The Health Scrutiny Committee of Hertfordshire County Council met on Friday 17 July 2026 to discuss the council's health scrutiny work programme for the upcoming year and to receive updates on community health services. The committee was scheduled to review proposed additions and amendments to its work programme, and to hear from representatives of Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH) and Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) about the services they provide.

Health Scrutiny Work Programme 2026/27

The committee was scheduled to consider its work programme for the 2026/27 period. This programme is reviewed and updated at each meeting to ensure it remains balanced and relevant to the issues affecting Hertfordshire residents. The report outlined the remit of both the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) and the Health Scrutiny Committee (HSC), detailing the types of scrutiny activities available, such as bulletins, webinars, site visits, and scrutiny reviews. Members were invited to propose items for inclusion, removal, or prioritisation within the work programme. A proposal form for scrutiny topics was available for councillors and Hertfordshire citizens to submit suggestions.

A specific proposal for scrutiny was included from Lisa Oldham-Sear concerning the lack of local plastics and maxillofacial services for West Hertfordshire residents, and the safety of sending people to Stoke Mandeville for urgent treatment. The proposal highlighted concerns about accessibility for disabled individuals, those on low incomes, and those reliant on public transport, as well as the impact of service reductions at Hemel Hempstead Hospital. The potential positive impact of a review was stated as leading to safer and more accessible urgent-care pathways for residents who currently face long, complex or impossible journeys to receive essential treatment.

Community Health Services Updates

The committee was scheduled to receive updates on community health services delivered by two key NHS providers in Hertfordshire: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH) and Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT).

Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH)

The report from CLCH provided an overview of its community health services in Hertfordshire, focusing on the south and west of the county. CLCH delivers care in people's homes, clinics, schools, and community settings, supporting adults to receive care closer to home, maintain independence, and manage long-term conditions. The services offered include community nursing, therapy, urgent community response, proactive care for those at risk of deterioration, virtual hospital pathways, specialist palliative care, and sexual health services across the whole of Hertfordshire. CLCH reported a segment 1 rating under the NHS Oversight Framework, indicating strong national performance. The report detailed CLCH's partnership working within the South and West Hertfordshire Health and Care Partnership (SWHHCP) and its alignment with national priorities for care closer to home and neighbourhood-based models of care. Initiatives such as proactive care services, virtual hospitals, and care coordination in emergency departments were outlined as key developments.

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT)

HCT's update covered its role as a specialist provider of community services across Hertfordshire and the East of England. HCT provides adult community services, specialist and developmental children and young people's services, public health nursing, and immunisation services. The report highlighted HCT's new organisational strategy, which aims to deliver high-quality community services and respond to changing demographics. HCT also reported a strong performance within the NHS National Oversight Framework, ranking ninth out of 61 Community and Mental Health Trusts. The update detailed HCT's work within the East and North Hertfordshire Health and Care Partnership (ENH HCP) and its focus on neighbourhood working, including the development of Neighbourhood Health Centres. Key initiatives such as the Hospital at Home model and Home Health Monitoring were presented as ways to support neighbourhood working and improve outcomes for residents.

The committee was asked to comment on the content of these reports and note the updates provided by both CLCH and HCT.