The Health & Adults Scrutiny Sub-Committee met on 20 February 2024 and discussed two main issues; the quality of Maternity Services in the borough, and access to GP services, both during and outside of office hours. The Sub-Committee will receive an update from BARTS Health NHS Trust at their next meeting, on 18 April 2024, setting out how they will improve Maternity Services.

Maternity Services in Tower Hamlets

The Sub-Committee heard from two local residents, Momina Begum and Farhana Anjuman, who described the poor treatment they had received during and after childbirth at The Royal London Hospital¹.

services should not be affected despite any staff shortages and regardless of the shift pattern and time of birth, a level of compassion towards mothers should be shown

The residents' experiences were corroborated by Karen Wint, the Chief Executive of Sister Circle². Sister Circle is a charity in Tower Hamlets that advocates for women's health services and provides support to women with complex needs.

The Sub-Committee heard that the issues reported by these residents are relatively common, and particularly affect Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women.

maternity services are not culturally sensitive or responsive to BAME mothers, particularly with those who do not speak English as a first language. A culture change to treat women of all races and religions is also required to improve services

GP - Out of Hours Service

The Sub-Committee received a presentation from the NHS about the performance of GP practices in the borough and were told that there are a number of initiatives in place to improve access to primary care.

encouraging patients to use the NHS app to view test results and their position on the waiting list, increasing patient self- referrals to bypass GP’s and promoting the ‘Pharmacy First’ initiative

The Sub-Committee were also told about the results of the 'Improvements Week' initiative that was undertaken in October 2023. During Improvements Week, a number of local residents were interviewed about their experiences at 5 different GP practices in the N6 Primary Care Network³. Residents praised the helpfulness of practice staff, but complained about the difficulty in getting through to practices on the phone, and in booking appointments online.

The Sub-Committee heard from Malcolm Thompson, the Chief Operating Officer of the Tower Hamlets GP Care Group about the Out of Hours service. This service operates out of the Urgent Treatment Centre at the Royal London Hospital, and is CQC rated 'Good'.

The independent GP’s working in the service undertake clinical ‘tool kit’ audits to review note taking and safeguarding and monthly training sessions. Pharmacists also undertake monthly audits on prescribed medications to ensure individual performance levels remain high.

The service receives around 1,500 visits every month. The Sub-Committee were told that a patient survey on the Out of Hours service would be undertaken in 2024.