social care services accountable is “under threat”, the CEO of Healthwatch Doncaster has said.
Under the new 10-year Health Plan, the government proposes abolishing Healthwatch England and the 152 local Healthwatches across the country – a move being protested by local groups.
Fran Joel, CEO of Healthwatch Doncaster, said: “I’m not fighting for Healthwatch. If you look at the petition, all the Healthwatchs are fighting for that independent voice.”
Local healthwatches are petitioning the government to revisit its decision to abolish the statutory powers the organisations hold.
Ms Joel continued: “Doncaster has a good relationship with Healthwatch. Every council has to have a Healthwatch.
“In law, there’s statutory powers we have on anything that is publicly funded in health and social care. We can walk in and say ‘Hi, what are you doing?’. I can walk in and do a report on them, I can make recommendations and I present them to [the City of Doncaster Council].
“If you have a problem in Doncaster, you come to me. If they don’t answer me, I can do a review. I can talk about – does the door open wide enough; where can I put a wheelchair when I’m there; how do they speak to me? They have to respond.
“That’s the power they are taking away. It’s independent voices.”
The scope of local Healthwatches cover both the NHS and social care services, provided in Doncaster by the council – eliminating the hassle of being bounced back and forth between the two organisations.
“We can hold them both to account,” Ms Joel said. “If they take away that independent voice, who will be at the table? We speak for everybody.
“What they are proposing is that our power is taken out of law… It will be people marking their own homework.”
The department of health and social care did not respond to the Local Democracy Reporting Service when approached for comment.
Under the current plans, Healthwatches across the UK will lose their legal powers between October 2026 and March 2027.
Without change, it will mark an end to 50 years offering a safe, impartial place to turn for advice, support, and to raise concerns.
Ms Joel said: “This is not just about structure: it’s about trust. It’s about whether people will still have somewhere to go where their stories won’t be filtered, reshaped, or buried.”