First Chair of Healthwatch England announced

Anna, a long-standing consumer advocate, is also being appointed as a member of the board of the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Healthwatch is the new consumer champion for health and social care in England. It will exist in two distinct forms - Healthwatch England, a national body, and local Healthwatch, a network of organisations representing people in their area.

Anna Bradley said: "I am very excited about this opportunity to represent and amplify the voices of people who use the health and care system. I am clear that those who run, commission, and regulate services need to learn from the people who use those services.

Healthwatch England will act as a champion for those who sometimes struggle to be heard. I am privileged to be determining the future shape of the organisation - and determined that it will make a genuine difference where it matters most. My immediate focus will be to identify strategic priorities for action, and then to ensure that these inform real change to the future of service delivery.