The Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee met on 9 January 2024 to discuss various health updates and strategic plans. Key topics included improvements in ambulance response times, the digitisation of patient records, and the Joint Forward Plan for NHS services. No formal recommendations were made by the committee on any of the discussed items.

Health Updates

The committee received updates from NHS, Barts Health NHS Trust (BHRUT), North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT), and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT). A significant development is the conversion of patients' paper records to electronic records at Queen's and King George's hospitals. This change aims to improve accessibility of patient information across different hospitals and enhance data security.

Updates on seasonal COVID-19 and flu vaccinations indicated that vaccination rates were in line with the London average. BHRUT reported an improvement in type 1 performance for urgent and emergency care, with Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) departments at both hospitals seeing an average of 128 patients daily, which has helped reduce admissions. Positive news was shared regarding the radiotherapy unit at Queen's Hospital, which has received the UK's first upgrade to its machines, reducing image capture time from 43 seconds to 6 seconds.

NELFT provided an update on the Right Care, Right Person collaboration with the Metropolitan Police, which went live across London on 1 November 2023. This initiative aims to provide a unified response for mental health providers across London. In its first month, police deployments for mental health incidents decreased by 14%, while calls to NHS 111 for mental health support increased.

Joint Forward Plan 2024-25

The committee was presented with the Joint Forward Plan (JFP) for 2024-25. This plan outlines how the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and partner trusts will provide NHS services to meet residents' needs. The JFP for 2024-25 includes more comprehensive information on strategic system improvements, Place plans, and six cross-cutting themes. It also incorporates details on what is important to residents and how this impacts the plan, along with current successes and the development of strategic outcomes.

Questions were raised regarding community waiting lists, with officers explaining that workforce availability remains a challenge. The Community Health team oversees work on waiting lists, and separate considerations are given to children's and adult waiting lists.

London Ambulance Service

An update was provided on the London Ambulance Service (LAS). The service reported handling 5,700 calls to 999 and 6,000 calls to 111, with significant improvements in response times. The LAS has recruited more paramedics and ordered 232 new ambulances, which are lighter and more environmentally friendly, including two fully electric models with a target of four by the end of the financial year.

There has been an improvement in 'Category 2' responses, with response times reducing from 1 hour 40 minutes in the previous year to 39 minutes at the time of the meeting. This improvement is greater than the London average, although the service is commissioned to achieve a 30-minute response time target. A challenge identified is patients arriving at A&E departments expecting appointments, and work is underway to ensure patient details are made available more promptly.

The LAS has an ambitious 5-year strategy to achieve the best heart attack survival rate globally. To support this, the service is training the public and schoolchildren in correct chest compression procedures, aiming for a survival rate exceeding 40% (currently at 31%). The committee noted that the LAS is utilising AI technology for phone calls, enabling ambulances to be dispatched within 45 seconds of a call's start by identifying keywords.

Collaboration Update

The committee received an update on the collaboration between Barts Health NHS Trust (BHRUT), Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT), and Homerton Healthcare as the NEL London Acute Provider (APC) since July 2022. The collaboration aims to ensure the best healthcare for residents, with a focus on the digital programme for patient records. Officers are exploring ways to scale up the APC across North East London (NEL) to enhance its attractiveness and create better opportunities.

A concern was raised about resources potentially being moved from NEL to Central London. However, Barts Health NHS Trust has committed expertise and services to support BHRUT.