The Health Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to discuss GP performance, public health spending, and health facilities at Barking Riverside. They were also scheduled to discuss appointments to the Outer North East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (ONEL JHOSC).

Public Health Grant Spending Review

The committee was scheduled to review a report regarding public health spending in the borough during the financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24. The report was written by Matthew Cole, Director of Public Health.

The review was commissioned after an independent review and a Local Government Association review referenced potential non-compliance of expenditure with the PH Grant eligibility criteria and transparency around the use of allocations .

The review found that:

• Public Health programme budget allocations for specific projects had remained unchanged since 2016.
• Expenditure within cost centres had not been reviewed to ensure spend matched actual journal transfers at the end of each year.
• Increases in Public Health Grant allocations had not been used to support increased budget pressures on existing projects but allocated to new projects and these were not being monitored.
• There were areas where spend could not be evidenced.
• There were areas of spend not eligible.
• There were areas of spend eligible for Public Health Grant initially omitted.

The review concluded that £1.803 million may need to be repaid to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The report outlined measures that had been taken to strengthen financial management and oversight arrangements, including the establishment of a Public Health Grant Executive Assurance & Oversight Board. The purpose of the board is to:

• Provide oversight and assurance for Public Health Grant funding that is invested in wider council services.
• Ensure effective governance and oversight of the allocation, use, and impact of the Public Health Grant invested in wider council services to strengthen reporting to central government.
• Provide assurance the grant is being managed appropriately, delivering value for money, and meeting both public health objectives and council priorities to deliver the best outcomes for residents.

The report also noted that from April 2026, a consolidated Public Health Grant will bring together funding from various sources, including the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant and the Local Stop Smoking Services and Support Grant¹.

Barking Riverside Interim Health Facility

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the interim health facility at Barking Riverside.

Barking Riverside is expected to have a population of 50,000 residents once the 20,000 planned homes are built. Currently, primary care is provided by Thames View Health Centre, which is located just outside the Barking Riverside area.

Barking Riverside Limited (BRL) has offered the NHS a 260m2 unit on the Circus for use as a temporary health facility. The unit is offered under an 8-year lease, with a break at 5 years.

The report noted that the building was constructed by Bellway Homes, and that BRL lease back the ground floor commercial spaces. Because the Building Safety Act 2022 came into effect while the building was being constructed, Bellway did not designate the commercial spaces within the building as being an independent section . The report stated that BRL has worked with a specialist health and safety consultancy to confirm that the commercial spaces can and do operate entirely separately from the rest of the High Risk Building.

The report stated that two procurement exercises have been undertaken to find a company to fit out the temporary space, but no bids were received from healthcare specialists. The report suggested that this may be due to the residual risk of High Risk Building status, as well as the relatively small size of the project.

The report stated that the ICB is putting in place an interim solution to ensure that the building is utilised and residents have access to services. Contract discussions are underway with a local practice to deliver GP clinics from the new site during this interim period.

GP Performance and Development

The committee was scheduled to receive a report from NHS North East London on GP Performance and Development in the borough.

The report stated that the proportion of same day appointments in Barking and Dagenham has grown by 10% over the four-year period from financial year 2021/22 to 24/25, which is the largest increase in North East London.

The report also stated that in August 2025, GP practices in Barking and Dagenham saw 106,373 patients, a rate of 409.8 appointments per 1000 registered patients. In August 2019, this was 69,290 appointments, a rate of 314 appointments per 1000 patients.

The report noted that Barking and Dagenham's population has increased by 41,600 patients (16%) over the past decade, and forecasts indicate a further 25% rise in a moderate growth scenario over the 15-year period from financial year 2025/26 to 2039/2040.

The report also stated that 4 practices in Barking and Dagenham ranked in the top 10th percentile of most improved practices in North East London, making it the second most improved place in North East London. Improvement is based on year-on-year change (%) in GP patient survey performance from 2024-25.

The report noted that in Barking and Dagenham, Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) achievement for vaccinations and immunisations has more than doubled over the three-year period from financial year 21/22 to 23/24.

The report stated that 10 practices in Barking and Dagenham were among the top 26 practices with the highest flu vaccination coverage for over-65s in North East London, making it the best-performing borough for flu uptake among older adults.

Outer North East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The committee was scheduled to confirm the appointment of one further member to the Outer North East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (ONEL JHOSC) for the 2025/26 municipal year.

The ONEL JHOSC is made up of representatives from Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest.

The report stated that the chair and deputy chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee are usually appointed to the JHOSC as a matter of standard practice. Councillor Michel Pongo, Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee, and Councillor Donna Lumsden, Deputy Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee, were already recommended to sit on the JHOSC for the 2025/26 municipal year.

Other Business

The committee was also scheduled to discuss its work programme for 2025/26. The work programme included items on the roll out of weight loss jabs, the early impact of healthy weight commissioning, and a focus on HIV in sexual health clinics.