The North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday 22 October 2024 to discuss a range of health strategies and service reviews across the region. Key topics included the proposed communications and engagement strategy for a new model of care for adult community-based specialist palliative care services, the development of a Mental Health Strategy for adult residents, and plans for improving primary care access. The committee also reviewed the latest recommendations tracker from the previous municipal year.

North West London Adult Community-based Specialist Palliative Care (CSPC) Review

The committee was scheduled to review the communications and engagement strategy for the public consultation on a new model of care for adult community-based specialist palliative care services in North West London. This initiative, which began in late 2021, aims to improve services and support for residents at the end of their lives. The proposed model includes enhanced care at home, an increase in community specialist inpatient beds, and expanded outpatient and wellbeing services. The strategy outlines plans for extensive public consultation, including various engagement events, translated materials, and accessible formats to ensure broad participation. The consultation is expected to begin in November 2024 and run for a minimum of 14 weeks.

North West London Mental Health Strategy

The meeting agenda included an outline of the development of the Mental Health Strategy for adult residents of North West London. This strategy has been developed through a phased approach, focusing initially on adult community and inpatient mental health services, with plans for a separate strategy for children and young people to follow. The strategy has been informed by extensive engagement with residents and service users across the eight boroughs of North West London, identifying key themes such as improving awareness and access to services, expanding community mental health offers, reducing waiting times, and ensuring a tailored and inclusive approach. The strategy sets out ten ambitions for adult mental health services, including raising awareness, promoting wellbeing, increasing equity in access, and improving the integration of care between primary and mental health teams.

North West London Primary Care Access

The committee was scheduled to receive a presentation on the North West London Primary Care Access Engagement Plan. This follows a previous discussion on the Same Day Access (SDA) model, which was paused due to concerns raised by stakeholders. The revised plans aim for a bottom-up approach, focusing on understanding patient and staff experiences of accessing primary care. This involves a comprehensive engagement exercise across each Primary Care Network (PCN), including patient surveys, staff surveys, and local events to gather feedback. The insights gained will inform the development of future plans for improving access to general practice, with a business case being developed to support PCN-led funding applications for these improvements.

North West London JHOSC Recommendations Tracker

The committee was set to review the latest 2023-24 scrutiny recommendations tracker. This document provides an overview of recommendations made by the committee during the previous municipal year and tracks the progress of their implementation by relevant NHS bodies. It also includes information requests made by the committee, allowing for oversight of how these have been addressed. Updates from the previous meeting were highlighted within the tracker.