Harrogate MP says success for Healthwatch campaign 'shows that you can stop bad decisions in their tracks'

Harrogate’s MP has welcomed the Government's U-turn on plans to abolish an independent champion for patients and care users in England after “fighting to save it from day one”.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough said the Government's decision to save Healthwatch was a “ well-deserved win for patients”.

"I've seen the brilliant work Healthwatch does here in North Yorkshire,” said Mr Gordon..

“They're a vital champion for patients, making sure their voices are heard by the people running their care.

"The Government quietly slipped this U-turn out under cover of the Budget but I won't let that take away from a well-deserved win for patients,” said Mr Gordon.

“But Healthwatch has been saved and that's a huge win for patients in North Yorkshire and across the country.”

It was in July last year that the Government announced that Healthwatch was to be scrapped.

Opponents, including the Harrogate MP, feared that wold mean removing the independent scrutiny that makes sure NHS leaders listen to patients and act on local feedback.

At the time, Mr Gordon wrote to the then Health Secretary and campaigned to save the organisation in Westminster and across North Yorkshire.

Working with Healthwatch North Yorkshire, he took their concerns to Parliament, using debates on eating disorders and Type 1 diabetes to ask who would speak up for these patients and hold their services to account once Healthwatch was gone.

"I've fought to save Healthwatch from day one, and I want to thank Chris Brackley, former Chair of Healthwatch North Yorkshire, for bringing it to my attention last year,” said Mr Gordon.

“We worried it was a done deal, but this shows that you can stop bad decisions in their tracks.”