This meeting was scheduled to discuss a planned care strategy, an update on the North West London Integrated Care System, and a tracker of the committee’s previous recommendations.

North West London Planned (Elective) Care Strategy

This item was scheduled to discuss a proposed planned care strategy for the North West London Integrated Care System.¹ The report pack for the meeting included both a professional and a public 'issues paper' to be discussed. The professional paper states that [t]he aim of the strategy is to identify the initiatives needed for NW London ICS to ensure all NHS planned care is delivered in a timely manner, meeting constitutional access standards by 2029, through high-quality, equitable, and financially sustainable services . The strategy will initially concentrate on hospital services, community services (such as the integrated MSK[^3] service), and diagnostics, as well as how these services interact with primary care, Integrated Neighbourhood Teams² and non-NHS providers. It will not address unplanned care, mental health, primary care, and maternity care. The professional paper included information about how the current planned care service is delivered, a baseline assessment of its effectiveness, and a summary of national policy relating to planned care delivery. The professional paper proposes that in order to meet constitutional standards by 2029 there would need to be a 44% increase in activity levels compared to 2023/24. The professional issues paper describes some of the challenges facing planned care services as a rise in referral rates in North West London above the national average, forecasted population growth, and increasing case complexity. The professional paper suggests that one of the biggest challenges for planned care services is demand. It points out that “[w]hile demand has increased, total planned care activity has remained relatively constant since 2019/20. This has created an imbalance between joiners and leavers on timed specialist Planned Care pathways, leading to growing waiting lists”. The professional paper suggests that there may be some opportunities to reduce pressure on planned care services by making better use of digital technology, and encouraging more referrals to be handled by GPs. The public paper explains what planned care is and states that [t]he NHS is committed to ensuring that patients receive the planned care they need as quickly as possible, aiming for patients to receive specialist care within 18 weeks of being referred by their GP. Although progress has been made to reduce long waiting times, which were increased by the Covid-19 pandemic, this standard is not currently being met nationally or in north west London . The public paper also describes some of the challenges facing planned care services in the same terms as the professional paper, and it asks members of the public to provide feedback on their experiences with planned care services, and to share their ideas for improvement.

Integrated Care System Update from the Chief Executive of the North West London ICS

This item was scheduled to provide the committee with an update on key developments across the Integrated Care System (ICS).¹ The report pack for the meeting included a copy of the ICS's monthly system update. The update began with a foreword by Rob Hurd, Chief Executive of the North West London ICS. The monthly system update began by reporting that the current Chair of the ICS and ICB, Penny Dash, had been named as the preferred candidate for the new Chair of NHS England. The update reported that NHS North West London and NHS trusts have refreshed last year’s Joint Forward Plan. The update states that “[t]here are only small changes in the Joint Forward Plan 2025/6. Please note changes are likely to be made as Health and Wellbeing Board will be providing us with feedback in due course”. The update also reported that the government has been consulting the public ahead of publishing its Ten Year Plan for the NHS, and that NHS North West London had funded Healthwatch Brent, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea to carry out local events on behalf of the whole of north west London. The update provided an update on the provision of services to those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The update reported that the ICS’s public consultation on palliative care – ‘Compassionate care for all’ – had closed. The update provided a neighbourhood health update, reported that a new health centre would open at Chiswick Health Centre on 31 March 2025, and that Estates projects had completed or were due to complete in quarter 4 (2024/25) and quarter 1 (2025/26). These include the Hillcrest Surgery relocation and refurbishment (February 2025 - Ealing), the handback of Wealdstone Centre for Health (completed January 2025 – Harrow), the Chiswick Health Centre Rebuild and handback of Stamford Brook Centre for Health (March 2025 – Hounslow), expansion of primary care and reduction in underutilised space at Grand Union Village (February 24 - Ealing), and the delivery of a new primary care facility in South Kilburn, which will replace a residential GP site (April/May 2025 - Brent). The update also provided an update on the ICS’s Health Equity programme, reported that the ICS had published its latest communications and involvement summary, provided an update on access to general practice, and described some of the ICS’s work with practitioners.

North West London JHOSC Recommendations Tracker

This item was scheduled to discuss a tracker of recommendations that the JHOSC made during 2023/24 and 2024/25.