Half of councillor members of Scrutiny Committee absent for consideration of the Urgent Treatment Centre hours reduction.

 

   

After three attempts and a 570 signature petition, Brent Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny at last considered, albeit in a limited way because the proposal has been implemented, the reduction in hours at Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre. Hours were reduced by 3 hours daily from February 1st, 2026.

 

The London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust was represented by Pippa Nightingale. As on the other occasions, no papers were tabled from the Trust. Councillors and public were denied any evidence on which to base their questions.

 

Furthermore, attendance at the meeting was low, the place for Brent Healthwatch remained empty, and to cap it all the livestream was not working for the presentation by Amandine Alexandre and Ms Nightingale's initial response. The public were denied their right via the livestream or watching the recording, to see and hear democracy in action and hold it to account.

 

Fortunately, I had my mobile phone with me, and the wobbly recording above must suffice.

 

There may well be case for the reduction in hours, but our grievance was twofold: 1. The consultation was inadequate, rushed, reached too few people, the result not full reported and implemented without notice and 2. Scrutiny Committee had not done its job of fully examining the proposal and had to be forced by public pressure to put it on the Committee's Agenda. The latter appeared to have been done reluctantly by Committee Chair Cllr Ketan Sheth who before and after Ms Nightingale's appearance emphasised what a busy person she was, regretted the short notice she had been given (this has been going on for weeks) and seemed to be suggest we were all privileged to be in her presence and that by calling for accountability we were an inconvenience. 

 

Neither Chair, Cllr Ketan Sheth nor the Vice Chair of the Committee, Cllr Ihetsham Afzal, asked any questions of the Trust representative. Cllr Abdi Aden, Cllr Bhagwani Chohan, Cllr Arshad Mahmood, Cllr Tazi Smith, and Cllr Diane Collymore were all absent. 

 

So, no livestream and half of councillors absent - accountability?

 

Those councillors who did attend did their best and notably Co-optees Rachelle Goldberg (Jewish Faith Schools) and Archdeacon Catherine Pickford (Church of England Faith Schools) asked extremely pertinent questions that sometimes made Pippa Nightingale appear complacent and not in touch with the lived experience of local patients.

 

There were several areas where Ms Nightingale's account was at odds with the facts. She claimed the petition had not been received until after the reduction in hours was implemented. In fact it was tabled at Scrutiny Committee on January 19th LINK and was implemented on February 1st (but not announced until February 2nd).

 

She claimed that the 'Have Your Say' process undertaken by the Trust was an 'engagement’ exercise and not a not a formal consultation that befitted a minor local change rather than anything significant.

 

On the engagement/consultation Pippa Nightingale claimed the majority of patients said that the change in hours would make 'minimum impact'.   This is the Trust's own FoI response LINK.

 

  

So only if you add the ‘Unsures ‘to ‘No Impact’ and ‘Minor Impact’ can you make that claim. Faced with the fact that the engagement/consultation had only 42 responses, compared with the 570 petition signatories, Ms Nightingale said lots of people on Patient Panels had responded. Unfortunately, though my FoI asked for information, ’...to include reports, statistics and comments made by organisations or individuals (latter names redacted)' no reports from Patient Panels were included in the Trust's FOI response.

 

The in-person events only attracted 2 people.

 

Another 'insignificant change' came up at the end of the meeting - another change that was implemented despite local opposition from patients. This was the closure of the Hydrotherapy Pool at Northwick Park Hospital. Implemented last August, Pippa Nightingale said closure had been a success with patients treated by NHS staff at several council sports centres and some referrals to 'Stanmore' (National Orthopaedic Hospital). Surely another issue calling for evidence and a proper report to Scrutiny Committee rather than just verbal assurances? 

 

The post-election administration, whatever the political balance, must strengthen the scrutiny process so that it properly reflects the council's duty to stand up for local concerns. 

NOTE: Throughout Pippa Nightingale referred to the Urgent Care Centre, rather than the Urgent Treatment Centre. I understand that Urgent Care Centre is old terminology and referred to a less comprehensive offer than what are now called Urgent Treatment Centres. I am left not sure what the provision is at Central Middlesex Hospital.

 

Published and promoted by James Paton on behalf of Brent Green Party, c/o 23 Saltcroft Close, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 9JJ.

