State of support - local Healthwatch finances 2018/19
Our latest report sets out what funding the Healthwatch network has received to carry out its statutory activities in 2018/19.
Summary
Each year we publish ‘State of Support’, a report that sets out the funding local Healthwatch have received from local authorities.
While demand is increasing, both from people and professionals seeking our help, investment in our work to understand what people really want from care has fallen by over a third (35%) since 2013.
Our Chair, Sir Robert Francis has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to highlight the findings from the latest funding figures and to request a meeting to discuss the need for a sustainable solution to continue to give people a strong voice in the big decisions in health and social care.
Key findings
- For 2018/19, local Healthwatch are projected to receive £26,064,086 in funding from local authorities. This has fallen by 4.3% compared to funding from the previous year. This decrease in funding for local Healthwatch is an improvement on our initial estimates that funding would fall by 10%.
- However, the reported funding reductions are concentrated in just a third (56) of local Healthwatch services. Local Healthwatch in these areas are facing an average cut of 10.4%.
- Local Healthwatch in 18 areas have seen their funding fall well below the average this year, with some seeing cuts by almost 50% in this year alone.
Downloads
If you need this in a different format, please email enquiries@healthwatch.co.uk or call 03000 68 3000.
State of Support
Our letter to the Secretary of State
