The Health Bill, which includes clauses set to abolish Healthwatch England and the local Healthwatch network including Healthwatch York, completed its 3rd reading in the House of Commons earlier in September and has moved to the House of Lords.
In the final reading in the House of Commons minister Karin Smyth responded to MPs concerns that the abolition of Healthwatch could result in the loss of independent scrutiny and diminish patient voice, saying:
"I can commit to working closely with colleagues across this House and in the other place in order to review these provisions and ensure that our approach sufficiently empowers and devolves to local populations. We all want to ensure that the changes deliver for patients and service users, building public trust and ensuring that their voice is embedded in the care they receive."
In response, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) reported that this is an indication by the minister that the government could drop or modify plans to abolish Healthwatch in order to retain an independent voice for patients.
The bill will be further debated in the House of Lords on 13th October and we will follow its progress there.
Follow the progress of the Health Bill on UK Parliament website: Health Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament