The Inner North East London Joint Health and Overview Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to discuss a comprehensive health update for April 2024, which included financial overviews and provider updates from key NHS trusts. The committee was also set to review its action tracker and forward plan.

Health Update - April 2024

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a detailed health update for April 2024. This update was expected to cover the financial position of NHS North East London, including a forecast deficit of £36.9 million. The report highlighted pressures in Continuing Healthcare, prescribing costs, and mental health services as key drivers of financial challenges. Provider updates were also scheduled from Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton Healthcare NHS Trust, and East London and North East London NHS Foundation Trusts.

Barts Health NHS Trust was expected to report on strategic updates including the redevelopment of Whipps Cross Hospital, the reopening of the Barking community birth centre, and positive results from a CQC maternity survey. They were also to provide an update on their urgent and emergency care performance, noting improvements in ED wait times, and their progress in elective recovery, having significantly reduced the number of patients waiting over 65 weeks.

Homerton Healthcare NHS Trust was scheduled to present its operational performance, noting achievements in elective care and community services, alongside a deficit forecast of approximately £1.25 million. The trust was also to provide an update on corporate activities, including the appointment of a new Chief Executive and efforts to reduce agency staff spend.

East London and North East London NHS Foundation Trusts were to provide an update on service improvements, including reductions in waiting lists for community health and mental health services. They were also to detail their work in urgent and emergency care, including the role of Urgent Care Response teams and integrated discharge hubs. Updates on the Mental Health Urgent and Emergency Care pathway were also on the agenda, highlighting challenges with bed occupancy and the number of patients clinically ready for discharge.

Committee Action Tracker and Forward Plan

The committee was scheduled to review its Action Tracker and Forward Plan. This report, prepared by Rosie Whillock, Scrutiny Policy Assistant, detailed outstanding actions and recommendations from previous meetings. The committee was expected to discuss the progress on these items and consider the forward plan for future agenda items.

London Ambulance Service Update

An update from the London Ambulance Service (LAS) was also on the agenda. This report was expected to cover performance metrics for the North East London sector, including response times for Category 1 and Category 2 patients. It was also to detail efforts to reduce ambulance handover delays at hospitals and the introduction of new working approaches for frontline staff. The report was to highlight the use of specialist resources, such as mental health and urgent community response cars, to manage demand and promote alternative care pathways.

Barts Health/BHRUT Closer Collaboration

Consideration was to be given to a report on the closer collaboration between Barts Health NHS Trust and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals (BHRUT) NHS Trust. This collaboration, part of the North East London Acute Provider Collaborative (APC), aimed to improve the delivery of acute services and achieve national targets. The report was expected to discuss the objectives and benefits of this collaboration, including clinical improvements, better value for money, and stronger leadership.

Mental Health Urgent and Emergency Care

A specific report on Mental Health Urgent and Emergency Care was scheduled for discussion. This report was expected to detail the increase in bed-days for patients clinically ready for discharge, leading to high bed occupancy and longer waits for admission. It was also to outline the work being undertaken to improve discharge arrangements and the overall flow through the urgent and emergency care pathway. The report was to include details on the Mental Health Crisis/UEC Improvement Network and its associated projects.

Finance Overview

A Finance Overview report was to be presented, detailing the financial position of NHS North East London. This would include the adjusted financial position, highlighting a projected deficit of £36.9 million for the full year. The report was expected to break down the financial pressures, including those related to Continuing Healthcare, prescribing, and mental health services, as well as provider-level deficits driven by industrial action, inflation, and payroll costs.

Provider Updates

In addition to the overarching health update, specific provider updates were scheduled from:

• Barts Health NHS Trust: Covering strategic updates, urgent and emergency care performance, and elective recovery.
• Homerton Healthcare NHS Trust: Detailing operational performance, corporate activities, and financial position.
• East London and North East London NHS Foundation Trusts: Providing service updates, including waiting list reductions, urgent and emergency care performance, and organisational updates.

The meeting was scheduled to take place at Waltham Forest Town Hall.