consumers or citizens? whose voice will healthwatch represent and will it matter?; comment on “challenges facing healthwatch, a new consumer champion in england”

Efforts to achieve effective and meaningful patient and public involvement (ppi) in healthcare have existed for nearly a century, albeit with limited success. this brief commentary discusses a recent paper by carter and martin exploring the “challenges facing healthwatch, a new consumer champion in england,” and places these challenges in the context of the broader struggle to give a voice to healthcare consumers and citizens. with an overview of what can go right and—perhaps more importantly—what can go wrong, the question remains: will healthwatch—and other ppi efforts in healthcare—represent the voice of consumers or citizens and will it matter?