Community Update - 24 October 2024

Thursday 24 October 2024

Welcome

Welcome to our community update. This is NHS North West London's newsletter for local community and voluntary groups.

We would encourage you to help us by sharing the relevant content in your community newsletters and email updates aimed at your members and residents. You may also use this wording in social media posts. Images and some campaign materials in different languages are available on our resources page.

Patients have their say on general practice in North West London

Over 38,000 patients have responded in the first week of a survey asking about their experiences in accessing general practice in North West London.

The survey – which has been developed by NHS North West London together with local GPs and patient representatives - is aimed at all patients in Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea.

Not all practices have yet issued the survey, but they are expected to do so in the next few days, with a closing date of 3 November 2024.

Dr Genevieve Small, local GP and Medical Director for Primary Care in North West London, said:

“If you are a patient of a GP in North West London, we want to hear from you. We are keen to understand the challenges of accessing services in primary care, including GP appointments. If you receive the survey, please do respond so that we can get the fullest possible picture of patient experiences. Once the survey is complete, primary care networks – groups of local practices and other services – will be working with their patients and local communities to improve their systems where needed.”

Update on review of acute mental health services in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea

NHS North West London, supported by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, ran a consultation from October 2023 to February 2024, on the future of acute mental health services in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea following the temporary closure of the inpatient wards at the Gordon Hospital. There was significant engagement in the consultation with over 700 individual responses.

The responses from the consultation period helped identify a number of areas where further work was needed that would help continue to develop the case and proposed model of care to ensure it is meeting the needs of the local population. This work has all informed the Decision Making Business Case (DMBC) which will be presented to NHS North West London Board for a final decision.

To ensure all information has been sufficiently considered there has been a decision that the DMBC will be taken to NHS North West London Board on Wednesday 22 January 2025 where a final decision will be made. This is a public meeting and interested parties are invited to watch the meeting to see the discussion, a link will be available here closer to the time.

We also anticipate at least two more public meetings of the North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee to discuss the case before any changes are implemented. One will discuss the DMBC before it goes to NHS North West London for decision and the second will review the decision made at the meeting in January 2025. These meetings are both open to the public and more information about dates and how to join can be found here.

Thank you to everyone who has been involved in this engagement process and for your patience while a fully considered decision is reached to best meet the needs of the local community.

Update on palliative care consultation

Members of the North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee reviewed and commented on the communications and engagement strategy for the North West London Model of Care for Adult (18+) Community-based Specialist Palliative Care services consultation. The papers can be found here.

There will be an update on the consultation shortly.

Find out more about the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee here.

Carers' Rights Day event in Ealing

Carers Rights Day 2024 will take place in Ealing on Thursday 21 November 2024. The event is for the boroughs unpaid carers supporting family members and the theme this year is “recognising Your Rights.”

Carers Rights Day is an annual event in the UK that raises awareness of the challenges and rights of unpaid family carers. The day aims to help carers understand their rights and access the support they are entitled to.

There will be a range of local voluntary and staturory services stalls sharing information and advice about their services. The NHS will be providing blood pressure checks and providing valuable advice about health and healthy living.

The event takes place at 10am - 3pm on 21 November 2024. It takes place at Elm Lodge, in Greenford, Ealing.

Email this address for further information.

Local events

Find out about local events in your area.

You can find more events for Hillingdon here.