Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that patient experience data and intelligence is independently aggregated and analysed following the abolition of local Healthwatch.

Following the abolition of local Healthwatch, our proposals are that integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities (LAs) will have the responsibility for gathering views, and feedback from local people about health and social care services respectively in their area.

ICBs and LAs will be required to take these views into account when looking at their commissioning strategies to ensure these meet the needs of local people. They will also be required to demonstrate that they have done so.

However, these proposals require primary legislation. The timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows.