The Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to discuss a health update covering various aspects of healthcare provision across North East London, and to conduct a deep dive into the model for integrated neighbourhood working. The meeting also included a review of the minutes from the previous meeting.

Health Update

The committee was scheduled to receive a comprehensive health update, detailing the current state of healthcare services and outlining future plans. This update included information on organisational changes within NHS North East London, such as the reduction in Integrated Care Board (ICB) running costs and the development of a new operating model focused on strategic commissioning. The report detailed how NHS North East London has worked to improve population health, tackle inequalities, enhance productivity, and support broader social and economic development over the past three years. Achievements highlighted included the implementation of Women's Health Hubs, modernisation of GP surgeries, and strong performance in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). A newly approved NEL Homeless Health Strategy, co-designed with individuals with lived experience, was also to be discussed, focusing on improving pathways for hospital admission and discharge, enhancing access to primary and community care, and developing preventative approaches.

The financial position of the system was also on the agenda, with a reported deficit of £79.7m for the NEL system at month 12 of the 2024/25 financial year. This variance was attributed to provider overspends, with specific details on the financial performance of organisations such as Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) and North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT). Workforce plans, including targets for reducing agency and bank staff spend, were also to be presented. The report outlined a financial update on system cost improvement and transformation plans, focusing on demand management, back-office efficiencies, and productivity improvements. Capital plans for 2025/26 were also to be reviewed, noting that NEL receives the lowest capital allocation among London ICBs due to how the funding formula treats historic asset values.

Provider updates were scheduled to include information from Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT), detailing their performance in urgent and emergency care, efforts to reduce waiting lists, and progress on cancer targets. BHRUT's financial challenges and plans for an electronic patient record system were also to be discussed. Updates from the North East London Collaborative, covering Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism, and Community Healthcare, were also on the agenda. These updates were expected to cover operational pressures, priorities for 2025/26, and plans against local priorities, including improving community offers and redesigning pathways for neurodevelopmental conditions. Barts Health NHS Trust was also scheduled to provide an update on outpatients, patient experience, finance, and operational developments, including the launch of the Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing and the expansion of their robotic surgery programme.

Deep Dive - Integrated Neighbourhoods

The committee was scheduled to receive a presentation on the NEL model for integrated neighbourhood working. The vision for this initiative is that Everyone in north east London lives in a neighbourhood which supports and actively contributes to their physical and mental health and wellbeing. This vision is to be achieved through four strategic goals: working with and for local communities, addressing rising need in a proactive and preventative way, delivering integrated and accessible care, and supporting service sustainability. The model is designed as a whole population approach with residents and communities at its heart, aiming to bring together existing staff into integrated teams that support different population cohorts and draw on local resources. Examples of developing models in Barking and Dagenham, and in City and Hackney, were to be presented. The report detailed the development of a core team in each neighbourhood, comprising primary care, community nursing, therapies, mental health services, social care, community navigators, and wider partners, to coordinate care for high-intensity users with rising needs. The NEL Roadmap for 2025/26 delivery of neighbourhoods was also to be outlined, focusing on implementing the core integrated neighbourhood team. The role of the Integrator was to be discussed, highlighting its vital function in hosting and facilitating the design and implementation of neighbourhood teams, bridging fragmentation, and supporting a population health management approach.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

The committee was scheduled to review and agree the minutes of the previous meeting held on 15 April 2025.