The North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Thursday 19 March 2026 to discuss several significant health service matters across the region. Key topics included a planned temporary move of specialist children's heart, lung, and critical care inpatient services, and the transformation of a specialist learning disability CAMHS ward. The committee also reviewed its recommendations tracker and its work programme for the upcoming year.

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

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the planned temporary move of specialist children's heart, lung, and critical care (CRIC) inpatient services, currently delivered by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT). The report indicated that this move was prompted by clinical risk escalations regarding the safety and sustainability of the paediatric cardiac surgical service. The proposal was to consolidate these services at the Evelina London Children's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital site.

The report highlighted that the current cardiac surgical rota of 1:2.5 was unsustainable beyond April 2026, necessitating this proactive step to prevent service collapse and to meet mandated national Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) standards for co-location of services. Services not included in the move were outpatient clinics, day-case procedures not requiring anaesthetic or sedation, and outpatient imaging services. The relocation of cardiac surgery would also necessitate the temporary move of paediatric respiratory inpatients due to their reliance on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), which would become clinically unsustainable at the Royal Brompton Hospital (RBH) site without the cardiac surgery programme.

The briefing paper detailed the current patient safety risks, including the inability to provide an un-scrubbed surgeon on both sites for emergencies and the lack of co-located specialist services such as general surgery, nephrology, and gastroenterology at RBH, which are required by national standards. The impact on paediatric respiratory services was also outlined, noting the reliance of the RBH PICU on the cardiac surgical programme. The report detailed the proposed facilities at Evelina London and St Thomas' campus, including the conversion of Sky Ward into a dedicated respiratory unit and the integration of the RBH PICU team. The governance and regulatory oversight for this temporary move, including NHS England's approval, was also presented. Patient involvement in the planning process was described, with a focus on continuity of care, communication, and travel and accommodation concerns. The next steps included implementation phased over 2-3 weeks in mid-May 2026, with long-term planning for a permanent service configuration to follow.

Transforming the Crystal House Specialist LD CAMHS Ward

The committee was scheduled to consider proposals for transforming the Crystal House Specialist LD CAMHS Ward. The report indicated that the current inpatient service was no longer meeting patient needs or aligning with national priorities and upcoming legislation for children and young people with learning disabilities.

The Crystal House unit, a 5-bed specialist learning disability inpatient unit with an annual running cost of over £2.9 million, had admitted only 23 children and young people in six years, with just 11 of those being from North West London. The unit was often understaffed and had experienced periods of being completely empty. The report stated the service was not sustainable, equitable, or clinically justified and had stopped taking new admissions.

The proposed changes were driven by shifts in national policy, including changes to the Mental Health Act, which would limit detention criteria for those with learning disabilities. The low usage, high cost, and long length of stay were highlighted, alongside evidence from national reviews indicating that only 50% of children and young people in learning disability hospitals have a mental illness. The NHS 10-year plan mandates a reduction in admissions and length of stay for people with learning disabilities. The report proposed a new model of care focused on earlier, community-based support, aiming to reach up to 40 times more children and young people and prevent costly admissions. The financial implications were also discussed, with a commitment to reinvesting funds into the CAMHS pathway within North West London. The proposed model for admissions, if required, involved community care, assessment, short hospital admissions, and a return to community support. Engagement activities conducted between summer 2024 and spring 2025 were summarised, with key themes including a preference for community-based support, continuity of care, and a desire for co-designed new provision. The next steps outlined a plan for discharging the current patient by the end of March 2026, implementing a transitional model in April 2026, and fully embedding the new model by October 2026.

North West London JHOSC Recommendations Tracker

The committee was presented with the North West London JHOSC Recommendations Tracker for 2023/24, 2024/25, and 2025/26. This tracker summarises scrutiny recommendations and information requests made by the committee, along with the responses and current status from the relevant NHS bodies. The purpose of the tracker is to provide the committee with oversight of the implementation progress of its recommendations and to track decisions made by NHS colleagues.

North West London JHOSC 2025/26 Work Programme

The committee was asked to note the North West London JHOSC's Work Programme for the 2025/26 municipal year. The report outlined the committee's role in scrutinising plans for meeting health needs and arranging health services in North West London, with a focus on aspects affecting the whole region. The work programme is designed to be flexible and adaptable, with the possibility of changes to accommodate emerging items. The report detailed confirmed meeting dates and the agenda items planned for each meeting. Notably, the Planned Temporary Move of Specialist Children's Heart, Lung, and Critical Care Inpatient Services and Transforming the Crystal House Specialist LD CAMHS Ward were added to the work programme for the meeting on 19 March 2026. Two items, Digital Health, Data Use, AI and Digital Inclusion, and Weight Loss Drug Supply and Roll Out, were deferred to the 2026/27 municipal year. The report also noted a change in the host borough for the 19 March 2026 meeting, with the London Borough of Brent now hosting instead of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.