FEARS are growing that some of the region's health watchdogs will be without premises, staff or equipment following last week's Government U-turn on health councils.

Community Health Councils (CHC) were to have been abolished on September 1, but Health Minister David Lammy has announced they are to continue until December 1.

Mr Lammy said he had decided to extend the life of CHC's by three months to allow more time for independent monitoring bodies to be set up.

The decision took CHC staff and members in the North-East by surprise, at a time when they had been winding down.

Peter Johnson, chief officer of South Tees CHC, said: "Apart from worrying whether we will have anywhere to operate from, we have also terminated the leasing agreement on our equipment. On September 1, we will no longer have photocopiers, franking machines or phones."

Mr Johnson said the decision had left CHC staff and members "very angry" at the way they had been treated.

E-mails between CHCs were "full of fury", he added.

While the region's 28 CHCs are now expected to continue their watchdog roles until December 1, Mr Johnson said they were likely to be reduced to skeleton organisations with few staff and members.

Every CHC will now have to notify large numbers of voluntary organisations and NHS contacts to tell them that they will still be in business, said Mr Johnson.

Linda Allen, acting chief officer at Darlington and Teesdale CHC, said: "We have got a to-let sign outside our premises and the landlord is showing people around. We really do not know whether we can stay. We could be on the street."

She added that a social event to thank CHC volunteers for their help over the years has been cancelled.

Christine Szary, acting chief officer at Northallerton CHC, said: "It is all very unsettling."

In a statement, Mr Lammy said that the system of patient and public involvement in the NHS that will be in place from September 1 "provides far greater support for patients than ever before".

He said the programme to set up patients' forums will be "well under way" at that time, and will be supported by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health and local authority scrutiny committees.