Central Middlesex Hospital UTC reduction in hours at Scrutiny on Wednesday but without any written submission - accountability still lacking

 

 

 No information for the 'briefing'

 

Brent Green Party's campaign, supported by a petition signed by 570 residents, has succeeded in getting the reduction in hours at Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre on the Agenda of Wednesday's Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.

BUT, and it is a very big 'but', there are no accompanying papers, so committee members and the public have no evidence from the NHS on which to base any questions or comments. This repeats the pattern established when a similar 'briefing' was slipped into a Scrutiny meeting as an urgent item (not on the agenda on that occasion) just before the NHS consultation - absolutely nothing in writing then either. 

Along with the failure to publish details of the results of the consultation (I had to submit an FoI to get them, see this LINK ) and the implementation of the reduction in hours without notice LINK, indicates an apparent contempt for the Committee and its role, as well as for concerned residents.

The Committee must show it will stand up for residents on Wednesday, despite (or because of?) of the fact that the reduction of 21 hours a week has already been implemented by London North West University NHS Healthcare Trust without the detailed scrutiny that was needed.

You would not get away with similar conduct and lack of accountability on a major issue at a primary school governing board!

Was a 'consultation' reaching only 42 people an adequate basis on which to reduce the hours of Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre by 3 hours a day?

 When London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust issued a press release the day AFTER they reduced the hours of the Central Middlesex Hospital  Urgent Treatment Centre they said:

We gave local people an opportunity to share their views on the new opening hours through online and in-person public events and an online questionnaire. These did not result in any substantial or widespread objections. 

Therefore, to optimise the service the opening times have now changed from 8am to midnight, to 8am to 9pm

The highlighted claim without any detail interested me, after all 570 Brent residents has signed a petition calling for Brent Scrutiny Committee to examine the proposal - a scrutiny that had never taken place except for an item tagged onto the end of a meeting without any public notice on the agenda or any papers attached - just a chat by the Trust CEO. When the petition was presented Cllr Ketan Sheth, Chair of the Committee, merely said the hours reduction was 'on their radar'. 

The reduction in hours was then implemented.

Give the claim above. I submitted an FOI asking for more details of the result of the consultation. Such consultations are normally published with tables of results, publication of comments received and an anaylsis.

The FOI revealed the following:

1. Only 42 responses were received

2.  70% of responses came from Brent (other boroughs were Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow)

3.  41%  of respondents said the reduction in hours would have a significant impact on them

4.  Only two people turned up to the in-person events. 

5. The Chair of Scrutiny had been informed of the proposal. 

I am sure it will be claimed that the low response rate meant that people were not bothered by the proposal, but that is challenged by the number of people (570 against 42) who signed the online petition on the Brent Council website. Unlike a paper petition there is a several stage process to sign on-line - you HAVE to be concerned to bother to sign.

Such a low response rate on a proposal that will affect hundreds of people, now and in the future, must mean that the consultation itself was inadequate. The petition was advertised on Wembley Matters, Next Door and social media and appears to have reached more than 10 times the number that the Trust engaged.

You will notice below that the response does not fully answer the request. Were there really no comments from NW London ICB or Brent Healthwatch?

 

THE TRUST'S FOI RESPONSE 

1. Please supply full results from the consultation on the reduction in hours of the Urgent Treatment Centre at Central Middlesex Hospital. This to include reports, statistics and comments made by organisations or individuals (latter names redacted) - https://www.lnwh.nhs.uk/news/new-opening-hours-at-urgent-treatment-centre-12430 

A structured public engagement exercise was carried out to gather views on the proposed change to the opening hours of the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Central Middlesex Hospital. As part of this process, a questionnaire was utilised to obtain public opinion, alongside opportunities for involvement through online events and stakeholder communications. 

