We are expecting detail shortly on the future role and responsibilities of ICBs, given the national decision to further reduce our budgets. Once we have the written guidance, we will communicate further.

Anita is currently our Deputy Chair and has been with NHS North West London since its inception on 1 July 2022, including chairing our Performance Committee.  She is a health economist based at the Health Foundation where she is co-chairing an independent commission on NHS productivity. She is a member of the Economic and Social Research Council and Royal Economic Society and an expert adviser to the Health and Social Care Select Committee. Previously, she was Director, public spending at HM Treasury and held various roles in the UK government.

Anita Charlesworth said:

“I’m pleased and proud to be appointed Acting Chair. We have made great strides under Penny’s leadership in setting out how the system works, developing integrated neighbourhood teams and putting measures and strategies in place to improve the quality of care in primary care, mental health, cancer services and urgent and emergency care. Plans are under development to improve elective care, end of life care and maternity services. We know that there are big challenges ahead on the future shape of the ICB following recent national announcements and these sit alongside the need to improve access, tackle health inequalities and make sure we are delivering value for money. I plan to be an active Chair.  Over the next 6 months we need to ensure that people – those who work in NW London and the population we serve – are at the heart of everything we do. Working in partnership across the system is critical to ensure our residents get the best possible care.”

Dr Penny Dash said:

“I have very much have enjoyed my time at NHS North West London. We have managed to make good progress in many areas, led by front line teams and supported by colleagues in the ICB and I am proud of the way we have led the country in much of this work. I know Anita will be an excellent appointment as Acting Chair and wish her and NHS North West London every success.”

Caroline Clarke, Regional Director for the NHS in London said:

“I am delighted to welcome Anita to the role of Acting Chair. As the current Deputy Chair, she will provide leadership and stability during a period of change. She also has a passion for improving health services and tackling inequalities and a strong track record working in health economics that will benefit the people of north west London during this period.”

Working as part of the Hounslow Borough Based Partnership showcases work to reduce health inequalities, Hounslow Council was the first organisation in the country to use the NHS England CORE20PLUS5 framework to underpin its newly published Annual Public Health Report; From the Ground Up: Tackling Health Inequalities on 12 March 2025. 

Health and care teams engaged with hundreds of residents in CORE20 and PLUS groups to better understand the reasons for the challenges they face and what could be done to address them.

The report explains how the Council and its partners in the Hounslow Borough Based partnership have since started to address the need they discovered using an approach that covers prioritises equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI), and focuses on prevention and early intervention to tackle health and wellbeing differences.

Race Steering Group

NW London ICS have adopted the National Core20plus5 Framework to ensure there is a systematic approach to reducing health inequalities. Race and the role of structural racism as a barrier to effective health outcomes is one of the system Plus Groups and this is evident in our Joint Forward Plan. The Race Steering Group (RSG) chaired by Rob Hurd and Ales Dewsapp supported by the Health Equity Team and provides the governance to bring system stakeholders together to systematically highlight and action health inequality disparities face by local populations through the race lens. The RSG meets bimonthly and key headlines from this month’s meeting include: 

In-Reach Model  

NW London  ICS recognises that there needs to be a different interventional approach to addressing the current health disparities in the black community. Offering clinical interventions using a holistic approach has been a key priority of the RSG.  Scaling the model following the two successful events held last year is now the key deliverable and work is underway to develop the business case that supports the development of five health community hubs across NW London. System partners and community stakeholders will be coming together at a workshop to take this to the next stage on Friday 4 April.  There are also a number of community events planned over the summer that will ensure that the longer term model is co-designed directly with the local population. 

Mental Health 

Black disparities through the mental health lens has been highlighted as one of the key community priorities through the ACTT.  Following on from a discussion at the last RSG, work has been planned through the ICB Mental Health and Health Equity Programme to work with system stakeholders and co-design a system-wide summit this summer to explore and co-create solutions to the evidenced disproportionate disparities faced by young black men in North West London. The aim is to have the lived experience at the centre of the summit and ways in which the prevention agenda can be more prevalent including exploring best practice around culturally appropriate psychotherapy.   

Strategic Connections 

Part of the role of the RSG is to ensure we look beyond NW London for best practice and network with the wider system through the race lens. The Health Equity Team highlighted at the recent RSG group key headlines from two recently attended London wide events. The Inspire Network Annual Summit brings together system stakeholders from across London to collectively tackle health inequalities through the race lens. Discussion points at the summit included the importance of health inequalities in the NHS 10 Year Plan and also the role of AI in future healthcare systems, in recognition that data and algorithms may not always include those impacted by health inequalities. Similarly, the London Anti-Racist Collaboration for Health, a joint venture with health and local authorities, also had its annual summit this month.  A key headline is the launch of the joint Anti-Racist Framework, a proactive tool that supports organisations with practical ways to self-assess where they are in their anti-racist journey.

