Community Health Council
Encyclopedia
Community Health Councils were established in 1974 to provide a voice for patients and the public in the National Health Service
(NHS) in England
and Wales
.
They were abolished in 2003 in England as part of the NHS Plan announced in July 2000. Unlike the other proposals in the Plan there was no preceding discussion about this move, nor any clear explanation for this decision, which aroused considerable unhappiness amongst the staff and members. In England a new structure, Patient and Public Involvement Forums, was established in 2003.
The 19 Community Health Councils (CHC)in Wales work to enhance and improve the quality of your local health service. We are your statutory and independent voice in health services provided throughout Wales. The key function of the CHC is to represent the interests of the public in the health service in their district. Each CHC currently monitors and evaluates from the patient's viewpoint the effectiveness of NHS services provided by all NHS establishments, including hospitals, GPs, pharmacies, opticians, care homes, dentists, etc. Every autumn, the Hospital Patient Environment (HPE) visits take place, this is where all 19 CHCs collect data on their local district general and a selection of community hospitals and report on their finding. A report is produced on these findings by the Board of Community Health Councils and sent to the Welsh Assembly Government. The Board of Community Health Councils in Wales is the National body for all CHCs in Wales.
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
(NHS) in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
They were abolished in 2003 in England as part of the NHS Plan announced in July 2000. Unlike the other proposals in the Plan there was no preceding discussion about this move, nor any clear explanation for this decision, which aroused considerable unhappiness amongst the staff and members. In England a new structure, Patient and Public Involvement Forums, was established in 2003.
The 19 Community Health Councils (CHC)in Wales work to enhance and improve the quality of your local health service. We are your statutory and independent voice in health services provided throughout Wales. The key function of the CHC is to represent the interests of the public in the health service in their district. Each CHC currently monitors and evaluates from the patient's viewpoint the effectiveness of NHS services provided by all NHS establishments, including hospitals, GPs, pharmacies, opticians, care homes, dentists, etc. Every autumn, the Hospital Patient Environment (HPE) visits take place, this is where all 19 CHCs collect data on their local district general and a selection of community hospitals and report on their finding. A report is produced on these findings by the Board of Community Health Councils and sent to the Welsh Assembly Government. The Board of Community Health Councils in Wales is the National body for all CHCs in Wales.