The Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee of Islington Council met on Monday 20 April 2026 to discuss the final report on improving healthy life expectancy in Islington and the annual performance update from Moorfields Eye Hospital. The committee also reviewed the Quarter 3 performance report for adult social care.

Scrutiny Review Final Report: Improving Healthy Life Expectancy in Islington

The committee reviewed the final report of its scrutiny review into improving healthy life expectancy in Islington. The report, which was approved by the committee, makes ten recommendations aimed at tackling health inequalities. These include prioritizing outreach and culturally appropriate engagement to reduce barriers to accessing healthcare, strengthening the use of data and local insight to target interventions, and reducing preventable mortality through improved access to drug, alcohol, and smoking cessation services. The report also emphasizes the need for early identification and management of long-term conditions, embedding a 'Health in All Policies' approach across council decision-making, and strengthening support for healthy weight and food environments. Further recommendations focus on enhancing preparedness for synthetic opioid risks, strengthening community insight and engagement, and adopting a whole life course approach to health improvement.

Moorfields Eye Hospital Annual Performance Update

The committee received an annual performance update from Moorfields Eye Hospital, presented by Chief Operating Officer John Spencer and Chief Nurse Sumi Naidu. They highlighted the hospital's commitment to its four key priorities: estate and infrastructure, financial sustainability, population access and health, and using technology to transform care. Moorfields is preparing for its new Centre for Eye Health in Camden, due to open in summer 2027, and is implementing a new Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system. The hospital is performing well nationally, ranking sixth in the NHS Oversight Framework, and has a strong financial position with a £5 million surplus. The Single Point of Access (SPARC) service, a digitally enabled referral system, has significantly reduced urgent referral processing times. The hospital's quality priorities for 2025-26 include rolling out patient-initiated follow-up pathways, optimizing referral management, and enhancing patient communication. Moorfields is also actively involved in research and innovation, including a new medical technology company, Cascader Limited, focused on AI for eye disease detection.

Quarter 3 Performance Report – Adult Social Care

Councillor Sarah Hyde, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, presented the Quarter 3 performance report for adult social care. She expressed satisfaction with the quarter's performance, particularly in relation to new admissions criteria for residential and nursing care homes, noting ambitious targets were being met. The report highlighted the development of 60 new extra care units at Holloway Park, with 60% of these designated for over 55s, aiming for an intergenerational approach. The committee discussed the target for new admissions to nursing and residential care homes, with officers investigating a variation from the previous quarter. Improvements were also noted in safeguarding inquiry recording, with various teams now on the same system, leading to better oversight and data quality.