Scrapping Community Health Councils

The proposal to scrap Community Health Councils (CHCs) and replace them with patients' panels within Trusts and official patients' advocates was simply anti-democratic. Patients' panels were unlikely to be able to achieve many of the recommendations of the Hutton Commission. See Guardian 13 September 2000.

For all CHCs' weaknesses and lack of mandate, they are not entirely dependent on Government patronage, and are an alternative voice to the otherwise all-powerful Department of Health. See Guardian leader, March 30, 2000 and a summary of other press comments. This move was comparable to a previous Government abolishing the Greater London Council. Democracy needs to exist at all levels of community, but the most powerful and least accountable level, currently the ministers in Westminster are easily tempted to marginalise other levels, both local and international.

In Parliament the abolition of Community Health Councils was mitigated by the establishment of Patients' Councils, which in theory should have broader powers. We have yet to see how they are elected (and therefore how they can claim a legitimate representative role) and how effective they are.

The Health and Social Care Act 2001 initially preserved Community Health Councils, because the Government had to make concessions to get the Bill through the House of Lords before the General Election. The Government  announced that it still planned to legislate to scrap Community Health Councils.

The National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 does provide for the abolition of CHCs in England, but not in Wales.  The Government has consulted on arrangements to replace them with Patients' Forums and with scrutiny by local authorities (mainly county councils).  The proposals have been modified after consultation and now seek to draw on the expertise of CHC members and staff, and to strengthen patient advocacy and complaints services.  Crucially staff working to support patients with grievances and the wider community will not be employed by NHS Trusts but will be employed by the national body co-ordinating patient representation.  See our response in December 2001.

CHCs continue to function in theory until December 2003.  As the previous closure date of 1 September was only revised in June, they are unlikely to be effective in their last few months.

The Government is proposing that Patients' Forums will not have any role in relation to Foundation Trusts.

The above was written before Patient and Public Involvement Forums were established and has not been updated.