As part of our ongoing programme to improve access to general practice, a series of events were held so that patients could have their say and share their experiences. This initiative, led by local Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and supported by NHS North West London, is part of a broader engagement strategy aimed at improving GP services and patient experiences.

We published the response rates to the surveys and an overview of north west London-wide public events, both face-to-face and online, that were held across the PCNs. 

In total, we had over 100,000 responses to the patient survey. The initial findings were shared with the public at two events held on 6 February 2025 and are available on our website.

Residents will have seen over the last few weeks’ demolition work at the old Northwood Cottage Hospital, with building of the new health centre starting in the spring. Historical elements of the cottage hospital will be retained and refurbished as part of the new development. 

This exciting new local health facility will house existing local NHS services and allow for more services to be provided to residents. This will include mental health support and wider community services.

Local GP practices; Acre Surgery and Carepoint Practice will also move into the modern building when it is ready. All being well, this will be in the summer of 2026. 

Joan Butfield, Chair, Carepoint Patients' Participation Group said: “It is great to see work start on the new centre, it has been a long time in the planning. It will be really wonderful for the doctors and patients to have a fit for purpose surgery. We cannot wait.”

Mr Desraj Dahele, Chair, Acre and Acrefield Surgery, Patients' Participation Group commented: “Wonderful news regarding the new Northwood Health Centre building opening next year. It will allow more services to be available for local patients, a better workplace for doctors and staff, plus improved facilities for all.”

Patients at these practices will be kept up-to-date as the build progresses.

Planning permission for the development of the site was granted in August 2023. The plans also include the building of 70 flats across the existing NHS estate.

The London General Practice Awards 2025 were held in the Houses of Parliament on February 2025, celebrating remarkable achievements in healthcare.
 

There are more than 15 other colleagues and organisations in north west London who won accolades or were highly commended. Some of whom also have involvements with other London’s other ICBs.

We also want to congratulate Ben Coleman MP for winning the General Practice Parliamentary Champion Award – for advocacy and support for general practice in the capital.

Over 50 local residents attended the latest NHS North West London Residents’ Forum earlier this month to discuss our plans to develop a new planned care strategy.

The meeting was chaired by Penny Dash and the presentation on the planned care issue paper was led by James Biggin-Lamming, director of strategy at London North West University Healthcare Trust and Aarthi Ravinskar from the NHS North West Lodon strategy team. In a constructive, hour-long discussion, residents raised a wide range of issues, including communication whilst awaiting care, as well as digital exclusion.

All feedback raised – along with responses received to the issues paper – will be taken into account by the planned care programme team developing the strategy. Planned care was also the main item being discussed with councillors from across our eight boroughs at the latest North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Find out more about our work on planned care.

NHS North West London has published its latest Communications and Involvement Summary, covering February 2025.

We reached 308,616 residents across our platforms, speaking with 654 residents directly in local community settings via our in-reach programme which included 37 events! Much of our focus was on the “Compassionate Care For All” consultation, alongside our work on Improving Planned Care.

At Brent Civic Centre on 6 February 2025, local residents met with NHS leaders, including NHS North West London Chair Dr Penny Dash and CEO Rob Hurd, to discuss GP access and your 100,000 survey responses.

Other highlights include the news that the Chiswick Health Centre will open on 31 March 2025.

Find out about the key highlights from each borough in the full published summary.

Harrow’s new Homeless Outreach Service, will be commencing on 1 April, 2025. This initiative aims to provide immediate and comprehensive support to individuals experiencing homelessness in our community.

This service is a collaborative effort involving Firm Foundations charity and primary care to provide targeted healthcare support to homeless individuals, reducing health inequalities and improving access to essential medical care through an integrated approach.

The hub in central Harrow serves as a focal point for healthcare provision and other support services. Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meetings involving housing, addiction services, and adult social care are integral to the delivery model, ensuring coordinated and effective support for homeless residents. The project also emphasises digital inclusion, providing assistance with mobile devices and SIM cards to enable access to NHS services. In addition, the project aims to increase the proportion of homeless people in drug and alcohol treatment programmes, improving vaccination coverage and carrying out health checks when clinically indicated to this vulnerable group.