VOLUNTEERS are needed to join health watchdog bodies being set up in the region.

More than 100 people are needed to get Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forums off the ground by December 1.

On that day, community health councils (CHC), which have been serving NHS users since the 1970s, cease to exist.

But one North-East community health council chief officer criticised the timetable, set by the new Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH), as unrealistic.

Sharon Grant, of the CPPIH, said: "The arrival of the forums presents a unique opportunity to put the public at the centre of health, and to reform the whole culture of healthcare."

Each area which has a primary care or a hospital trust will need to find a minimum of seven people to enable a network of health forums to be established.

Set up and supported by the CPPIH, the PPI Forums will have powers to make checks on the standard of local health services and influence decision-making.

But Peter Johnson, chief officer of Middlesbrough CHC, said: "Considering that it took at least a year to train a CHC member to the point that they are effective, I would say that the deadline seems to be completely unrealistic." He also raised concerns about where the new volunteers will come from.

Anyone interested in becoming a PPI Forum member is asked to call 0845 120 7115 for an application pack, or visit www.maketimeforhealth.org