TWO days after a new patients’ watchdog for Oxfordshire was supposed to launch it still has no board, no staff and no website.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire was due to take over from Oxfordshire LINk (Local Involvement Network) on April 1, but the structure is not yet in place.

Oxfordshire County Council only awarded the contract to charity Oxfordshire Rural Community Council to run the group on March 8.

Community council chief executive Linda Watson said: “We recognise it is a shame not to be up and running on April 1, but it was never going to be possible given the tight time frame.”

Healthwatch will consist of a board of up to 20 elected lay people and five paid members of staff providing advice and support.

Recruitment for the paid posts is expected to be “well on the way” by the end of the month and an election for the board will take place in May.

A website will launch in the next couple of days, and it is hoped the group will be fully established in late May or early June, Mrs Watson said.

Healthwatch will eventually monitor health services, including those provided by the county council and Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

No one from the county council was available for comment last night.