Agenda item

This report provides an update on performance particularly in light of current issues faced by Central Middlesex Hospital and Northwick Park Hospital.

Tina Benson (North West London NHS Hospitals Trust) presented a report updating the committee on Accident and Emergency (A&E) performance and activity at North West London Hospitals (NWLH) NHS trust. It was highlighted that Northwick Park Hospital A&E continued to be under considerable pressure, principally in respect of assessment space within the department and bed capacity across the hospital. Performance against the four hour A&E waiting target had worsened over the winter and bed capacity was a key underlying cause of this. To address the assessment and acute bed capacity problems the trust was undertaking a complete site review. It was recognised that the Shaping a Healthier Future (SaHF) model was very different to the existing model in operation and relied significantly on an out of hospital strategy. This drew on evidence which indicated that a third of patients in hospital beds did not need to be in an acute setting. It was also anticipated that the £20m redevelopment of the A&E at Northwick Park would address some of the issues around the lack of assessment space. Turning to activity at Central Middlesex A&E, the committee was advised that this had continued to decline, although it had been busy in recent weeks due in part to the intentional pushing of activity away from Northwick Park in the interim period. The trust would be looking at how the emergency pathway could be consolidated and improved within the context of the possible outcomes of the SaHF programme.

In the subsequent discussion the committee requested an update on the redevelopment of the A&E at Northwick Park Hospital. Members also sought an update on the introduction of the 111 telephone service.

On the redevelopment of the A&E site at Northwick Park Hospital, Tina Benson explained that construction work was already underway and artists’ impressions of the finished development were available. The business case had now been signed off. The underlying principal of the building was improved flow and flexible space. There would be no treatment specific rooms and instead the rooms would be suitable for the different purposes of various healthcare providers. Jo Ohlson (Brent Borough Director, NHS Brent), advised that it was important that a shift was made towards a focus on preventative care, noting that under the current system resources were predominantly orientated towards acute crisis management. Without such a shift in position, hospitals would face growing patient admissions. The perspective of the clinical commissioning group was focussed towards supporting good preventative primary care. With regard to the 111 service, a start date of 19 February was currently in place; however, advertising of the new number would not begin until the following month. The delay in implementing the service had been due to IT issues. The contract would be signed by the forthcoming week.

In response to a question from a member of the public on potential issues of access for the redeveloped A&E facility at Northwick Park Hospital, Tina Benson advised that the access route to the facility would no longer be one-way as originally planned and that the London Ambulance Service (LAS) had signed off the plans for the new building.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.