The Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Mount Vernon Cancer Centre will be asked to note a number of reports about the future of the centre. The meeting will include the election of the committee chair and vice-chair, and discussion of how the committee will scrutinise the consultation process for the relocation of the centre.

Relocation of Mount Vernon Cancer Centre

The committee has been provided with a report on the proposed relocation of Mount Vernon Cancer Centre. The report outlines the case for change, which includes the age and condition of the current buildings, the changing needs of cancer patients, and the opportunities presented by relocating to a new site.

The factors that give a clear case for the proposed changes fall into three broad categories: Quality/Patient Safety; Buildings; Opportunities.

The preferred option is to relocate the centre to Watford General Hospital. The report argues that this option would provide the smallest change in travel times for patients, and that it would allow for the repatriation of haemato-oncology services and the creation of a new networked radiotherapy unit in either Luton or Stevenage.

The report also suggests that the relocation would provide an opportunity to improve care for patients in more deprived areas, who are disproportionately impacted by longer travel times.

Co-location of services

The Committee has also been provided with a report on the co-location of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre with other services at the Watford General Hospital site.

The current location of the cancer centre does not lend itself to being able to access specialist input.

The report argues that co-locating the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre with other services at Watford would allow for more integrated care, and that it would make it easier for patients to access a wider range of specialists. The report also notes that the co-location of services is a key part of the clinical case for change.

Management of Mount Vernon Cancer Centre

The Committee will be asked to note a report on the proposed future management of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre by University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH).

In 2020, UCLH was selected as the preferred provider to take on the management of MVCC services in the future.

UCLH currently manages 8 sites in central London and is a large provider of acute and specialist services. They also provide services at the Epilepsy Society’s Chalfont Centre in Buckinghamshire.

The report explains the background to the selection of UCLH as the preferred provider. It also notes that a final decision on the transfer of management to UCLH will be made once a number of conditions have been met, including an agreed and funded plan for the future of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre service.

Scrutiny of the consultation

The Committee will be asked to note a report on how the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) will scrutinise the consultation on the relocation of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre.

The report outlines the objectives of the consultation, which include:

• To meet statutory duties.
• To gather feedback from patients, staff, stakeholders and local residents.
• To obtain feedback relevant to the consultation proposals.
• To secure a mix of both quantitative and qualitative feedback.
• To capture all feedback from the consultation within a single analysis and report.

The report sets out how the JHOSC will be involved in the consultation process. It states that NHS England will attend four themed meetings of the JHOSC to discuss the consultation. NHS England will also attend individual Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees to discuss the engagement of specific populations.

The report notes that 2023/24 patient activity figures have been used to determine the geographical scope of the consultation, and that patients from as far as Yorkshire and the Isle of Wight will be informed of the consultation.

There are a small number of patients from other parts of the country - 345 of the total 12,972 patients in 2023/24.

The report also notes that NHS England has set aside resources to support the consultation. These resources will be used to produce consultation materials and to promote the consultation.