What the NHS Modernisation Bill means for people in Leeds
Published: 14 May 2026
You may have seen the news this week about big changes proposed for the NHS, and you may be wondering what it all means for Healthwatch Leeds and, more importantly, for you. We want to be clear: Healthwatch Leeds is still here. We are still listening, still working, and still on your side.
What has happened this week?
On Wednesday 13 May, the King's Speech confirmed that the Government plans to introduce an NHS Modernisation Bill. The full text of the Bill has now been published, and it includes plans to abolish local Healthwatch organisations, including Healthwatch Leeds and Healthwatch England.
We have been the independent voice for people in Leeds for over a decade, and we remain deeply concerned about what these proposals could mean for communities across our city.
But we also want you to know nothing changes today. The Bill still must pass through Parliament. That process takes time, and things can still change along the way.
What does Healthwatch Leeds actually do?
We are here for the people of Leeds. Our job is to listen to your experiences of health and care (whether good, bad, or somewhere in between) and make sure those experiences reach the people with the power to make things better.
We are independent. That means we do not work for the NHS, the council, or the Government. We work for you.
People come to us when:
- they cannot get a GP or dentist appointment
- something has gone wrong with their care
- they are not sure where to turn for help
- they feel they have not been listened to
- they want to share what has worked well
We also go out into communities across Leeds: to community centres, libraries, events, and meeting places. We hear from older people, younger people, disabled people, carers, people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, people who are digitally excluded, and many others whose voices are not always heard loudly enough in the health and care system.
Everything we hear shapes our reports, our conversations with NHS Trusts, Leeds City Council and the Leeds Integrated Care Board, and the changes we push for on your behalf.
So, what does the Bill propose?
The Bill proposes to remove the legal basis for local Healthwatch organisations entirely.
Under the current proposals:
- Leeds Integrated Care Board would take on responsibility for gathering feedback about NHS care in Leeds.
- Leeds City Council would take on responsibility for gathering feedback about social care.
We have serious concerns about this. When the organisations responsible for delivering care are also the ones collecting feedback about that care, there is a real risk that they end up ‘marking their own homework’. Independent challenge matters. It is what gives people the confidence to speak honestly, without fear that it will affect their care.
We are also worried about who gets left out. Our research shows that digital-only feedback tools do not reach everyone. They do not reach people who don't feel safe raising concerns directly with providers. They do not reach people who need an independent advocate by their side.
In Leeds, that includes people from diverse communities, disabled people, carers, migrants, people who don't speak English as a first language, and people who are digitally excluded. These are exactly the people whose voices our health and care system most needs to hear and they are most at risk of being silenced if independent Healthwatch goes.
Why does independence matter so much?
Healthwatch was created in 2012, following the Mid-Staffordshire NHS scandal. It was created specifically because the health system needed an independent watchdog, someone outside the system who could hear what was really going on and speak up without fear or favour.
When people share their experiences with us, they do so because they trust us to be genuinely independent. That trust is hard-won and easily lost.
If feedback moves in-house to the very organisations providing care, we believe that trust will be damaged and the voices of people in Leeds will be quieter as a result.
What the evidenece says
The King's Fund report
In March 2026, The King's Fund published an independent review of the Healthwatch model across England, commissioned jointly with Healthwatch England. The report looked at what has worked well, what challenges the model has faced, and what a future people's voice organisation should look like.
Its central finding was clear: any future model must strengthen, not weaken, the health and care system's ability to hear and respond to people's experiences. Crucially, it said that whatever replaces Healthwatch must maintain independence from the health and care system, so that it can speak truth to power and raise difficult messages where necessary.
That is exactly what Healthwatch Leeds has been doing for over a decade. And it is precisely what would be lost if independent Healthwatch disappears.
The Healthwatch Leeds Impact Briefing
We have put together a briefing paper that sets out four real examples of where having an independent people's voice organisation led directly to improvements in health and care services in Leeds, changes that may not have happened otherwise.
The four case studies cover mental health crisis services, care for people with learning disabilities, national accessibility policy, and the design of Leeds' new neighbourhood health model. Together, they show clearly that independent community insight is not a nice-to-have. It is what makes the difference between services that improve and services that don't.
The Discovery Report
Earlier this month, we published an independent Discovery Report, written by Sue Hoey — someone completely independent from Healthwatch Leeds. Sue spoke to a wide range of people: members of the public, partner organisations, senior leaders in health and care, third sector organisations, and involvement leads. She gathered views through surveys, interviews and workshops.
The findings were striking. People across the board said it is essential that any future organisation is independent and impartial. They want to see the valued work Healthwatch Leeds currently does continue and grow. They said people's views and experiences should be at the heart of decision-making, that listening should be genuinely joined-up, and that far more effort is needed to hear from marginalised and underrepresented communities.
This is not Healthwatch Leeds making the case for itself. These are the views of the people and partners we work with, gathered independently and published openly.
What happens next?
The Bill must now go through Parliament. That means debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and the opportunity for MPs and peers to challenge, change, or improve what is being proposed.
The earliest any changes could take effect is April 2027. There is still time to make the case for an independent voice.
Healthwatch Leeds will be writing to local MPs to ask them to stand up for the people of Leeds in these debates. We would encourage you to do the same.
We have created a template letter that you can use to write to your MP. It takes just a few minutes, and it really does make a difference when MPs hear directly from people in their constituency.
You can also contact your MP directly and ask them:
- Whether they have read Schedule 10 of the NHS Modernisation Bill
- Whether they will fight to protect an independent voice in health and social care for people in Leeds
What does this mean for you right now
Nothing changes right now. Healthwatch Leeds is open, our team is here, and we want to hear from you.
If you have had an experience of health or care in Leeds (good or bad) please share it with us. Every experience matters. What you tell us helps us build a picture of what is working, what is not, and what needs to change.
We will keep you updated as things develop.
Thank you for your continued support. It means the world to us.