PATIENT watchdogs have been shut down and some will not be replaced in some areas of Greater Manchester for months.
Patient and Public Involvement Forums (PPIF) were shut down by the government at the end of March but councils in Salford, Bury, Tameside and Trafford have not yet chosen organisations to replace them.
Some may not be up and running until September despite the contracts being due to start on July 1.
Only Oldham, Stockport and Wigan have appointed `hosts' to run their new Local Involvement Networks (LINks).
They are in the process of recruiting staff but say it will take weeks before they begin to function properly.
The watchdogs will have a wider remit such as monitoring social services.
But critics claim they will have `less bite' than the groups they replace.
Judie Collins, a former members of the Trafford forum said: "Patients and the public are not being represented whilst council are setting up the LINks. Many of the PPIFs felt they were just starting to make a difference when they were shut."
Councils across the country have been given £80m to set up the new watchdogs and appoint host organisations to recruit volunteer members.
Carers Federation
Wigan council have chosen the Carers Federation to run their LINk, Oldham have chosen the Gaddum Centre and Stockport have chosen Age Concern.
Health Minister Ann Keen said: "The government wants everyone to be able to have their say about local health and social care services and the ability to influence how they are run.
"LINks will build on the good work of the forums and will have similar powers to hold local services to account. However, they will be larger and will aim to represent everyone in the community."
A spokeswoman for Trafford council said: "There will be robust transitional arrangements which are likely to continue for a short while after the start of the contract to make sure that none of the valuable work already carried out or any important issues arising in the first few months are lost or diluted as the host organisation establishes itself."
Bolton, Bury and Rochdale councils are expected to select a host next month.
A Bury council spokeswoman said: "We do not have a host in place and will be using transitional arrangements until the host is appointed although we are on target to hit the required deadlines."
In Stockport, where Age Concern will run the LINk, a council spokesman said: "A Getting Ready for LINks Steering Group and the Host will support transitional arrangements involving existing Patients' Forums and other interested groups."
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Some watchdogs won't be replaced
April 16, 2008
Showing comments 1 to 3 and replies | View All
Princess_Pam, Crumpsall (16/04/2008 at 11:21)
Governments have never liked independent bodies that may be critical of government policies but why close these relatively cheap bodies when billions of pounds are year are spent by QUANGOS which are not representative or accountable to anybody. For example, the North West hasn't been allowed a vote on a regional parliament, but millions are still spent on regional bodies in their place.
In the United States, not a country I am fond of, they have thousands of elections a year. Not only do they elect their President, Senators, governors, counsellors, but also their chief of police, their senior council officials, their fire chief, etc etc. Whilst there country may be flawed because of the political nature of their courts, they still show more democratic willing.
If a Body such as Health Monitors are critical, that is a good thing. They should not be abolished. Get rid of ancient posts such as Black Rod, keeper of the queens ferrets and others ridiculous things first.
Kev P, Manchester city centre (17/04/2008 at 14:19)
Le Comte Bobelesque d'Ancoats, MANCHESTER (17/04/2008 at 14:47)