 

Questionnaire responses

 

The questionnaire received 42 responses

 

Respondents’ borough	Brent	Ealing	Harrow	Hillingdon	Hounslow
Percentage	70%	20%	3%	2%	3%

 

Understanding the impact of proposed change: If the UTC  were to close earlier at 9pm, how would this affect you or those you care for?
	No impact	Minor impact	Significant impact	Unsure
Percentage	15%	21%	41%	23%

 

For those who felt it would have a significant impact on them, the reason given in most cases was the perceived lack of nearby alternative provision or the time it would take to travel to another site. However, most of these respondents had attended the UTC in the previous six months for a minor illness or infection that would have been more appropriately seen by a pharmacist or GP. This aligns with a recent review of the Trust’s urgent care services that found that many patients who visit our urgent treatment centres out of hours would be more appropriately seen in a primary care or pharmacy setting.

Several respondents noted that the lack of radiology services after 8pm meant that they had not been able to access care at the UTC after this time. This reflects the case for change and optimising the service to match the provision of X-ray services at Central Middlesex Hospital.

Nearly all respondents said clear information and direction to alternative services, such as pharmacies and out-of-hours services, would help them access the right care.

Public involvement events

Despite extensive promotion* our involvement events only attracted two people, who asked several questions but did not express any particular views on the proposal.

* Promotional activity

• Trust website and social media channels
• Trust’s stakeholder bulletin (350 recipients)
• Posters at the UTC.
• Press release generated coverage in My London, EALING.NEWS and Wembley Matters blog
• The North West London ICB and Brent Healthwatch also promoted opportunities to be involved.
• Letters to key stakeholders (MPs, scrutiny leads, Healthwatches)

Amandine Alexandre, a Green Party candidate for the Harlesden and Kensal ward whose resident are likely to be impacted by the earlier  closure, said:

 

The London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust probably knew right from the start that closing the Urgent Treatment Centre at 9pm rather than midnight every day was unlikely to be a decision approved by patients and deliberately failed to engage a large number of them in the consultation. However, trying to bypass patients is not an acceptable way to treat people. 

 

The fact that Brent Scrutiny Committee appeared intensely relaxed about residents getting reduced access to the Urgent Care Treatment is also a serious cause of concern for anyone living in Brent. I would like to reassure fellow residents : the Green Party will never cease speaking up in defence of NHS patients in the face of austerity and disdain from the current authorities.

NHS reduces Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre without notice

 

 

The above notice shared on Facebook is the first most of the public will have learned that the NHS NWLondon University Healthcare had implemented their plan to reduce the hours of Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre by 21 hours a week. The notice reverts to the old name of 'Urgent Care' and calls it a Department - whether that is actually a change of name or just another example of their  carelessness is unclear.

 

The website for the UTC (they still called it that) just accessed, has the old opening hours with a footnote that they have been confirmed today! LINK

 

Today, a day after its implementation yesterday, the LNWH NHS website carried a news story about the earlier closing time:

 

 

The Urgent treatment centre at Central Middlesex Hospital has new opening hours. It is now open from 8am to 9pm, with the last patient registered at 8pm.

A recent review of our urgent care services found that the centre saw an average of only four patients per hour between 9pm and midnight. We found that many of these patients could have received appropriate treatment or advice from their GP or a high street pharmacist.

Also, radiology services (X-ray, ultrasound, etc) at Central Middlesex Hospital are not available after 8pm. This is because low patient numbers and a limited workforce make allocating staff to radiology services after 8pm an inefficient use of resources. However, this did mean that some of the patients who attended the Urgent Treatment Centre after 9pm had to attend another centre or to return for care the following day.

We gave local people an opportunity to share their views on the new opening hours through online and in-person public events and an online questionnaire. These did not result in any substantial or widespread objections. 

Therefore, to optimise the service the opening times have now changed from 8am to midnight, to 8am to 9pm. The centre remains open seven days a week and there is no change to our process if someone visits the site while seriously unwell. Our 24/7 critical outreach team will still look after them until they can be transferred to an appropriate setting.

Our Urgent treatment centres provide medical care when it is not critical or life threatening for people of all ages. It's important to get the right care in the right place. If you're feeling unwell and not sure where to go call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk when you need medical help fast. Our website also has information and advice if you're not sure where to go.

I highlight the above quote as it contains no verifiable information, no link to results, and no figures. It is of the same ilk as the non-consultation on the Northwick Park Hydrotherapy Pool. It of course pretends not to have heard about the 570 signature petition presented to Brent Council Scrutiny Committee calling for an urgent meeting of the Committee to investigate the Trust's plans. A call adroitly and complacently kicked into the long grass by Committee Chair Cllr Ketan Sheth as being on his 'radar'. If radar worked like that many ships would have been sunk and aircraft blown up by the enemy.

