Government responds to national petition to save Healthwatch

The Government has responded to the petition to save Healthwatch, after plans were announced earlier this year to close down Healthwatch England and the local Healthwatch network as part of the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

The petition, which is open until  7 February 2026, calls on the Government to:

• Revisit its decision to abolish local independent services that speak up for the public

• Consult with the public to codesign a service which meets their needs and supports the NHS to realise its ambitions

• Invest in and strengthen independent services

As the petition has reached 10,000 signatures, the Government has now issued a response which can be viewed by clicking here.

We want to thank everyone who has signed the petition so far and who continues to support and connect with us.

In July, we co-signed a letter with other local Healthwatch to fight against the closure plans, and there is still time to sign the petition if you haven't yet. With 100,000 signatures, the Government will have to consider debating this in Parliament.

Sign the petition to save Healthwatch here.