The Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to discuss the ongoing public consultation regarding the reprovision of Mount Vernon Cancer Centre. The meeting's agenda included updates on the consultation process, transport and access considerations, and other related business.

Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Reprovision Consultation Update

The committee was set to receive an update on the public consultation for the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre. This consultation seeks views on proposals to relocate the centre from Northwood to a new purpose-built facility on the Watford General Hospital site, alongside changes to increase care closer to home. The consultation also covers options for radiotherapy services, including the potential for an additional networked unit.

The report was expected to summarise how the consultation is being delivered and governed, adhering to legal duties for NHS bodies to involve patients and the public. It was noted that the consultation is applying the Gunning principles¹, a legal test for fair consultation, ensuring proposals are genuinely under consideration, sufficient information is provided, adequate time is given for responses, and that decision-makers conscientiously consider the feedback.

The consultation, which ran from 19 January to 29 March 2026, employed a mixed engagement approach including public surveys, online and in-person meetings, and targeted microgrant conversations with community groups. As of 23 February 2026, 1,163 public survey responses had been received. The report indicated that participation was not evenly distributed geographically, with under-representation in areas such as North West London, and a demographic profile skewed towards women and white respondents. Actions were planned to address these gaps.

Early survey findings suggested polarised views on the relocation, with travel and access being a dominant concern for those opposed. Support for the move was often linked to access to acute services on site and a modern facility. There was also interest in radiotherapy options, with varying preferences expressed by different areas. The report highlighted that public meeting attendance and clinical engagement uptake were currently low, with plans to increase targeted promotion and vary formats and locations.

The committee was asked to note the ongoing consultation, compliance with legal requirements, participation levels, and actions to address under-representation. They were also invited to comment on any additional local intelligence that could shape the remainder of the engagement programme.

Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Transport and Access Update

A separate report was scheduled to provide an overview of the work undertaken regarding transport and access in support of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre consultation. This report was expected to detail how the theme of transport and access is being proactively explored through online and in-person meetings, with specific question prompts designed to elicit detailed feedback.

Three dedicated focus groups on transport and access had been held, and early survey findings indicated that travel and access were the dominant concerns for those opposing the relocation proposal. Key themes emerging from this aspect of the consultation included:

• Ensuring sufficient and affordable car parking at the proposed new centre.
• The specific needs of cancer patients regarding travel, differentiating them from general acute hospital patients.
• Concerns about road access to Watford and public transport across Hertfordshire.
• The potential need to extend the Metropolitan line.
• Car parking at sites that might receive additional services, such as Lister Hospital in Stevenage and Luton and Dunstable Hospital.
• The need for improved and more flexible patient transport services.

The report was also expected to mention that transport modelling had been conducted and included in the Pre-Consultation Business Case. NHS England had commissioned a refresh of this work to inform the Decision-Making Business Case. Furthermore, an independent social research organisation, Opinion Research Services (ORS), was undertaking a separate engagement exercise to understand how patients currently access the centre, focusing on travel behaviours, circumstances, and barriers. This exercise would involve surveys and focus groups with patients, the general public, support organisations, and voluntary transport providers.

The committee was asked to note the ongoing work on travel and access and to consider writing to Local Authorities urging them to partner with the NHS in improving access to a new cancer centre in Watford.