PATIENTS may be left without an adequate voice on health issues after plans to abolish community health councils (CHCs) were delayed until December.

The Government intended to replace CHCs, the public’s watchdog in health matters, with new patient forums and advisory services by September.

But the new services will not be ready in time for the changeover so CHCs will remain in place for another four months, leaving patients and employees “in limbo”.

Bromley CHC chairman Rose Covell said: “Officers employed to run the CHC should have been issued redundancy notices on June 1 but instead received a letter saying the CHC was to continue until December 1.

“The interests of patients are to be taken over by patients’ forums but these are not yet in place. Because of the present state of uncertainty, it is impossible for me to comment further except to say, in my opinion, the Department of Health should have been more businesslike and more considerate to members, officers and patients, all of whom are in limbo.” Erith and Thamesmead MP, John Austin, a member of the House of Commons health select committee, said: “The problem is the decision has come too late. Many CHCs have closed and staff moved on.” The new policy requires each NHS trust to set up a patient advisory and liaison service to deal with customer care, a patients’ forum to be the patient’s voice as well as an independent advocacy service by December.