Issue - meetings

Report attached.

Officers expressed confidence that the Whipps Cross redevelopment project would move into the delivery phase as the project had been accepted into the National Hospital Development Programme. It was expected that the new hospital would be completed by 2026.

The design incorporated a 500 space multi storey car park as well as new community health and care facilities alongside the new hospital. Some demolition work had now started on the site and significant communications and engagement had taken place over recent months. There were also proposals for the building of 1,500 new homes once the new hospital had been completed.

Bed modelling for the new hospital had been updated and rechecked following the pandemic. Many service users had been involved in the redesign of services and the hospital workforce was also represented on the redevelopment steering group.

A clinically led review of end of life care was currently being undertaken and would be completed by the end of June. Engagement with patients and Healthwatch would be undertaken on the proposed new pathways.

The determination of the planning application was expected in autumn 2021 with the construction of the car park planned to start in early 2022. Hospital construction would commence in spring 2023 with completion by the end of 2026.

There was a commitment for the new hospital to be zero carbon and a sustainability advisor was part of the design team and further details could be provided. It was accepted that there was a risk of not all assumptions being right re bed numbers and the business case included design flexibility re the number of beds. Further land adjacent to the hospital could also be accessed if further facilities were needed in the future. Some of the new homes on the site would be set aside for key workers although the demand for this was uncertain as yet.

Officers stated that most patients preferred to die at home and the model of hospice care was currently being considered. Clinicians did appreciate the value of hospices. It was emphasised that there was no proposal to close any palliative care beds at Whipps Cross but it was necessary to decide how these beds would be reconfigured.

It was felt that there should not be any conflicts on interest in the procurement process for the new hospital. The procurement strategy for the new hospital would be led by the national programme and the right procurement was needed for Whipps Cross.

Redbridge and Waltham Forest social care departments were represented on the hospital advisory group. It was accepted that projections recruitment and the workforce strategy could be proven to be too optimistic.

It was agreed that the Committee would seek an independent review of the bed modelling used at Whipps Cross and that officers should be more explicit about changes in areas such as renal services and specialist surgery. The Committee asked for details of the numbers of patients using these services across the whole system.

The Committee noted the update.