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Government Merges NHS Safety Quangos, Launches AI Oversight Pilots

Following a review blaming overlapping watchdogs for poor safety despite high spending, the overhaul streamlines oversight with a new focus on patient accountability.

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Dr Penny Dash, the chairwoman of NHS England, said there had been very few improvements in patient safety over the past decade

Overview

  • The Care Quality Commission will merge with the Health Services Safety Investigation Body while four other patient safety quangos are absorbed into the Department of Health and Social Care.
  • A director of patient experience will be appointed to centralise feedback and simplify the NHS complaints framework through digital channels.
  • AI-driven monitoring systems are being piloted to analyse hospital data in real time and trigger urgent inspections when safety risks emerge.
  • The reforms respond to Dr Penny Dash’s review finding minimal safety gains despite at least £60 million spent annually on multiple watchdogs and inquiries.
  • Officials aim to reallocate oversight savings to front-line care and rebuild public trust after repeated safety failures and higher avoidable death rates than peer nations.