The Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee of Bromley Council met on Thursday 9 July 2026 to receive updates from various health service providers and discuss ongoing work programmes. Key discussions were scheduled to include an update from the London Ambulance Service, an overview of GP access improvements, and a report on patient experience from Healthwatch Bromley. The committee was also set to review the work programme and matters outstanding from previous meetings.

Update from the London Ambulance Service (LAS)

The meeting was scheduled to include an update from the London Ambulance Service (LAS). The report pack provided figures for the 2025/26 year, detailing 2,224,488 999 contacts, 330,288 patients treated over the phone, and 1,139,153 patients seen. Performance data for June was presented, showing response times for Category 1, 2, 3, and 4 incidents. The report also highlighted the LAS's presence in Bromley, noting that the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) is the main receiving hospital for the borough, with specialist cardiac patients conveyed to King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill. The LAS provides match day cover for Bromley FC and London City Lionesses fixtures, and is developing a joint major incident training programme with Bromley FC. The Frailty Single Point of Access (SPoA) pathway was described as a first point of contact for crews, aiming to reduce unnecessary hospital conveyances. Feedback from crews on the SPoA pathway was reported as overwhelmingly positive. A new patient survey was also mentioned, designed to gather feedback on the entire patient experience.

GP Access

An update was scheduled to be provided on local improvements to support Bromley's primary care services. The report outlined the starting point for access improvement prior to a programme of work with the committee, detailing the multiple points of access within primary care. It also addressed what residents are telling us about access to general practice, including patient preferences for virtual and face-to-face consultations, unmet need leading to increased complexity, and the introduction of new access channels. Capacity factors influencing GP access were also to be discussed, such as workforce pressures, constraints on practice premises, and the optimisation of new services. The report detailed ICB actions in support of Bromley practices, including the implementation of modern telephony systems, call monitoring, and call-back functions. Improvements to digital access, such as commissioning a website platform provider and revamping website layouts, were also to be covered. The report also touched upon appointment booking improvements, empowering patients through clinician-led triage models and the embedding of evening and weekend appointments. The challenge of balancing access and continuity within primary care was to be explored, with a focus on addressing clinically urgent problems, new or episodic health issues, and timely assessment and treatment, while also highlighting the benefits of continuity of care for long-term conditions and frailty. Current priorities for access improvements were to be presented, focusing on timely access, patient experience, quality of access, digital access, and access to care closer to home.

Healthwatch Bromley - Patient Experience Report

The Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee was scheduled to receive the Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 Patient Experience Report for Healthwatch Bromley, covering the period from October 2025 to March 2026. The report was to provide a snapshot of patient experiences, with a breakdown of positive, negative, and neutral reviews across various health and care services. The report was to detail experiences of GP services and hospital services, highlighting what had worked well and what could be improved. For GP services, the report was to include summary findings and a full data set, with thematic analysis of patient feedback. Similarly, for hospital services, summary findings and a full data set were to be presented, along with thematic analysis. The report was also to include an equalities snapshot to understand differences in experience based on personal characteristics.

Update from King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

An update from King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was scheduled, which included a discussion on the proposed reconfiguration of Haematology Services at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH). The report detailed the background and context of the proposal, which aimed to improve inpatient care and enhance day case care for haematology patients by bringing all specialist haematology inpatient cancer care to King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, and establishing a haematology day unit at the PRUH. The report outlined the engagement process and findings, including feedback from patients, families, local stakeholders, and elected representatives. It detailed how this feedback had informed the refinement of the proposed service model and the equalities impact assessment. The report also covered patient pathway development, the final proposal, and a financial summary, indicating an annual cost saving of £400k. The next steps and an indicative transition timeline for implementation were also to be presented.

SEL ICB/ICS Update

An update was to be provided on the key work, improvements, and developments undertaken by the NHS South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) and partners within the One Bromley collaborative. This update was to cover efforts to improve equity and reduce variation by establishing a system-wide Equity in Health and Wellbeing Forum and agreeing a shared vision for health equity. The report was to detail the work of a new operational group focused on health equity initiatives across Bromley. The ICB Change Programme proposals and the feedback received during consultation were also to be discussed, along with the management of winter pressures in 2025/26 and recommendations for the upcoming winter.

South East London Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee (Verbal Update)

A verbal update was to be provided on the activities of the South East London Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

Work Programme and Matters Outstanding

The Sub-Committee was to review its work programme and consider progress on outstanding actions from previous meetings. The matters outstanding table indicated that several actions from previous meetings, including the circulation of reports and data related to King's College Hospital and the SEL ICB, had been completed. The work programme for 2026/27 was to be reviewed, with standing items including updates from King's College Hospital, the SEL ICB, and Healthwatch Bromley, as well as the South East London Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee.