The role of Community Health Councils – which act as a patients’ watchdog for the NHS in Wales – are to be reviewed, the Welsh Government has announced.
The eight CHCs provide a voice for patients and monitor the provision of local health services.
Established in April 2010, the Health Minister at the time, Edwina Hart, committed to a review after they had been in operation for two years.
The review, starting this April, will be undertaken by Professor Marcus Longley, Director and Professor of Applied Health Policy at the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care.
It will look at a range of issues such as CHCs governance, structure, links to the Welsh Government and how CHCs and Local Health Boards can work together for the benefit of people in Wales.
Current Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said: “We all use the NHS in one form or another and it is important the voice of patients is heard.
“Since their inception in 2010, Community Health Councils have worked hard to ensure patients’ views are heard by all of the organisations who provide healthcare in Wales.
“It is now the right time to take stock of their work to ensure they provide value for money and ensure they are fit for purpose for the future, particularly because the way some services are delivered locally will change in future.
“All CHCs will of course be key participants in the process.”
Carol Lamyman-Davies, Director of the Board of Community Health Councils in Wales, said: “We welcome this review as an opportunity to outline where CHCs are providing value and appropriate scrutiny of local health services, and also recommend how best they should be structured to continue to provide this role in the future.”
The review will report to the Health Minister in June, followed by formal consultation on its recommendations over the summer. The Minister will report the conclusion of the consultation in the Autumn.