The Inner North East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 14 January 2026 to discuss the future of Richard House Children's Hospice, receive health and finance updates, and review the committee's scrutiny report. The meeting also included a period for public participation.

Richard House Children's Hospice

The committee was scheduled to receive information regarding the closure of Richard House Children's Hospice, which entered administration on 18 December 2025. The report detailed transitional arrangements being put in place with Haven House Children's Hospice to support families previously under Richard House's care. These arrangements include continued 24/7 end-of-life nursing care, respite and crisis support, counselling, step-down admissions, sibling support, and family events. Hospice at Home services are planned to be provided from 1 April 2026. The report also acknowledged a group of parents keen to reinstate services, but noted the administration process was advanced. The priority was stated as ensuring a safe transfer of families and developing a sustainable model for children's hospice provision in north east London, with new commissioning arrangements planned from 1 April 2027.

Health Update

A comprehensive health update was scheduled, covering various aspects of the NHS in North East London. This included information on organisational changes within NHS North East London (NEL), such as the appointment of Dr Nnenna Osuji as the new Chief Executive. The report detailed plans for reducing ICB running costs, including a formal staff consultation on proposed new organisational structures and a voluntary redundancy scheme. The committee was also to be updated on the coordinated system response to managing winter pressures, including strengthened community care, mental health and crisis response, and the impact of industrial action. Achievements of teams in North East London were to be highlighted, alongside updates on provider performance from organisations including East London Foundation Trust (ELFT), North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT), Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and Barts Health NHS Trust. The update also covered the North East London Collaborative's work on Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism, and Community Healthcare.

Finance Overview

The committee was to receive a review of key financial headlines for NHS North East London Integrated Care System (ICS) as of Month 7 (October) of the 2025/26 financial year. The report indicated a planned system deficit of £28 million, with an actual year-to-date deficit of £69.8 million, representing an adverse variance of £41.8 million. The report detailed the financial performance of individual providers, including Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT), Barts Health, East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT), Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT). It also outlined the NEL ICS's efficiency targets and performance, noting a shortfall against the planned delivery of efficiencies. The summary highlighted key pressures at a system level, including efficiency slippage and run rate pressures across pay and non-pay areas. The impact of not receiving £14 million in deficit support funding from NHS England for months 4 to 7 was also to be discussed.

Scrutiny Report

The committee was scheduled to review the Scrutiny Report, which included the Forward Plan for the municipal year. Members were invited to view the plan and make suggestions for items to be considered in the 2025-26 cycle. The report indicated no strategic, financial, resource, legal, risk, equalities, climate, or security implications arising from its consideration.

Public Participation

A period was allocated for public participation, allowing members of the public to speak on topics related to the Committee's work for up to three minutes each.