The North Central London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Thursday 30 May 2024 to scrutinise the quality accounts of two mental health trusts: Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust and Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust. The committee discussed a range of issues including the upcoming merger of the two trusts, challenges in providing supported housing for patients, waiting times for mental health services, and the effectiveness of various care pathways.

Scrutiny of NHS Quality Accounts

The committee undertook a detailed review of the draft Quality Accounts for both Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust and Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust. Representatives from the North London Mental Health Partnership (NLMHP), which encompasses these two trusts and is preparing to merge into a single entity in October 2024, presented their findings and responded to questions.

A significant concern raised by Councillor Pippa Connor (Chair of the Adults and Health Scrutiny Panel) related to the lack of supported housing for individuals with serious mental health issues who are medically ready for discharge. Vincent Kircher, Chief Medical Officer for the NLMHP, acknowledged that there had been no real progress since then in this area but that the problem was escalating. He described it as a systems-wide problem that would be difficult to address solely with NHS resources. Andrew Wright, Chief of Staff, noted that the shortage of suitable accommodation was a national issue.

Councillor Revah highlighted concerns about long waiting times for mental health services, suggesting that this information should be more prominently featured in future Quality Accounts. Vincent Kircher confirmed that this data was available in the trusts' integrated performance reports. Councillor Connor requested a link to this information be provided to the committee.

The committee also discussed the transition of young people from Children's Services to Adult Services. Councillor James noted that 100% of service users felt that they did not receive enough support from their CAMHS team when moving from Children's Services to Adult Services compared to a national average of 54%. Vincent Kircher stated that transition services were provided, but acknowledged that improvements were still required in this area.

Regarding the upcoming merger of the two trusts, Amanda Pithouse, Chief Nursing Officer, explained that it was anticipated to improve services by allowing for a single bed base across the five North Central London boroughs, helping to keep patients closer to home. Andrew Wright added that a merger would provide a stronger voice for mental health. More detailed information on the merger's impact was promised for a future meeting.

Other areas of discussion included the effectiveness of talking therapies, with Vincent Kircher noting that the recovery rate for these therapies had improved to the target figure of 50%. The committee also heard about the opening of new facilities, including a 78-bedded inpatient facility at Highgate East and a new community mental health centre at Lowther Road in Islington.

Several actions were requested by the committee, including providing a link to waiting times data, providing outcome data for the Crisis Helpline, and circulating answers to questions from the previous year's scrutiny of the Quality Accounts.

The meeting was attended by Councillor Pippa Connor (Chair of the Adults and Health Scrutiny Panel), Councillor Tricia Clarke (Vice-Chair), Councillor Larraine Revah (Vice-Chair), Councillor Chris James, Councillor Andy Milne, Councillor Matt White (Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee), Councillor Jilani Chowdhury, Councillor Rishikesh Chakraborty, Councillor Philip Cohen, Councillor Kemi Atolagbe, and Dominic O'Brien, Principal Scrutiny Officer. Apologies were received from Cllrs Atolagbe, Chakraborty, and Cohen. Councillor Richard Barnes attended as a substitute for Councillor Cohen.