The Children, Families, Health and Care Select Committee of Hillingdon Council met on Tuesday 22 September 2026 to discuss a range of health and care updates, including the new SHINE service for neurodevelopmental assessments, performance updates from local hospitals, and the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The committee also reviewed the Cabinet Forward Plan and the Work Programme.

Health Updates and Service Transformations

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to updates on various health services. Andrea Shand, Service Director for CAMHS from Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL), introduced the new SHINE (Specialist Hub for Integrated Neurodevelopmental Evaluation) service, launched on 3 August 2026. SHINE aims to streamline neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people by providing a single point of access, a unified waiting list, and a more integrated assessment process, with the goal of reducing waiting times from 12-24 months to 6-12 months. This transformation has been achieved without new funding, increasing timely assessment capacity from 30% to 60%.

Vanessa Odlin, Managing Director at CNWL, reported on the Hillingdon CAMHS service, which is achieving 100% of referrals being assessed and seen within the 18-week Referral to Treatment (RTT) target, with an average wait of two weeks. She also highlighted the increasing caseload, a 22% rise in the last 12 months, with a significant proportion of new referrals being for neurodevelopmental assessments. CNWL is also actively involved in integrated neighbourhood teams and child health hubs, and is launching an Assertive Outreach service to support hard-to-reach mental health patients, aiming for an October launch.

Michael White, General Manager of Harefield Hospital, provided a comprehensive update on performance at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. He detailed challenges with RTT targets, particularly for cardiology and cardiac surgery, with 34 patients waiting over a year for procedures. Harefield Hospital is working to reduce its backlog, aiming for below 52-week waits by March 2027. He also highlighted positive progress in cardiac surgery activity and the hospital's role as one of five national heart and lung transplant centres. Significant investment has been made in robotic surgery and a new bronchoscopy suite to improve thoracic cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, the trust is facing financial constraints, leading to a net reduction of 10 surgical beds at Harefield.

Samreen Nawshin from Healthwatch Hillingdon presented findings from patient experience feedback, noting persistent concerns about access to care across GP services, dentistry, pharmacies, and hospitals. She highlighted issues with appointment availability, referral delays, GP registration problems, and communication breakdowns between services. Digital exclusion, particularly for older adults, was also identified as a barrier. Despite these challenges, staff professionalism and the quality of care received were consistently praised, with 70% of patients reporting positive experiences following discharge from Hillingdon Hospital. However, approximately 40% of patients experienced discharge delays of over three hours, often due to medication issues.

Dr Alan McGlennan, Chief Medical Officer and Managing Director at Hillingdon Hospital, reported significant improvements in urgent and emergency care, with Hillingdon Hospital being the top-performing trust in London for the last four weeks. He acknowledged ongoing challenges with patients spending too long in A&E before being moved to a ward. Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting lists are improving, with plans to meet NHS England's target of 67% of patients seen within 18 weeks, and a stretch target of 92% in three years. Diagnostic performance is strong, with 90% of patients seen within six weeks. Cancer care has also seen marked improvement, with the Faster Diagnostic Standard now above target and the 62-day standard for treatment start times being met for the last two months. Dr McGlennan also provided an update on the new hospital programme, with planning approval obtained and a new application being developed for submission in 2027.

Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy

Councillor Susan O'Brien, co-chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, presented the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for 2026-2031. The strategy, a statutory requirement, aims to improve the health and well-being of Hillingdon's population through a life-course approach, focusing on Start Well, Live Well, Age Well, and Healthy Places. The strategy acknowledges significant pressures, including rising long-term conditions, a high proportion of emergency admissions from a small cohort of residents, increasing demand for children's mental health services, and an ageing population. The proposed operating model involves integrated neighbourhood teams, local access hubs, family hubs, a borough-wide reactive care service, and a new Hillingdon Hospital. The committee was asked to note the strategy and comment on its performance measurement, inequality addressing, and risk management arrangements.

Integrated Care Board and Service Integration

Keith Spencer, Managing Director of Hillingdon Health and Care Partners, discussed the evolving Integrated Care Board (ICB) landscape. He explained that while the ICB has undergone significant structural changes, including mergers and cost-saving measures, there is an increasing focus on place-based decision-making, with Hillingdon being recognised for its innovation. He confirmed that Hillingdon is set to receive significant investment from the ICB. Discussions also touched upon the challenges of integrating care across multiple organisations and the importance of clear communication and coordination.

The committee also heard about the development of Children and Young People's Hubs, with existing services being integrated into a new model that offers greater financial security. Ritu Prasad Prasad, Chair of the GP Confederation in Hillingdon, detailed the locations and services offered by these hubs, including integrated paediatric clinics and multi-disciplinary team (MDT) discussions to manage complex cases.

Operational Performance and Challenges

Discussions also covered operational performance at Hillingdon Hospital, including bed closures and their impact on cardiac surgery waiting lists. Michael White explained that the closure of 10 surgical beds was part of a wider trust financial improvement plan and was enabled by improved patient flow and a shift towards day-of-surgery admissions. He assured the committee that patient safety would not be compromised and that an escalation plan was in place.

Councillor Hedson Farinha De Castro raised concerns about the accessibility of services, particularly for residents in the Uxbridge, West Drayton, and Harmondsworth areas, who may need to travel to Mount Vernon Hospital. While no increase in DNA rates had been observed, the inconvenience for patients was acknowledged. The potential for local hubs to alleviate these pressures was discussed.

Councillor Anil Taneja inquired about the impact of patients missing appointments (DNAs) on waiting list figures and the potential for serious incidents or mortality among those on waiting lists. Dr Alan McGlennan explained that local access policies varied, and DNAs typically reset the clock for waiting times. He assured the committee that systems were in place to monitor patients on long waits for any harm, with such incidents reported through the hospital's incident reporting scheme.

Work Programme and Future Planning

The committee reviewed its Work Programme, agreeing to discuss the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) strategy in January 2027 and receive a written report on the sufficiency strategy when ready. There was a discussion about the committee's workload, with members expressing concerns about having too much to cover adequately. The possibility of extending meeting times or focusing on fewer, more in-depth reviews was raised. The committee also agreed to focus its minor review on the London Ambulance Service.

The committee also discussed the Cabinet Forward Plan, noting that a significant number of reports related to the committee's remit were being considered by Cabinet. Concerns were raised about the committee's capacity to scrutinise all relevant reports, particularly those concerning safeguarding. It was agreed that the safeguarding report would be circulated to the committee for review, with the possibility of discussing it further if significant concerns arose.

The meeting concluded with thanks to all attendees for their contributions and a reminder of the importance of ensuring that residents' experiences of health and care services are continuously improving.