Oxfordshire County Council has said the launch of a new patients’ watchdog was delayed to find “the right organisation”.
Healthwatch Oxfordshire was scheduled to take over from Oxfordshire LINK on April 1, but the structure is not yet in place.
The organisation, which will monitor the health service on behalf of the public, has no board, no staff and no website.
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC) was only awarded a temporary contract on March 8 to run the group for a year.
Council spokesman Owen Morton said: “The procurement process was extended because we needed more time to find the right organisation for the permanent role.
“That, in turn, meant we needed to appoint an interim provider. ORCC did not submit a bid for the permanent contract.”
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