A briefing paper that highlights four case study examples of where having an independent people's voice organisation is essential to improving health and social care.

On Wednesday, 18 March 2026, The King's Fund, working in partnership with Healthwatch England, published its independent review of the Healthwatch model across England. The report examines what has worked, the challenges the model has faced, and what the future of people and community voice should look like.

In anticipation of the publication, we have published a detailed account of four recent cases where independent community insight led directly to improvements in health and care services in Leeds - changes that, in each case, may not have been achieved without an independent organisation.

The case studies span mental health crisis services, care for people with learning disabilities, national accessibility policy, and the design of Leeds' new neighbourhood health model. Together, they make a straightforward argument: that an independent people's voice organisation is not a nice-to-have. It is what makes the difference between services that improve and services that don't. This supports the key finding of the King's Fund report 'The future of patient voice: learning from the Healthwatch model' which states "Any future model must enhance – not weaken – the system’s capacity to hear, understand and respond to people’s experiences. It needs to maintain a level of independence from the health and care system to ensure that whatever is put in place can speak truth to power and raise difficult messages where necessary."

Click on the button below to read the briefing paper.

Please get in touch if you require the report in a different format. Either call 0113 898 0035, email info@healthwatchleeds.co.uk or text 07717 309 843.