The proposals do not seem to meet many of the key requirements for patient empowerment.
Independence is particularly important in relation to the advocacy role.
It is essential that any new bodies for patient empowerment are representative of all parts of the community and can demonstrate a degree of cultural competence in meeting the needs of all the communities they serve. We accept that CHCs, as they themselves have recognised, need to be modernised and rejuvenated. But in many areas they have been powerful and effective tools in gaining a fair deal for patients and local communities. They also have important statutory rights to be consulted on a range of issues which appear to be lost in the new proposals.