A new health watchdog is aiming to give local people a stronger voice over health and social care.

Guest speakers and group discussions were the focal point at the launch of Healthwatch Enfield at Green Towers Community Centre in Plevna Road, Edmonton.

The new group's chairman Deborah Fowler said: “We are really announcing ourselves today in the borough as a new organisation.

“The watchdog will have two broad, main purposes: working with the providers of social care services and holding them to account and listening to their views.

“But we also want to hear people’s views about what is working well and what isn’t working so well. This means we can make sense of them and find out if there is a particular area of care that is a problem and we can look into in more detail.”

The service cannot provide care itself, but will act as a mediator between patients and care authorities.

Board member of Healthwatch England Christine Lenehan said: “We want to work with the staff to improve services and hold organisations to account. As an entirely independent service we will say things others may not want to hear.”