The priority of our reforms around patient and public voice is not to maintain the current independent structures, but to strengthen the patient and public voices so that they drive real change and improvement at all levels of the health and social care system. We are doing this by bringing patient and public voices closer to decision-makers, rather than by keeping it at arms-length, so what people say cannot be ignored and has a more direct impact on services.

At a local level, we are placing responsibility for listening to patients and the public with the organisations that plan and deliver services, namely local authorities for social care, and integrated care boards for healthcare. At the national level, we are bringing patient voice into the Department, through a new Patient Experience Directorate, where it can drive real change.