I AM writing to express my great concern about the Government's plans to abolish Bolton Community Health Council, our local NHS watchdog, as part of the NHS 10-year plan.

Having worked closely with CHC staff and committee members for many years in Bolton and in Nottingham I want to pay tribute to their professionalism and dedication in always putting the patient first and offering much needed independent and constructive criticism to the local health service.

CHCs have been one of the few constant features in a local NHS landscape which just in the last 10 years has seen Bolton Health Authority merge with Wigan, absorb Family Practitioner Committees, hive off services to hospital, community and ambulance trusts, and now split into Primary Care Groups, shortly to become trusts.

All this is very confusing to patients whose interests can often get left behind or overlooked in such constant reorganisation and changing of priorities.

I hope the government will take time to consider its options carefully and not rush into the closing down of a valuable local organisation that has built up a fund of expertise and goodwill over the last 26 years.

Once abolished, it would take far more time and money to recreate it when its absence is missed, as it surely will be.

Ian McHugh

Gilnow Road

Bolton