The Health and Adult Scrutiny Sub-Committee of Tower Hamlets Council met on Monday 7 September 2026. The meeting focused on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) findings for adult social care services, winter planning arrangements, and the proposed work programme for the upcoming year.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) Findings for Adult Social Care

The committee received a presentation on the recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of adult social care services in Tower Hamlets, which resulted in an overall rating of Good. Councillor Sabina Akhtar, Lead Member for Health and Adult Social Care, expressed pride in the achievement, highlighting the committed workforce, good leadership, and strong partnership working as key strengths. The report noted positive experiences of care, effective safeguarding processes, and robust support for unpaid carers, with significantly more carers accessing support than the national average.

However, the CQC report also identified areas for improvement, specifically in care provision, integration and continuity, and safe pathways and transitions from children's to adult services. These areas were rated as Requires Improvement. Specific points for focus included waits for annual reviews for equipment and occupational therapy assessments, delays in transitioning young people to adult care, and the need to coordinate pathways for autistic individuals.

Bridget Cameron, Interim Director for Commissioning in Adult Social Care, outlined the improvement plan, which includes focusing on access and waiting times, addressing commissioning challenges, strengthening safeguarding oversight, and refreshing outdated strategies like the autism strategy. Sarah Murphy, Principal Social Worker in Adult Social Care, added that the CQC inspection process itself is evolving, with a greater focus on residents' experiences, more streamlined reporting, and longer site visits.

Councillor Waheed Abdul Waheed raised concerns about residents' experiences and asked for measurable targets to improve areas where service standards are not yet met. He also questioned the preparedness of the adult social care workforce, provision, and finances for a projected significant increase in the over-65 population. Officers responded by detailing efforts to recruit additional occupational therapists, improve assessment processes, and explore a potential 14-25 service for transitions. They acknowledged the financial pressures and the need to do more with less, emphasizing a focus on supporting the most vulnerable residents and reviewing care packages for efficiency. The committee agreed to monitor progress on the improvement plan.

NHS Winter Planning Arrangements

Jordan Oliver from the NHS Inner North East London Integrated Care Board presented the winter planning arrangements for 2026-2027. The plan was developed collaboratively with partners including Barts, Elft, VCFSE colleagues, PCN colleagues, and adult commissioning and social care. The plan is structured around core areas such as neighbourhood health, community mental health access and admissions reduction, hospital flow and discharge management, intermediate care pathways, and post-discharge support.

Councillor Moustak Ahmed questioned the operational nature of the plan, noting the absence of demand forecasts, capacity figures, workforce assumptions, funding details, and named accountability. Jordan Oliver acknowledged that the plan was a high-level submission for the Integrated Care Board and that more detailed local work would be undertaken. Jo Fraser-Wise, Neighbourhood Development Director for Inner North East London, explained that each partner organisation also has its own detailed winter plan, and the presented plan is a collation of key themes. The committee was assured that work was ongoing to develop dashboards and provide data on operational system performance during winter.

Councillor Waheed Abdul Waheed inquired about preparations for winter vaccinations, particularly in light of historically low vaccination rates in Tower Hamlets. It was confirmed that close work with public health colleagues and a communications campaign by the Integrated Care Board are in place to publicise and promote immunisation and vaccination uptake.

A discussion also took place regarding collaboration with the housing department to ensure repairs are up-to-date before winter pressures, and the importance of publicising warm hubs for residents who may struggle with heating costs. The committee noted the presentation and agreed to the proposed recommendations, including the development of dashboard information.

HSC Work Programme for 2026-2027

Julia, the scrutiny officer, provided an update on the draft Health and Adult Scrutiny Sub-Committee work programme for 2026-2027. The programme, which had previously been shared in July, was discussed at a scrutiny workshop and has been collated and prioritised. Additional workshops were held with residents and community groups, and their input has also been incorporated.

Key changes to the programme include the proposed inclusion of Adult Social Care Performance, Transformation, Commissioning and Savings Plan and ELFT Indicative Financial Savings as agenda items for future meetings. Heat Health was also suggested by the Chair as a challenge session. Councillor Amin Ali suggested adding Clean Air and the Impact on Breathing to the agenda, which has been noted as a cross-cutting piece of work. Councillor Sabina Akhtar highlighted the inclusion of GP Access and Women's Commission on the work plan, addressing community concerns. The committee noted the report and agreed to the amended work programme, which will be referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.