The North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee ¹ convened to discuss several key healthcare topics affecting the North West London region. The agenda included discussions on dentist commissioning and children's dental health, the future of place-based partnerships, and special school nursing. The committee, chaired by Councillor Ketan Sheth, also planned to review its recommendations tracker and work programme.

Dentist Commissioning and Children's Dental Health

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report on dentist commissioning and children's dental health across North West London. The report, authored by Julie Sands, Assistant Director, Primary Care Contracting and Transformation at NHS NW London, and Jeremy Wallman, Head of Primary Care Commissioning, Dentistry, Optometry and Pharmacy, London Dentistry, Optometry and Pharmacy Commissioning Hub, was prompted by concerns about the accessibility, equity and effectiveness of dental services for children and young people.

The report highlighted that North West London was one of the highest performing Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) nationally for dental contract delivery. Additional commissioning of general dental practices was planned for 2025/26, targeting areas of highest need based on public health data on oral health inequalities. This was considered especially important given the discontinuation of the New Patient Premium (NPP).

The report also included data on Community Dental Services (CDS) provided by Central London Community Health Care Trust (CLCHT) and Whittington Health, including services for special care dentistry, domiciliary services, and paediatric dental services.

The report identified wards that could benefit from additional NHS dental activity. The top eleven wards listed were:

1. Stonebridge
2. Harlesden
3. Church Street
4. Barnhill
5. Westbourne/Harrow Road
6. Heston West/Cranford
7. Feltham West/Bedfont
8. Acton Central (though noted as having no practice in East Acton)
9. Wormholt and White City/Shepherd's Bush Green
10. Colville
11. Roxeth

The report also noted that a pilot was being mobilised across all eight North West London boroughs to test and develop targeted dental pathways into local NHS dental practices for children and young people, particularly those in Core20Plus areas² and areas with identified higher oral health need.

The Future of Place Based Partnerships

The committee was scheduled to discuss the future of Place Based Partnerships (PBPs) in North West London. The report, authored by David Williams, Programme Director, Integrated Care at NHS North West London ICS, set out a maturity model for PBPs in NWL and outlined a shared framework to support local authority, health and voluntary sector partners in each Place to assess the PBP's current state, identify development needs, and plan its journey towards greater maturity.

The report stated that by April 2026, every borough in NWL should be operating as a mature PBP with:

• Shared strategic priorities rooted in population need
• Integrated neighbourhood teams at the heart of delivery
• Clear accountability and inclusive governance arrangements (across health and local authority)
• Coordinated infrastructure and resources to deliver effectively

The report outlined what 'good' looks like across six key domains: Leadership & Governance, Vision & Strategy, Service Delivery & Integrated Care Models, Population Health Management, Patient and Community Engagement, and Workforce Development.

The report also sought to answer questions around North West London's journey to developing its PBPs, successes achieved to date, the future direction of travel for place, what a fully mature model for place looks like in NWL, the roles of partners to support system success, and the next steps in this process to enable system success.

Special School Nursing and Update on SEN Provisions

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report providing an update on the current position of Special School Nursing provisions across North West London. The report was authored by David Williams, Programme Director, Integrated Care, NHS North West London ICS and Ross Graves, Chief Strategy and Digital Officer Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. A supplemental agenda was later published, also including this item.

The report outlined a core offer for community services, with community providers committing to developing a consistent core offer for any place to reduce unwarranted variation and drive service consistency across North West London.

The report noted that a service specification outlines a delegation model in line with national guidance in the Children and Families Act 2014, with delegation of tasks to healthcare assistants and school staff. It was noted that all boroughs would be affected to some extent, most significantly in Ealing where a large proportion of work could be moved to school staff.

North West London JOHSC Recommendations Tracker and 2025/26 Work Programme

The committee was also scheduled to review the North West London JOHSC Recommendations Tracker, which provides a summary of scrutiny recommendations made during the previous and current municipal years, tracking decisions made by NHS colleagues and giving the committee oversight over implementation progress.

Finally, the committee was scheduled to confirm the North West London JOHSC 2025/26 Work Programme, outlining the decisions and health policy areas the committee plans to review during the municipal year.