South West Clinical Senate Citizens’ Assembly Annual Report 2025/ 2026
The South West Clinical Senate Citizens’ Assembly (CA) is a unique patient and public engagement body. It brings together representatives from the 14 Healthwatch organisations alongside co-opted members agreed by the Assembly, ensuring that patient and public voices are embedded within the work and recommendations of the South West Clinical Senate. This annual report sets out the activities, achievements, and impact of the Citizens’ Assembly over the past year.
Our partnerships are vital in ensuring that the CA is informed by a wide range of perspectives and experiences. We work closely with Healthwatch organisations, system partners, and other stakeholders across the South West to support meaningful patient and public involvement, and to strengthen the quality and relevance of the Clinical Senate’s advice and recommendations.
In July 2025, the Government announced its 10-Year Plan, alongside proposals for the closure of Healthwatch’s from 2028. While these changes will be subject to legislative processes, the announcement has caused significant concern regarding the future of an independent local voice for users of health and social care services.
In response, the CA has worked collectively to listen to local voices across the South West, raised through our members. We have reflected on learning from Clinical Senate deliberative topic reviews, Healthwatch reports and ‘Enter and View’ visits. Through this work, we have heard what matters to people and tried to represent their experiences and raise concerns with the services and decision-makers who need to hear them.