Agenda item

Report of Healthwatch, City of London.

The Board received a report from Healthwatch, City of London, to consider a progress update.

The Board heard from the Healthwatch representative who provided a summary of the progress update. This included updates regarding the concerns of the effectiveness of the Neighbourhoods Programme, their Public Board meetings, Patient Panels, and Digital Apps project.

Regarding the concerns raised by the Healthwatch representative on the Neighbourhoods Programme, the Board heard that these concerns and disappointment on effectiveness had been raised by officers at the City. The Programme had set up a board specifically for the City, including an evaluation of its neighbourhoods. Officers could look into this further and challenge what the model has actually delivered in the City.

The Board discussed an additional GP practice in the City to the Neaman Practice. The Board heard that the Hackney Health and Wellbeing Board has raised similar concerns on responsibility for GP practices and strategic priorities. It was agreed to request the ICB a session to discuss the specific needs of the City for members of the Board. It was noted that following a request at a previous meeting, the ICB had been contacted to bring a strategy on primary care to the Board before its approval, but that the ICB had pushed back on this until after a strategy had been approved.

On the Neaman Practice specifically, the actions that it required, such as drafting a business case, could be followed up. GP practices including the Neaman Practice had been caught in the difficulty of the ICB being unable to confirm any further investment. In terms of the Neaman Practice’s business case, members raised whether this should be given more weight in the context of the wider need for primary care, and that this did require an effort and support from partners.

Following a point raised, it was agreed that data on where City residents registered their GP practices be shared with the Board.

The Board therefore agreed for the ICB to be re-contacted and to re-iterate its previous request on primary care, and that this be a priority for its next meeting in July 2024.

RESOLVED – That the report be received and its contents noted.