The North Central London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) met to discuss community pharmacy services, the local care estate, and the committee's terms of reference and work programme.

Community Pharmacy Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the impact of community pharmacy services on patient care in North Central London (NCL). The update included information on:

• Patient Experience:
  • Trust in community pharmacies for flu and Covid-19 vaccinations, with 33% of NCL patients choosing pharmacies for flu shots and 60% for Covid-19 vaccinations.
  • Accessibility, with 94.6% of people finding pharmacies easy to access, and pharmacies being seen as the most accessible healthcare setting for the 37% of people who reported difficulty accessing GP services.
  • Positive experiences with staff and convenience, reported by 85% of people.
  • Awareness of the Pharmacy First scheme, known to 60% of people.
  • The Self-Care Medicines Scheme (SCMS), with 84% of the 10,998 patients in NCL using the scheme reporting they would have gone to their GP if not for the service.
  • Concerns about cost, with 25% of patients reporting they had delayed or skipped medication due to cost.
  • Privacy during consultations, with 15% having concerns.
• Community Pharmacy Services:
  • Essential services such as dispensing medicines, repeat dispensing, disposal of unwanted medicines, support for self-care, signposting, Healthy Living Pharmacies, promotion of healthy lifestyles and the Discharge Medicines Service (DMS).
  • Advanced services including flu vaccination, Pharmacy First, hypertension case-finding, New Medicine Service (NMS), Appliance Use Review (AUR), Stoma Appliance Customisation (SAC), smoking cessation and contraception services.
  • Enhanced services such as the London Vaccination Service, Covid-19 vaccination and bank holiday rota.
  • Locally commissioned services by local authorities and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) such as needle exchange, supervised self-administration, stop smoking service, emergency hormonal contraception, condom distribution, supply of end-of-life medicines and the Self-Care Medicines Scheme (SCMS).
• Pharmacy First Service:
  • Availability in 95% of pharmacies in NCL.
  • The service includes NHS referrals for minor illness and urgent medicine supply, as well as clinical pathways.
  • The most common conditions presented were sore throat and urinary tract infection.
• NCL Self-Care Medicines Scheme (SCMS):
  • Eligibility for patients under 16 with an eligible parent, those on Universal Credit or other benefits entitling them to free prescriptions, young people aged 16-18 in education or apprenticeships, and homeless individuals.
  • Conditions and medicines included in the scheme, such as treatments for athlete's foot, back pain, constipation, contact dermatitis, diarrhoea, earache, fever, headache, haemorrhoids, hay fever, head lice, minor injuries, nappy rash, ringworm, scabies, teething, threadworm, vaginal thrush, and warts and verrucas.
  • Activity under the scheme, with 10,998 consultations between June 2024 and May 2025, 84% of which were self-referred.
• NHS Blood Pressure Check Service:
  • Free checks for people aged 40 and over, with GP referrals also available.
  • 89% of pharmacies registered for blood pressure checks.
• Pharmacy Contraception Service:
  • More convenient than GP or sexual health clinics.
  • Pharmacists can provide expert advice on contraceptive pills.
  • Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) to be added to the national service from October 2025.
• Vaccinations in NCL Community Pharmacies:
  • Pharmacies actively involved in providing Covid-19 and flu vaccinations.
  • NHS-commissioned vaccinations trigger a digital message to the GP practice.
  • A new flu walk-in finder tool to launch in October 2025.
• Recent and Future Developments:
  • Urgent Care centres referring patients to Pharmacy First.
  • Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme (IPPP) to integrate newly qualified pharmacists as independent prescribers from September 2026.
  • Point-of-Care (PoCT) lipid testing in community pharmacies, with a pilot supported by Barts Health in areas with high deprivation and blood pressure testing rates.
• Local Health Team Campaign:
  • Content showcasing pharmacy services.
  • Promotion of the NHS App for repeat prescriptions.
• Self-Care Medicines Scheme:
  • Free medicines for eligible patients.
  • Materials translated into multiple languages.
• Free Prescriptions for Care Leavers:
  • Eligible care leavers can apply for a free Prescription Prepayment Certificate¹.
• Raising the Profile of Local Pharmacy:
  • Visits from local stakeholders, such as Sarah Sackman, MP for Finchley and Golders Green, to Jethro's Pharmacy.

