The leader of a Keighley-based patient watchdog faced with abolition this summer has branded government health ministers as "idiots".

Chairman of Airedale Community Health Council Peter Putwain has accused health chiefs of not thinking through plans to replace CHCs.

The Government plans to abolish CHCs on August 31 and replace them with patient and public involvement forums that will handle patients' concerns and complaints.

Mr Putwain expressed his concern that the planned change-over had been left to the last minute, that there would be no continuity and that the new bodies would not have the same independence as CHCs.

Speaking at Airedale CHC's last ever AGM, Mr Putwain said: "We are going into extinction and there is nothing positive we can say about what's going to replace us.

"It seems to be the destruction of everything rather than keeping alive some of the good things as regards patient involvement.

"There are idiots at the top who seem to think you can just carry on.

"There is no continuation and they are not even looking at exit strategies for CHCs. At the end of the day we have contracts for office equipment and offices and to break those contracts is going to cost the NHS a lot of money. If this is organisation then heaven help us in the future."

"I'm deeply worried about what is happening out there within the NHS," said member Isobel Scarborough. "There's a lot that needs to be sorted out and I don't know that the replacement bodies can do that by having one hit on a hospital, it's just one little thing they will be able to uncover.

"For the last 20 odd years we have been on the door step and members have sometimes spent 24 hours observing in hospitals."

The new Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) has proposed that patient forums will take over from the CHCs from September 1.

The forums will be in charge of the newly formed Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS) service.

Although it seems subject to weekly change, the Government is proposing that voluntary sector groups provide administrative and learning support for the forums. These will be backed up by nine regional training centres.

Voluntary groups have until the end of this month to express an interest.

In the meantime shadow forums have been set up and patient advice liaison officers (PALS) have been instigated by local health trusts to deal with complaints.

During the meeting Mr Putwain was returned as chairman of the group, with Mary Peckett and Anne Dufton returned as vice chairman. They will all serve until the CHC is abolished.

The group is also proposing to hold a public conference on genetics later this year as a final farewell.