The Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to discuss the ongoing public consultation regarding the reprovision of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre. Key topics included an update on the consultation's progress, participation levels, and emerging themes, as well as a specific focus on transport and access issues related to the proposed changes.

Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Reprovision Consultation Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the public consultation for the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre. This consultation seeks views on proposals to relocate the centre from Northwood to a new purpose-built facility on the Watford General Hospital site, alongside changes to increase care closer to home. The consultation also covers options for radiotherapy services, including the potential for an additional networked unit.

The report indicated that the consultation was being conducted in line with legal duties for NHS bodies to involve the public, adhering to the Gunning principles for fair consultation. These principles require that proposals are genuinely under consideration, that sufficient clear information is provided, that adequate time is given for responses, and that decision-makers conscientiously consider the feedback.

As of 23 February 2026, over 1,163 public survey responses had been received. However, participation was noted as unevenly distributed geographically, with under-representation in areas such as North West London, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West, and Frimley, including Slough. The demographic profile of respondents was also skewed towards women and white individuals. The programme team was undertaking targeted outreach and using microgrants to address these representation gaps.

Early findings from the consultation suggested polarised views on the relocation proposal. Concerns about travel and access were identified as the dominant issues for those opposed, while support for the relocation tended to be linked to the prospect of accessing acute services on-site and a modern facility. There was also interest in radiotherapy options, with different areas expressing varying preferences.

The committee was to be informed of actions being taken to address under-representation and was invited to comment on any local intelligence that could shape the remainder of the engagement programme.

Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Transport and Access Update

A separate report was scheduled to provide an overview of the work being undertaken concerning transport and access in relation to the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre consultation. This issue had emerged as a significant concern during public engagement events.

Key themes identified from a transport and access perspective included:

• The need for sufficient car parking at the proposed new site and discounted rates for cancer patients.
• Emphasis on the importance of car travel for health reasons, with a call for cancer patients to be considered differently from general acute hospital patients.
• Concerns about road access to Watford, specifically mentioning Vicarage Road and the Bushey Arches.
• Issues with public transport across Hertfordshire, particularly between east and west, and from the South East.
• Discussion around the potential extension of the Metropolitan line, previously considered by Transport for London.
• Considerations for car parking at other sites that might receive additional services, such as Lister Hospital, Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Hillingdon Hospital, and Northwick Park Hospital.
• Feedback from London residents indicating relatively good public transport, contrasted with concerns from other areas.
• The need for improved and more flexible patient transport services, with voluntary transport being seen as helpful but inconsistent.
• The potential benefit of flexibility in appointment times.

The report noted that conversations about transport and access often overlapped with discussions on care closer to home initiatives, aiming to reduce the need for travel. This included proposals for local blood tests, chemotherapy at home, and better use of technology, with joined-up digital records highlighted as an essential enabler.

Transport modelling had been conducted early in the proposal development and included in the Pre-Consultation Business Case. NHS England had commissioned a refresh of this work to inform the decision-making business case. Additionally, an independent engagement exercise by Opinion Research Services (ORS) was underway to gain a deeper understanding of how patients currently access the centre, their travel behaviours, and any barriers they face. This exercise would involve surveys and focus groups with patients, the general public, support organisations, and providers of voluntary transport.

The committee was asked to note the ongoing work and consider, as part of their response to the consultation, urging local authorities to partner with the NHS in improving access to the new cancer centre in Watford for patients across the affected regions.

The meeting also included the confirmation of minutes from a previous meeting held on 24 March 2025.