The North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday 19 March 2026 to discuss several significant health-related topics. Key among these are the planned temporary relocation of specialist children's heart, lung, and critical care inpatient services and the transformation of the Crystal House Specialist LD CAMHS ward. The committee will also receive updates on cancer prevention and early diagnosis across North West London.

Planned Temporary Move of Specialist Children's Heart, Lung, and Critical Care Inpatient Services

A significant item on the agenda is the planned temporary move of specialist children's heart, lung, and critical care inpatient services, currently delivered by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT). This move is prompted by clinical risk escalation regarding the safety and sustainability of the paediatric cardiac surgical service. The proposal is to consolidate all paediatric heart and lung inpatient services and day cases requiring sedation at the Evelina London Children's Hospital (ELCH) and St Thomas' Hospital site. This decision has been approved for implementation by NHS England and is considered an essential safeguard until a formal, long-term service reconfiguration process is completed. The move is driven by the need to meet mandated national Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) standards for co-location of services and to address the fragility of the current cardiac surgical rota, which operates on a 1:2.5 on-call basis, falling short of the recommended 1:4.

The relocation of cardiac surgery will necessitate the temporary move of paediatric respiratory inpatients, as these services share a critical reliance on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The report highlights that the Royal Brompton Hospital (RBH) PICU is sustained mainly by the cardiac surgical programme, and its closure would make inpatient respiratory care unsafe at RBH. World-leading respiratory sub-services, including those for Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), severe asthma, and long-term ventilation, will be transferred to ELCH. The report details the planned capacity at ELCH, including additional beds and upgraded facilities, to accommodate these services. The move is scheduled to begin in mid-May 2026 and will be phased over 2-3 weeks.

Transforming the Crystal House Specialist LD CAMHS Ward

The committee is also scheduled to discuss the transformation of the Crystal House Specialist LD CAMHS ward. The current 5-bed specialist learning disability inpatient unit, with an annual running cost of over £2.9 million, is deemed unsustainable, inequitable, and clinically unjustified. It has admitted a low number of patients over the past six years, with many admissions being crisis-driven rather than clinically indicated. National policy changes, including amendments to the Mental Health Act, mean that detention will only be for mental illness, and many young people with learning disabilities may not meet the new criteria.

A new model of care is being developed, focusing on earlier, community-based support to improve outcomes and deliver better value. This model aims to reach up to 40 times more children and young people than the current inpatient service, with a focus on prevention and early intervention. The report indicates that a significant portion of the current unit's funding will remain within North West London to reinvest in this new CAMHS pathway. The proposed approach involves community care, assessment, and only short hospital admissions if necessary, with a swift return to community support. Engagement with patients, families, and stakeholders has indicated a strong preference for community-based support and continuity of care. The current patient at Crystal House is clinically ready for discharge, and the unit is expected to have no patients by the end of March 2026, ahead of the implementation of the transitional model in April 2026.

Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis Across North West London

The committee is also set to consider cancer prevention and early diagnosis initiatives across North West London. While specific details of the discussion are not fully elaborated in the provided documents, this topic signifies a focus on proactive measures to reduce cancer incidence and improve outcomes through timely detection.

North West London JHOSC Recommendations Tracker and Work Programme

The committee will review the North West London JHOSC Recommendations Tracker, which summarises scrutiny recommendations made and information requests issued during previous municipal years. This allows for oversight of implementation progress by NHS bodies. Additionally, the committee will note the North West London JHOSC 2025/26 Work Programme, which outlines the health policy areas the committee plans to review throughout the year. This programme is designed to be flexible, with potential for items to be added or deferred as emerging issues arise. Notably, the discussion on the Planned Temporary Move of Specialist Children's Heart, Lung, and Critical Care Inpatient Services and Transforming the Crystal House Specialist LD CAMHS Ward have been added to the work programme for this meeting.