Community Update - 27 January 2026

Tuesday 27 January 2026

Welcome

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

Please 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.

Consultation launched on the future of Mount Vernon Cancer Centre

NHS England has launched a public consultation on proposed changes to specialist cancer services at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), running from 19 January to 29 March 2026. The review outlines plans to relocate MVCC to a new, purpose-built facility at Watford General Hospital, bringing specialist cancer care together on an acute hospital site, with modern facilities and access to supporting services that cannot be provided optimally at the current location.

Alongside the relocation, proposals include:

expanding chemotherapy, diagnostics and follow-up care closer to patients’ homes in local hospitals
offering more treatment at home where appropriate
considering an additional radiotherapy unit at either Lister Hospital (Stevenage) or Luton and Dunstable Hospital to improve access for those farther north.

The consultation is an opportunity for clinicians, patients and the wider community to share views on these proposals.

Full details, supporting documentation and ways to respond are available on the consultation website.

NHS North West London and NHS North Central London Board Meeting in Public to take place this week

NHS North West London (ICB) and North Central London ICB) will hold their next Board meeting in common on Wednesday 28 January 2026 from 2pm. Members of the public and partners are welcome to observe.

See the full agenda and registration details on the NHS North West London website.

Access emergency dental care through NHS 111

Don’t suffer through the pain. If you’ve got a tooth knocked out, severe pain, or a swelling/lump in your mouth—it’s time to move. NHS 111 is your fast track to urgent dental care 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

NHS 111 can advise you where you can get seen and, in appropriate cases, organise an emergency dental appointment, which might be at a different practice from your regular NHS dentist but usually nearby. If you have a regular dentist, contact your practice first. If you don’t, or you need advice out of hours, NHS 111 is here for you.

Find out more on our website.

Support for older people in Westminster

Age UK Westminster is exploring the introduction of a range of paid-for services to better support older people living in our community. Before they make any decisions, they want to hear from the people who matter most — you.

Age UK have created a short survey to help the organisation to understand which services would be most useful and how often you might use them.

The services they're exploring include:

decluttering
handy person
mobile hairdressing
footcare/tool nail cutting.

Please take two minutes to complete their survey.

Save the date: Harlington Annual Palliative Care Conference

Harlington Hospice will be hosting their annual professional conference on Wednesday 17 June 2026 at Michael Sobell Centre, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, HA6 2RN

Following the success of last year’s conference, they are pleased to confirm that this year’s event, titled “Stand by me”, will once again bring together colleagues and friends working across palliative care for a day of learning, discussion and collaboration.

The programme will explore key topics across the breadth of palliative care, with opportunities to reflect, connect and be inspired!

For a taster of the event, you can still view the content from last year on our Annual Conference web page.

Do save the date in your calendar. NHS North West London will be sharing further details, including speakers, session information and registration costs, in the coming weeks.

We have been visiting your communities

NHS North West London and Brent Council held an engagement session at Harlesden Library, speaking individually with around 18 residents about cancer awareness, mental health, GP access, long‑term conditions and winter vaccinations. The Roving Team provided on‑site vaccinations and supported several residents in acute mental health distress with immediate reassurance and guidance.

NHS North West London also attended the older people’s coffee morning at Queen’s Park Rangers Stadium in White City, where over 15 residents participated despite poor weather. Residents raised key issues around GP access, appointment availability, and challenges with online primary care systems.

Meet our Involvement team at an event near you

The NHS North West London involvement team attends a range of meetings and events with different communities and residents across our eight boroughs.

Find out more about these events and those taking place in other boroughs.