The Hounslow Council Health and Adults Care Scrutiny Panel met on Monday 3 November 2025 to discuss early evidence of the new model of care, and to plan future activities. The panel was also scheduled to review notes from a prior informal meeting.

New Model of Care

Ben Collins, Programme Director for Integrated Care, was scheduled to give a presentation on early evidence of the new model of care. Following the presentation, a question and answer session with Ben Collins was scheduled.

A prior informal meeting on 9 September 2025 included a discussion of the proposed New Model of Care, and the notes from that meeting were included in the report pack. According to the notes, the discussion focused on:

• Improving patient experience
• Supporting carers
• Addressing systemic fragmentation

Key themes that were raised in the prior meeting included:

• The need for a single point of contact for patients
• Better integration across services
• Stronger support for unpaid carers

Roger Smith and Barbara Benedek shared their views on patient involvement. Barbara Benedek shared her experience caring for her husband with dementia, highlighting the complexity of navigating multiple services and the need for a simplified system. She also emphasised the importance of patient-centred care rather than clinician-focused discussions, and practical assistance for carers, such as council tax relief and transport. Roger Smith shared insights from volunteering, supporting a holistic approach to care.

Some councillors raised concerns about system fragmentation, carer breakdown, and patients repeatedly being discharged and readmitted. There was discussion of engaging communities via social spaces such as mosques and churches, and using referrals and word-of-mouth to build confidence.

The panel noted that both quantitative measures (such as service uptake and hospital readmission rates) and qualitative, anecdotal evidence (such as patient and carer stories) are essential to capture the full picture of impact and user experience. Suggestions included establishing a Citizens' Panel to influence service design, and creating a GP-level mechanism to trigger reviews. It was noted that from April 2026, GPs will recommend patients to the voluntary sector.

Vid Calovski gave a presentation on patient involvement, covering some of the notions of best practice that exist in other similar UK settings.

Future activity

The panel was scheduled to discuss next steps, visits, and review of good practice. According to the notes from the prior informal meeting, next steps include:

• Continuing engagement with patients and carers to capture lived experience
• Developing clear metrics to measure the impact of the New Model of Care
• Exploring mechanisms for community outreach and trust-building
• Preparing for GP referrals to the voluntary sector from April 2026
• Ensuring robust data governance during site visits and evaluations

Other items

The agenda included:

• Chair's welcome and introduction from Councillor Farah Kamran, Chair of the panel.
• Apologies for absence, declarations of interest and other communication. Councillors were reminded of the need to declare any interests, with reference to the Monitoring Officer Declaring Interests note.
• Notes of informal meeting held on the 9th September 2025.
• Any other matters that the Chair considers urgent.
• Date of next meeting, scheduled for 3rd March 2026.