The Inner North East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on 15 October 2025 to elect a chair and vice-chair, review the previous meeting's minutes, and discuss several health-related topics. These included updates on general health, finances, LGBTQ+ health services, and improving GP access in North East London, as well as a review of the scrutiny report.

Election of Chair and Vice Chair

The meeting was scheduled to begin with the election of a chair and a vice chair for the committee.

Minutes

The minutes from the previous meeting, held on 13 May 2025, were included in the report pack. The minutes included a discussion of the Cass Review, and a request from Toby Andrew, Hackney Resident, for assurance that the issue would be rescheduled for discussion. Councillor Danny Keeling, London Borough of Newham, expressed support for inclusive care and equality, and disappointment over the Cass Review delay. Gail Penfold, Waltham Forest Resident, raised concerns about care quality at Whipps Cross Hospital, particularly for older patients. Ann Hepworth, Director of Strategy and Partnerships Barts Health NHS Trust, noted initiatives underway including a carers' hub, a volunteer hub, and the new Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing at Whipps Cross.

Health Update

A report from Zina Etheridge, Chief Executive of NHS North East London, was scheduled to be discussed. The report included updates from:

• Dr Paul Gilluley, Chief Medical Officer, on LGBTQ+ Health Services
• Henry Black, Chief Finance Officer, on the financial overview
• Lorraine Sunduza, Chief Executive Officer (ELFT), on NEL Collaborative updates
• Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Ann Hepworth, Director of Strategy and Partnerships, on Barts Health NHS Trust

The health update covered organisational changes within the NHS, including a national decision to reduce Integrated Care Boards' (ICB) running costs by 50% and a restructure of the senior team. The executive management team was reported to include: Dr Paul Gilluley, Chief Clinical and Quality Commissioning Officer (CQCO); Henry Black, Chief Finance Officer (CFO); Charlotte Pomery, Chief Strategic Commissioning Officer (CSCO); and Ralph Coulbeck, Chief Strategy officer (CSO). Dame Marie Gabriel was confirmed as continuing to lead the ICB as chair.

The report also referred to the recently published NHS 10-year health plan, and the three shifts it described: hospital to community; analogue to digital; and sickness to prevention.

The report pack included case studies of the three shifts in practice, including:

• The Community Health and Wellbeing Drop-In Model in Barking and Dagenham
• The use of Artificial Intelligence for faster Chest X-ray results by the North East London Cancer Alliance
• ShowerBox Barking, a permanent shower facility for people experiencing homelessness

The report also provided updates from the North East London Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism (NEL MHLDA) Collaborative and the Community Healthcare Collaborative, and responses to an open letter from the Mental Health Action (MHA) group regarding Talking Therapies services in North East London.

Finance Review

A report of the Chief Finance Officer, Henry Black, was scheduled for discussion. The report stated that the ICS operating plan expects a system breakeven position by year-end, with £367.7m in efficiencies to be delivered. At month 4, the actual delivery against this was a deficit of £43.9m, which is an adverse variance to plan of £19.5m. Due to the financial position, the system has been asked by NHSE to outline a financial recovery plan (FRP).

LGBTQ+ Health Services

A report of the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Paul Gilluley, was scheduled to be discussed. The report included information on gender dysphoria and gender identity, and noted that gender services in the NHS have a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, who offer ongoing assessments, treatments, support and advice.

The report also provided an update on the Cass Report (Independent Review for Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People), and noted that gender services for children at the Tavistock and Portman closed in April 2024, and that two new services (London and Manchester) opened.

Improving GP Access in North East London

A report of the Deputy Director of Primary Care Commissioning, Alison Goodlad, was scheduled for discussion. The report included a case study from Addison Road Medical Practice (ARMP), presented by Dr Janakan Crofton, GP Clinical Lead Waltham Forest - GP/ Medical Director ARMP, and Sindhu Balakrishnan, Chief Operating Officer ARMP.

The report described a programme of work undertaken across North East London to improve access to primary care and the patient experience, and noted that recent national GP Patient survey results show that the experience and ease of contacting a GP practice in North East London have both improved by 2% over the past year.

The Scrutiny Report

A report of the Town Clerk, Isaac Thomas CBE, was scheduled for discussion. The report invited members to view the Forward Plan and make any suggestions for items to be considered in the 2025-26 cycle, and to review and comment on the Action Tracker and Recommendations Tracker from the previous meeting.