NCL Estates and Infrastructure Strategy 2025

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the North Central London Local Care Estates 2025. The update included:

• Progress in 2024/2025, including developing a shared primary care baseline and prioritising the investment pipeline with GP leadership.
• The need to build the return on investment (ROI) case for the 5% investment allocated to local care.
• Support for strategically important larger projects and a pipeline of smaller projects.
• A focus on using the current estate harder and limiting voids.
• The importance of securing other sources of funding.
• Challenges, including building the case for 5% of NCL capital allocation to local care, refining NCL's Local Care capital plan, supporting estates as an enabler for Neighbourhood Care, testing the affordability agenda and continuing to deliver.
• Recent delivery in local care and key achievements, such as the official opening of The Muswell Hill Practice, the Welbourne Centre, and Phase 2 of the Diagnostic Centre.
• Two HSJ award winners: Finchley Memorial Hospital CDC (bronze award winner 2024) and Wood Green CDC (gold winner 2023).
• The Record Rooms Conversions Programme, which delivered 800 sqm of clinical/clinical support space with £2.4m total capital investment.
• The ICB's aims to invest in local care infrastructure, with 5% of ICS capital allocation for prioritised local care schemes.
• A 10-year capital pipeline forecast suggesting a total capital requirement of £233m, with a significant funding gap.
• Plans for primary care estate by borough, including new general practice premises, improvements to existing sites, PCN hubs² and Integrated Neighbourhood Team hubs³.
• A primary care baseline analysis showing significant variations across the five boroughs and a correlation between the quality of estate and the service the general practice can provide.
• NCL's Infrastructure Strategy, with a strong focus on the current state of the local care estate and a commitment to allocate 5% of capital to local care.
• Alignment of infrastructure with NCL's neighbourhood care vision, including Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) and wider delivery capacity.
• Challenges and opportunities, including working with national colleagues on capital funding mechanisms, the multi-year nature of local care projects, NCL's changing financial context, and the need to focus resource and manage expectations on system priorities.

NCL JHOSC - Draft Terms of Reference

The committee was scheduled to consider and approve new draft terms of reference. The draft terms of reference outlined:

• The purpose of the committee, which is to engage with relevant NHS bodies on strategic area wide issues, respond to proposals for change to specialised NHS services, and respond to formal consultations on proposals for substantial developments or variations in health services.
• The committee's powers, which are established by the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013, as amended by the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) (Amendment and Saving Provision) Regulations 2024.
• The relationship to Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees (HOSCs).
• The membership of the committee, which is comprised of up to ten members in total, with a maximum of two members nominated from each of the five NCL Boroughs.
• The protocol for meetings, including the work programme, meetings, voting, and deputations/questions.

Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to note the current work programme for 2025-26 and the proposed agenda items for the next meeting, which is scheduled to take place on 12 September 2025. The agenda items for the next meeting are:

• St Pancras Hospital Programme Update
• NCL Finance Update

The work programme also included a list of standing items that the committee usually schedules each year, such as:

• Estates Strategy Update
• Workforce Update
• Finance Update
• Winter Planning Update

Possible items for inclusion in future meetings included:

• Terms of Reference revised version for JHOSC ToR to be discussed/approved by Committee July 2025
• St Pancras Hospital update July 2025
• Health Inequalities Fund
• NMUH/Royal Free merger
• Smoking cessation & vaping
• The efficacy of online GP consultations
• Developing technology and its role in the management of long-term chronic conditions
• Strategic role of GP Federations
• Vaccination initiatives tailored to specific local needs in each NCL Borough including outreach work with community pharmacies
• Paediatric service review
• Primary care commissioning and the monitoring of private corporations operating in this area
• Increases in number of people being charged for services that they were previously able to access free of charge through the NHS (e.g. dentistry/ear wax syringing)
• Mental Health & Community/Voluntary Sector
• Whittington Hospital merger

The meeting dates and venues for 2025/26 were:

• 11 July 2025 LB Barnet
• 12 September 2025 Islington Council
• 21 November 2025 Camden Council
• 30 January 2026 Enfield Council
• 9 March 2026 Haringey Council