The Sutton Council Scrutiny Committee met on 11 June 2025, to discuss an update from Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, corporate parenting for children looked after and care leavers, and the Scrutiny Committee's annual report for 2024/25. The committee noted the reports on all three topics.

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust (ESTH) Update

The committee received an update on Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust (ESTH), covering performance, finance, violence and aggression towards staff, maternity services, and the new hospital programme.

Key points from the report included:

• Performance: While theatre utilisation was above the national target, emergency department waiting times remained a challenge. All cancer performance standards were achieved in February 2025.
• Finance: The trust is focused on delivering its financial plan and working toward financial balance in a challenging financial environment.
• Violence and aggression: Incidents of violence and aggression towards hospital staff have risen significantly in recent years. Measures to address this include increased security, body-worn cameras, and potential bans for abusive patients.
• Maternity services: Improvements have been made following a 2023 Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection[^1] that identified areas for improvement. [^1]: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an independent regulator of health and social care in England.
• New hospital programme: Construction of the new Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Sutton is not expected to begin until 2033 at the earliest. In the meantime, the trust is working to improve the existing estate at Epsom and St Helier hospitals.

The report highlighted that incidents of violence and aggression towards hospital staff had risen by 1,000% in the last four years, with incidents rising from 99 in 2021 to 1,005 in 2024.

The report also provided an update on maternity services, stating that [ESTH] are on track to complete all actions related to improvements, except for the longstanding estate/premises issues, which will take longer to resolve.

Corporate Parenting for Children Looked After and Care Leavers

The committee discussed a report on corporate parenting for children looked after and care leavers in Sutton. The report highlighted the council's responsibilities as corporate parents, including ensuring the safety and well-being of looked after children and supporting care leavers towards independent adulthood.

Key points from the report included:

• As of 31 March 2025, there were 215 children looked after by Sutton Council, a decrease from previous years.
• Foster care remains the predominant placement type, but there is an ongoing shortage of foster placements.
• The council is working to keep children in local accommodation where possible, including expanding its in-house children's home offer.
• A total of 261 care leavers are receiving leaving care services, with ages ranging from 18 to 25.
• The council has a local offer for care leavers, providing information and support on a variety of topics, including finance, employment/education, and housing.
• Sutton has designated care experience as a protected characteristic[^2], aiming to address the unique challenges faced by this group. [^2]: A protected characteristic is a characteristic that is protected under the Equality Act 2010. It is against the law to discriminate against someone because of a protected characteristic.
• The council is working to improve housing options for care leavers, including establishing stronger working relationships between housing and social care.
• A new finance policy has been implemented to provide clear guidelines for personal advisors and social workers supporting children and young people.
• The council is working to increase education, employment, and training opportunities for care leavers, including through a dedicated employability working group and the Aspiring to Thrive programme.
• The council is providing health support to care leavers, including therapy and a review of the Care Leavers Health Summary.
• The council has a quality assurance process in place to ensure the suitability of unregistered placements.
• The council is providing support to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), including a dedicated UASC group and laptop training.
• The Virtual School is providing a range of participation opportunities for children looked after, including trips and activities.
• The council is working to increase the number of in-house foster carers and provide support to kinship carers.
• The Children in Care Council (CiCC) has been strengthened and is running a Parents Group.

The report noted that Willow Residential Services, the council's in-house children's home, received a 'Good' overall judgement in its first full Ofsted inspection in January 2025 and provides care for 6 Sutton CLA across the three homes.

Scrutiny Committee Annual Report 2024/25

The committee reviewed its annual report for 2024/25, which highlighted the key work undertaken by the committee during the year. The report covered the committee's statutory obligations around health, crime and disorder, and flood risk management, as well as items on resident engagement and public transport in Sutton.

Key topics discussed by the committee during the year included:

• Crime, policing and community safety in Sutton
• Epsom and St Helier Hospital update
• Flood risk management update
• Resident engagement
• Public transport in Sutton
• Hospice provision in Sutton

The report noted that Councillor Edward Joyce, Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, had worked closely with colleagues across South London and other affected local authorities to challenge the NHS decision for the Children's Cancer Principal Treatment Centre to be based at Evelina London, rather than St George's Hospital.