Community Health Council

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.

Community health councils were obliged to meet in public under the provisions of the Community Health Councils (Access to Information) Act 1988. They were entitled to be consulted about the provision of local pharmacies. Half the members were appointed by local authorities, a third by local voluntary organisations and a sixth by the Regional health authority, which provided the finance to pay staff and costs. They were entitled to be consulted on any substantial development of the health service and on any proposals to make any substantial variation in the service. The question of what constituted a substantial variation was subject to repeated litigation.

They were abolished in 2003 in England as part of the NHS Plan 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, Public and Patient Involvement Forums, was established in 2003. These were replaced by local involvement networks (LINks) and these have now also been superseded in NHS England by the establishment - as a result of the English NHS reforms in 2012 - by new organisations called Healthwatch. These do not, however, have the same resources, statutory powers or responsibilities as CHCs.

Up until 2010 there were 19 CHCs in Wales. However, as a result of the passing by the Welsh Assembly Government of the Community Health Councils (Constitution, Membership and Procedures) (Wales) Regulations 2010, these were replaced by eight CHCs. These covered larger geographical areas, and were largely co-terminus with the smaller number of health boards which had been established to replace most NHS Trusts in Wales. The community health councils in Wales work to enhance and improve the quality of your local health service. They are the patients statutory and independent voice in health services provided throughout Wales.

Members are drawn equally from three sources; local authority representatives, nominees from local third-sector bodies and members appointed by the Minister in response to advert. CHCs also have the right to co-opt non-voting members to the council.

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