 

Meanwhile, many would be patients will be turning up at the UTC to find its doors closed.

 

It really seems that without democratic oversight the local NHS treats the people of Brent  with contempt - aided by Brent Scrutiny Committee. 

 

Standby for more slicing away of services at Central Middlesex Hospital. Is it earmarked for future housing development? 

Urgent Treatment Centre hours cut: Brent Scrutiny urged, 'Put these proposals on your agenda. Stand up for the residents you represent.'

 

 

Zengha Wellings Longmore has presented the 570 signature petition calling on Brent Council's Scutiny Committee to examine proposals to reduce the hours of the Urgent Tratment Centre at Central Middlesex Hospital. 

You can listen to here speech on the video above. This is what she said:

      

Chair, councillors, and members of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee,

 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today.

 

I am here not just as a concerned resident, but as someone whose life is deeply rooted in this borough. I have lived in Harlesden for over forty years. My mother lived in Kensal Green. My grandchildren now live in Harlesden. Three generations of my family have depended on the services in this area — especially our NHS services. So when I speak today, I am speaking from lived experience, from memory, and from a deep sense of responsibility to the future.

 

We are here because of proposals to reduce the opening hours of the Urgent Treatment Centre at Central Middlesex Hospital by three hours a day — twenty-one hours a week. That may sound like a technical adjustment on paper, but on the ground it means real people being turned away, longer journeys late at night, and more pressure on already overstretched services elsewhere.

 

We have been here before:

In 2014, the A&E department at Central Middlesex Hospital was closed following a decision by the then Conservative Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. At the time, residents were told not to worry. We were told that an Urgent Care Centre would mitigate the loss of A&E. We were told this was a safe alternative.

 

Then in 2019, that reassurance was weakened when the overnight service was withdrawn and the opening hours were reduced. Many of us accepted that change reluctantly, but we were assured that the service would still meet local need.

 

Now, six years later, we are being asked to accept yet another reduction. The Urgent Treatment Centre currently closes at midnight. Under the new proposals, it would close at 9pm. That is not a small change. That is a fundamental erosion of access to urgent healthcare.

Let us be clear about what this means in practice.

People do not stop becoming ill or injured at 9pm. Children still fall, older people still become unwell, workers still come home hurt or exhausted after long shifts. A late-evening urgent care service is not a luxury — it is a necessity, especially in an area like Brent.

 

What makes these proposals even more difficult to understand is that they come at a time when Brent’s population is growing, not shrinking. Between 2011 and 2021, Brent’s population increased by 9.2%. That is significantly higher than the national average and higher than London as a whole. We also know that our population is ageing, with more people living longer and often with complex health needs.

 

On top of that, major developments are coming on stream across the borough — in Grand Union, Alperton, Wembley Central, and around Neasden stations. Thousands more residents will be moving into Brent. Yet instead of planning for increased demand, we are being told to accept reduced access to urgent care.

 

The question must be asked: how is Brent’s growing and ageing population supposed to cope?

 

We already know the answer. When services are cut at Central Middlesex, the pressure does not disappear — it simply moves elsewhere. Northwick Park Hospital A&E and its Urgent Treatment Centre are already under enormous strain. Reducing hours at Central Middlesex will inevitably push more people there, increasing waiting times and reducing the chances of people being seen quickly when they need it most.

 

And there is another, quieter consequence. When access becomes harder, some people simply don’t go. They wait. They hope it will pass. Conditions worsen. What could have been treated early becomes an emergency later. That is bad for patients, bad for staff, and bad for the NHS as a whole.

 

This is why we are firmly opposed to any further reduction in services at Central Middlesex Hospital.

What we are asking for today is not unreasonable. We are asking for transparency, accountability, and democratic oversight. We are calling on Brent Council to convene an urgent meeting of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee so that these proposals can be properly examined, questioned, and debated.

 

There is precedent for this. The 2019 changes to the service were considered by this very committee on 9 July 2019. That process allowed councillors and residents to scrutinise the impact and to ensure local voices were heard. That same opportunity must be afforded now.

