According to BBC reports the Government is to abolish over 200 supervisory organisations in the health service, including Healthwatch England, local Healthwatch bodies, such as Healthwatch Reading, the Office of the National Guardian, which is supposed to support whistleblowers and offer training related to whistle blowing and the Health Services Safety Investigations Board.
Healthwatch Reading represents patients on the Reading Health and Wellbeing Board and in many discussions on the commissioning of health services with the BOB Integrated Care Board. How will this now be facilitated?
Our view is that the NHS should adopt a no-fault approach to medical errors and encourage whistle-blowing rather than abolishing the body supposedly supporting whistle blowers.