Tthe chief officer of a health watchdog which is to be abolished has questioned the Government's commitment to patient involvement.
Writing in the final annual report of South Tees Community Health Council, Peter Johnson said: "Few, if any, still believe there is a real commitment to patient and public involvement in the NHS at national level."
Mr Johnson added: "Fewer still believe that the approach and structure of the new and more expensive Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health will enable it to deliver much of the patient and public involvement agenda."
He also criticised the way the Department of Health has handled the abolition of health councils, which have represented patient interests since the early 1970s.
He said the Government's failure to provide for a smooth hand-over means that "all the talent, expertise, skill and knowledge which could have enabled the new system to make a flying start are being deliberately wasted."
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