The Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to discuss updates on the consultation for the reprovision of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, including progress on the consultation itself and specific issues related to transport and access. The committee was also due to review the minutes from a previous meeting.

Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Reprovision Consultation Update

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

The report detailed that the consultation was being conducted in line with legal duties for NHS bodies to involve the public in service planning and changes, adhering to the Gunning principles for fair consultation. This involves ensuring proposals are genuinely under consideration, providing clear information, allowing sufficient time for responses, and conscientiously taking feedback into account. The consultation period was scheduled to run from 19 January to 29 March 2026, with multiple ways for the public to participate, including surveys, public events, and targeted microgrant conversations.

As of 23 February 2026, there had been 1,163 public survey responses. However, participation was not evenly distributed geographically, with under-representation noted in North West London, and parts of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, 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 gaps.

Early survey findings indicated polarised views on the relocation proposal. Concerns about travel and access were dominant among those opposed, while support was linked to access to acute services on site and a modern facility. There was also interest in radiotherapy options, with different areas expressing varying preferences. The report highlighted that public meeting attendance and clinical and professional engagement uptake were currently low, with plans in place to increase promotion and vary formats and locations.

The committee was asked to note the ongoing consultation, compliance with legal requirements, participation levels, actions to address under-representation, and the early themes emerging from the feedback. They were also invited to comment on any additional 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 undertaken regarding transport and access in support of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre consultation. This report detailed that transport and access was a proactively explored theme at public meetings, with specific question prompts designed to elicit detailed feedback. Three dedicated focus groups on transport and access had also been held.

Early survey findings indicated that travel and access were the dominant concerns for those opposing the relocation proposal. Key themes emerging from discussions included the need for sufficient and affordable car parking at the proposed new centre, the specific needs of cancer patients compared to other hospital patients, concerns about road access to Watford, and the adequacy of public transport across Hertfordshire and from the South East. There was also discussion about improving patient transport services and the potential for flexibility in appointment times.

The report noted that many conversations about transport and access overlapped with discussions on care closer to home initiatives, aiming to reduce the need for travel to the main centre. Transport modelling had been conducted, and NHS England had commissioned a refresh of this work. Furthermore, an independent social research organisation, Opinion Research Services (ORS), was undertaking a separate engagement exercise to better understand patient travel behaviours, circumstances, and barriers. This would involve surveys and focus groups with patients, the general public, support organisations, and voluntary transport providers.

The committee was asked to note the ongoing work on travel and access and to consider writing to local authorities, urging them to partner with the NHS in improving access to the new cancer centre for patients across the affected regions.

Minutes of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee Meeting of 24 March 2025

The committee was also scheduled to review and potentially agree the minutes from their previous meeting held on 24 March 2025. The provided documents indicate that at that meeting, the committee had reviewed a draft Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Consultation Plan and a draft Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Consultation Document. Discussions at that previous meeting had focused on ensuring the consultation materials were accessible to all demographics, including those with disabilities and those who speak different languages. Plans for engagement with various community groups and addressing potential disparities in cancer treatment access for certain ethnic populations were also discussed.