The Inner North East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 14 January 2026 to discuss the closure of Richard House Children's Hospice, receive health and finance updates, and review the committee's scrutiny report. The meeting also included a period for public participation.

Richard House Children's Hospice

The committee was scheduled to receive information regarding the closure of Richard House Children's Hospice. The Trustees of the hospice made the decision to close and enter administration on 7 December, with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) being notified on 18 December. The ICB has been working with Haven House Children's Hospice to provide immediate support to the children and families previously under Richard House's care. This support includes continued 24/7 end-of-life nursing care, respite and crisis care, counselling, step-down admissions for children discharged from hospital, sibling support, and family events. Hospice at Home services are planned to be provided from 1 April 2026. The report noted that a group of parents is keen to reinstate services, but the administration process is advanced. The priority is a safe transfer of families and the development of a sustainable model for children's hospice provision in north east London, with new commissioning arrangements expected from 1 April 2027.

Health Update

A comprehensive health update was scheduled, covering various aspects of the NHS in North East London. This included information on organisational changes within NHS North East London, such as the appointment of Dr Nnenna Osuji as the new Chief Executive. The report detailed plans for ICB restructuring in response to government requests to reduce running costs, including a formal staff consultation on proposed new organisational structures. Timelines for this consultation and subsequent selection and redundancy processes were outlined. The update also covered the management of winter pressures, detailing a coordinated system response, strengthened community care, and efforts to improve mental health and crisis response services. Achievements were highlighted, including awards for personalised care and the launch of the North East London Population Health Management Platform. Updates were also provided on the North East London Collaborative, including the Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Collaborative and the Community Healthcare Collaborative. Specific updates were expected from Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Barts Health NHS Trust, covering operational developments, finance, planning, people, and research and innovation.

Finance Overview

The committee was set to receive a finance overview from Henry Black, Chief Finance Officer of NEL ICB. The report detailed the Integrated Care System's (ICS) financial position at Month 7 (October 2025/26), indicating a planned breakeven position at year-end which had become a planned system deficit of £28 million. The actual year-to-date deficit was reported as £69.8 million, an adverse variance of £41.8 million. The report highlighted that this variance was primarily driven by providers, with the exception of ELFT, which reported a surplus, and the ICB, which reported a positive variance. The overview also included an analysis of NEL ICS Efficiencies, showing a shortfall against the planned delivery of efficiencies. The financial summary at Month 7 detailed risks and unidentified mitigations amounting to £102 million. It was noted that NHS England had not provided £14 million in deficit support funding for months 4 to 7, which would increase the likelihood of not delivering the annual plan. The system had been asked to outline a financial recovery plan, with the trajectory assuming a year-to-date deficit of £46.1 million compared to the actual £69.8 million. Key pressures identified included efficiency slippage and run rate pressures across pay and non-pay areas.

Scrutiny Report

The committee was scheduled to review the Scrutiny Report, presented by the Town Clerk. This report was the second of the municipal year, and members were invited to view the Forward Plan and make suggestions for items to be considered in the 2025-26 cycle. The report indicated no strategic, financial, resource, legal, risk, equalities, climate, or security implications. Members were asked to note the report and appendices and to make suggestions for the Forward Plan.

Public Participation

The agenda allowed for public participation, where members of the public could speak for up to three minutes on topics related to the Committee's work. This provided an opportunity for residents and interested parties to raise issues directly with the committee.