The NHS Plan, the Government's ten-year plan for the health service, was published last month and puts the patient at the centre of the NHS.

We are committed to not only improving access to services for patients, but also giving them a voice.

Patients are the most important people in the health service. NHS care has to be shaped around the convenience and concerns of patients. To bring this about, patients must have more say in their own treatment and more influence over the way the NHS works.

That is why we will establish a new Patient Forum in every NHS Trust. Half of the members will be drawn from local patients' groups and voluntary organisations and the other half will be drawn directly from those who responded to the patient's survey.

They will have the power to visit premises to check on standards, including cleanliness, and inspect any aspect of the trust's care at any time.

Patient Forums will be supported by the new Patient Advocacy and Liaison Service (PALS) which will take over the representation of individual patients.

By 2002 PALS will be established in every trust, beginning with every major hospital with an annual national budget of £10 million. Patient advocates will be based in trusts and will act as an independent facilitator to handle patient and family concerns. They will have direct access to the chief executive and the power to negotiate immediate solutions.

Local authorities will take on the role of scrutinising major planning changes by setting up an all-party scrutiny committee which NHS trust chief executives will have to attend at least twice annually. These meetings will be open to members of the public.

The functions of these groups are currently undertaken by Community Health Councils. We are very grateful for all their efforts in this important sphere of the work but CHCs and their governing body ACHEW have themselves acknowledged that there was a need for change and have for a long time been pushing us to make a decision on their future.

Ms Gisela Stuart,

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

for Health.