Health Bill update: What could the changes mean for Healthwatch?
The future of Healthwatch is being debated in Parliament. The Health Bill has now passed through the House of Commons and moved to the House of Lords. Plans to close Healthwatch are still included, but the Government has said it will look at them again following concerns raised by MPs.
What you need to know
- The Government’s plans to change Healthwatch are still in the Health Bill, but ministers have said they will look at them again.
- Nothing changes for now. Healthwatch North Yorkshire remains open, independent and working as normal.
- The Bill is now moving through the House of Lords, with further opportunities for it to be scrutinised and changed.
So, what does that mean for Healthwatch – and, more importantly, for people in North Yorkshire who want to have their say about health and social care?
There is still some way to go before we know the answer.
September 2026 update: What's changed?
The Health Bill completed its final stage in the House of Commons on 8 September 2026.
During the debate, MPs raised concerns about what could be lost if local Healthwatch organisations were closed.
Changes were put forward that would have removed the plans to close Healthwatch from the Bill. These were not agreed, so the plans remain.
But the conversation isn't over.
Health Minister Karin Smyth told MPs that the Government had heard the strength of feeling about Healthwatch and would work with MPs and members of the House of Lords to review this part of the Bill.
She said:
“We have heard the strength of feeling in this place and through committee and as this bill moves to the other place, I can commit to working closer with colleagues across this house and in the other place to review these provisions to ensure our approach sufficiently empowers and devolves to local populations.”
She added:
“We want all to ensure that these changes deliver for patients and service users. Building public trust and ensuring their voice is embedded in the care that they receive.”
So, while the plans to close Healthwatch are still there, they are not necessarily final. There is still an opportunity for them to change.
The Bill moved to the House of Lords on 9 September 2026. Members of the Lords are due to debate it on 13 October 2026.
What is the Health Bill - and what does it say about Healthwatch?
The Health Bill includes major changes to Healthwatch at both national and local level.
Healthwatch England currently leads the national Healthwatch network and uses what local Healthwatch organisations hear from people across the country to highlight issues at a national level.
Under the current plans, Healthwatch England would be abolished as an independent organisation and its national work would move into the Department of Health and Social Care.
For local Healthwatch, the Bill would end the current requirement for councils to arrange a local Healthwatch organisation. Some responsibilities for hearing people's experiences would instead sit with NHS organisations and councils.
That means organisations such as Healthwatch North Yorkshire may no longer exist in their current form.
The Government says it wants listening to people's experiences to become a bigger part of how health and care organisations work.
We support that aim. People's experiences should help shape care.
The question is how that can happen while making sure people still have somewhere independent to speak openly about their experiences.
How did we get here in the first place?
The Health Bill was introduced to Parliament earlier this year.
On 1 June 2026, MPs debated its main ideas in the House of Commons. MPs from different political parties raised concerns about the plans for Healthwatch.
The Bill then went to a smaller group of MPs, known as a Public Bill Committee, which looked at the proposals in more detail between June and July. Healthwatch England and other organisations gave evidence about the proposed changes.
It returned to the full House of Commons in September, where MPs had another opportunity to debate it and suggest changes before it completed its Commons stages on 8 September.
Now it's the turn of the House of Lords.
Why does having somewhere independent to speak up matter?
Put simply, it can be difficult to speak openly about an organisation when you're relying on that same organisation for your care.
You might have had a poor experience at hospital. Perhaps you've struggled to get a GP appointment, had problems arranging care for a family member, or tried to raise a concern and felt nobody was really listening.
Or you might just be unsure who to talk to.
That's where having somewhere independent can help.
Healthwatch is separate from the organisations that provide, plan or pay for NHS and social care.
We listen. We look at whether other people are telling us similar things. And we use what we hear to ask questions and push for improvements.
That doesn't just mean hearing about things that have gone wrong. People tell us when they've had good care too. That's important because it helps show what's working and what could work well elsewhere.
Being independent means we can:
- listen to your experience without being part of the organisation providing your care
- raise concerns when people tell us something isn't working
- publish what we find and say where we think things could be better
- take people's experiences directly to those making decisions about health and social care
- follow up issues and ask what's being done about them
- help people find information and work out where to go for further help.
What people tell us can show things that figures, targets and official reports sometimes can't.
It's the everyday reality of using the NHS and social care.
What could this mean here in North Yorkshire?
Your care doesn't always fit neatly into one organisation.
You might leave hospital and need support from your GP, community health teams and council social care. From your point of view, it's all part of the same experience.
You shouldn't need to understand which organisation is responsible for which bit before you can tell someone what worked – or what went wrong.
Having an independent local organisation means we can listen to that whole experience, rather than just the part involving one organisation.
And North Yorkshire brings its own challenges.
We're a huge county. What it's like getting health or social care in Scarborough can be very different from someone's experience in Skipton, Richmond or a small rural village.
Distance matters. Transport matters. What's available locally matters too.
We hear from people living in our towns, villages and rural communities, and those experiences aren't always the same.
Whatever happens next, it's important that people across North Yorkshire still have somewhere to share those experiences – and know they'll be heard.
What are Healthwatch and other organisations saying?
Healthwatch organisations across England have been making the case for an independent voice to remain part of whatever comes next.
Other organisations representing people who use health and social care, as well as councils, have also raised concerns about the plans.
Healthwatch is putting forward ideas about the future too. These include looking at how the current Healthwatch model could be kept and strengthened, as well as what a new independent way of hearing people's experiences could look like.
This isn't simply about protecting an organisation called Healthwatch.
It's about the person who's had a difficult experience and doesn't know who to tell. The family member who's struggling to find the right support. Or someone who's already spoken up but doesn't feel anything has changed.
That's the important bit.
What happens next?
The Health Bill moved to the House of Lords on 9 September. Its next major stage is on 13 October 2026, when members of the Lords will debate it.
There won't be a final decision on 13 October.
There are several stages still to come. After the debate, the Bill is expected to be looked at in detail by the House of Lords later in October and into November, when further changes can be proposed.
It is then expected to go through its remaining stages in the Lords before returning to the House of Commons if changes have been made.
The exact timetable can change, but the process is expected to continue over the coming months.
Healthwatch organisations will continue making the case for an independent voice for people using health and social care as the Bill moves through Parliament.
Here in North Yorkshire, we'll also continue talking to local health and care organisations about how people's experiences can remain a strong part of decisions about care, whatever happens next.
We'll keep a close eye on what happens in Parliament and let you know when there is more to share.
Have your say
While all this is being discussed in Parliament, Healthwatch North Yorkshire is still here.
You can tell us about your experience of health or social care – good or bad. You can take part in our surveys and other work, or contact us if you need information about where to find help.
Perhaps something worked really well. Maybe something needs to change. Or you might simply want someone independent to hear what happened.
We want to hear from you.
What you tell us helps us understand what's really happening across North Yorkshire and push for better health and social care.
