The Whipps Cross Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) met to discuss the Whipps Cross Hospital redevelopment, including a proposal to make the committee dormant until the project progresses. The meeting also included a review of the committee's activities and forward plan.

Dormancy of the Whipps Cross JHOSC

The committee was asked to consider a proposal to make the Whipps Cross JHOSC dormant from the 2025/26 municipal year until further notice. According to the report pack, the reason for this proposal is the delay in the Whipps Cross Hospital redevelopment construction, which is now anticipated to start between 2032 and 2034.

The report pack stated that the JHOSC was established in 2021 to scrutinise plans by Barts Health NHS Trust to redevelop Whipps Cross Hospital. The report noted that the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013 stipulate that where a substantial development to health services in the local area is proposed, the responsible organisation must consult with the health scrutiny function.

The report pack stated that there would be an option for the Committee to meet if any substantial matter relating to the redevelopment occurs.

Scrutiny Report and Forward Plan

The committee was invited to review a draft summary of its activities for the 2024/25 municipal year. The summary was scheduled to be submitted to the Scrutiny Coordinating Committee in April, before the full draft Annual Report is submitted to Scrutiny Coordinating and Full Council in the Summer.

The report pack also included a draft forward plan, and the committee was invited to add items to the work programme. The report pack outlined a prioritisation tool to help decide whether an item is suitable for scrutiny:

• Public Interest
• Ability to Change
• Performance
• Extent
• Resource
• Statutory responsibility

Redevelopment Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the Whipps Cross Hospital redevelopment. No further details were available in the agenda or report pack.

Previous Meeting Minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting on 24 July 2024 were included in the report pack.

During the previous meeting, Adrian Stannard, speaking on behalf of Action4Whipps, urged the Whipps Cross JHOSC to press the redevelopment team for assurances that the new hospital would provide sufficient bed capacity and encourage them to seek high levels of participation by service users when developing detailed local delivery proposals.

Geoffrey Wolfson expressed the view that the strategy should be updated to take account of the changes in healthcare demands and clinical technologies and practices that had occurred since its inception in 2019.