Your news article had a very strongly and rather negatively worded headline. It certainly caught the eye, but I do think that to use the word 'damning' was unnecessary.

As a member of an active community health council and as a person who has worked in the NHS for many years and is still involved in healthcare, I believe that CHCs need to be 'revitalised' as the report mentions.

But I also believe that there is an important role for CHCs in the future and it is vital that they continue.

The article actually mentioned the need to be involved in primary care, and certainly in North Gwent we are already. I am sure we will be even more involved with the advent of local health groups and I am sure that other CHCs must be involved in primary care as well.

My main concern at the moment is that all the emphasis seems to be on cutting CHCs in number and reducing costs rather than on modernisation.

How can any organisation that is run primarily by volunteers, with a meagre budget, be expected to cover areas such as quality and performance monitoring in any depth?

There will be many changes in the delivery of health and social care over the next few years and CHCs have an important role to play in these changes.

But this can only be achieved if the people involved with CHCs have the time and the skills to carry out the roles mentioned here. When these organisations are 'revitalised', the appropriate funding must be available.

Lesley Radley

Vice chair

North Gwent CHC