As the Health and Social Care Bill enters its final stages in the House of Lords, children and young people's organisations, from a cross-sector group led by NCB, have come together to urge peers to make sure that children and young people have a voice in shaping the health service and the care they receive.
Fifteen organisations – convened by NCB and including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Participation Works partnership – are backing amendments to the bill to make explicit that new local HealthWatch organisations and HealthWatch England, which are being set up to give people a say on their local health and social care services, must proactively engage with children and young people.
Zoe Renton, head of policy at NCB, said: "Government must be clear from the start that patient and public involvement in the health services really includes children and young people. National leadership and support for local HealthWatch on this issue will be key to enabling children and young people’s views to be heard."
- The joint briefing on the amendments to the bill is available from www.ncb.org.uk/policy/parliamentary-briefings
