The Healthier Communities and Older People Overview and Scrutiny Panel of Merton Council met on Monday 29 June 2026 to discuss the work programme for the upcoming year, with a particular focus on the performance and future of St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The panel also reviewed reports concerning the impact of changes within the Integrated Care Board (ICB) on local health and care systems, and the value of Healthwatch Merton.

St George's CQC Report and Maternity Services

A significant portion of the meeting was scheduled to be dedicated to a follow-up scrutiny of the report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) regarding St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The panel was set to receive a report and engage in a question-and-answer session concerning the trust's associated delivery plan for 2026/27. Additionally, an update was planned on maternity services at both St George's and St Helier hospitals, following recent CQC findings. The discussion was intended to focus on progress against improvement plans, the safety and quality of care, workforce challenges, and the experiences of women and families across Merton.

Impact of ICB Changes on Health and Care Systems

The panel was scheduled to consider the impact of changes within the Integrated Care Board (ICB) on health and care systems and outcomes for Merton residents. This discussion was expected to include an update on the ICB's management cost reduction, its clustering with Southeast London, and plans for neighbourhood integration and strategic commissioning. Concerns were anticipated regarding potential redundancy numbers, service continuity, and the movement of resources to community care. The report pack indicated that the ICB would provide a table detailing what the ICB does, what is ceasing, and what is transferring elsewhere. It was also noted that £50 million in capital funding for St George's, provided by central government, would now be channelled through providers.

Value of Healthwatch Merton

The meeting agenda included a discussion on the value of Healthwatch Merton, with the Head of Healthwatch Merton scheduled to introduce a report. A key point anticipated for discussion was the potential abolition of Healthwatch under the NHS 10-year plan, with the report highlighting the existence of 153 local Healthwatch organisations across the country. The priority was stated as safeguarding a local mechanism to draw on local voices and preserve the independent patient voice. An action was noted to add Healthwatch to the work programme for the following year to receive an update.

Healthy Weight Action Plan

A report summarising the new prevention-focused Healthy Weight Action Plan was scheduled for presentation. This plan was understood to cover food, physical activity, and inequalities. Discussions were expected to include breastfeeding support, with the action plan intended to provide further detail. The rollout of weight-loss therapies, managed by the ICB, was also on the agenda, with members anticipated to discuss apparent health inequalities concerning expensive drugs and their availability. The report indicated that while data on healthy weight would still be examined, the eat well, move still well initiative has its own independent benefits.

Dementia Care

The panel was scheduled to review a report on dementia care, with the Associate Director of Public Health introducing the paper and two films: This is our Dementia and Feel-Good Folders. Multi-agency colleagues from the Alzheimer's Society, Adult Social Care (ASC), Public Health, and the ICB were expected to be in attendance. The films were understood to feature residents with lived experience and provide information on memory services, carer support, and dementia-friendly initiatives. Discussions were anticipated to cover the council's translation services, the matching of assessments with staff of similar backgrounds or languages, the importance of information and advice for carers, and concerns around diagnosis times, carer burden, and the complexities of system and service navigation.

Work Programme and Topic Suggestions

The panel was scheduled to review its work programme for 2026/27. This forward-looking agenda item aimed to ensure that upcoming reports were clearly scoped and that requests to presenters were focused on the information the panel needed for effective scrutiny. The report pack indicated that topic suggestions for the work programme could be sent to scrutiny by Friday 20 March 2026. The work programme itself detailed planned discussions for future meetings, including items on St Helier Hospital, Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTS), ICB strategic commissioning, budget scrutiny, the Health and Wellbeing Board, adult safeguarding, cardiovascular disease, and annual public health reports.