 

This is not about politics. It is about people. It is about fairness. It is about recognising that communities like Harlesden, Kensal Green, and the wider Brent area deserve accessible, reliable urgent healthcare — not a slow erosion of services that have already been cut back too far.

 

I have lived here long enough to see what happens when services disappear quietly, bit by bit. Once they are gone, they are incredibly hard to get back. That is why this moment matters.

 

For my neighbours.

For my children and grandchildren.

For the people who work late, who care for others, who are vulnerable, who rely on public healthcare.

 

I urge this council to act now. Convene the scrutiny committee. Put these proposals on the agenda. Stand up for the residents you represent.

 

Thank you.

 

Cllrr Ketan Sheth responding said that the issue remains absolutely on the Committee's radar and that it would be brought back at an appropriate time. 

Unfotunately the response is not as urgent as we would want it to be. The danger is that the cuts will be implemented before the Committee properly examines them. 

Zengha is a Green Party candidate for the 2026 council election in the Harlesden and Kensal Green ward. 

PETITION: Brent Council MUST consider the impact on residents of proposed reduction in hours at Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre

 Urgent Treatment Centres deal with non-life threatening health issues nd relieve pressure on hosptal A&Es. With the latest CQC report on Northwick Park Hospital revealing waits of up to 12 hours the important role of the UTC at Central Middlesex is highlighred.

The NHS has proposed that the current hours at Central Middlesex Hospital  UTC (below) are reduced by 3 hours a day despite these pressures and the increase in the local populations from the new developments taking place locally. This means the UTC will close at 9pm with the last patients registered at 8pm. See LINK

 The petition below has been launched to urge Brent Council's Scrutiny Committee to consider the impact on local people of the proposal. Sign the e-petition here: 

https://tinyurl.com/protect-urgent-care

Brent Council Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee must consider proposals to reduce the opening hours of Central Middlesex Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre

We the undersigned petition Brent Council’s Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to convene an urgent meeting of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to consider NHS proposals to cut the opening hours of the Urgent Treatment Centre at Central Middlesex Hospital by 3 hours a day, 21 hours a week.

 

In 2014, Central Middlesex Hospital A&E Department closed following a decision from the then Conservative Heath Secretary Jeremy Hunt. At the time, we were told that the opening of an Urgent Care Centre at Central Middlesex hospital would mitigate the loss of the A&E department. However, in 2019, the hours of the Urgent Care Centre were reduced when the overnight Service Centre was withdrawn. Six years down the line, we are faced with yet another reduction of the renamed Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC). The Centre currently closes at midnight but, if London NW University Healthcare Trust go ahead with their proposal, it will close at 9pm.

We the undersigned are therefore firmly opposed to a further reduction of NHS services that will undoubtedly put more pressure on Northwick Park Hospital A&E and UTC and will lead to fewer people getting the required medical attention as quickly as necessary and call on the current plans to reduce the UTC hours by 3 hours each evening to form the agenda of a specially convened Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to be held as soon as possible.

We note that the 2019 proposals were considered by that Committee in July 2019 setting a precedent for the views of the Council and residents to be represented.

 People who live, work or study in Brent can sign the petition here: 

https://tinyurl.com/protect-urgent-care

Now the NHS want to reduce the opening hours of the Central Middlesex Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre

2012: Candy Unwin of Keep Our NHS Public and John Lister warn of the impact of the closure of the A&E at Central Middlesex Hospital. Meeting chaired by Brent Trades Council LINK

You may wonder why I am posting the photograph above from 13 years ago here, well it marked the moment when the NHS began the run down of services at Central Middlsex Hospital (known to many locals as Park Royal).John Lister, who had been commissioned to write a report on NHS plans across the NW London area warned that closures of A&E departments could be the beginning of a process that would eventually lead to the  closure of local hospitals.

At the time much was made of the provision of an Urgent Care Centre at Central Middlesex that would offer treatment for less serious cases, while those needing A&E would go to Northwick Park Hospital, an awkward journey miles away.

We know now how busy Northwick Park A&E has become but the NHS are proposing to cut the hours of the Urgent Treatment Centre at Central Middlesex with the last patients being registered at 8pm rather than the current 11pm.

The proposalfrom London NW University Healthcare Trust, comes after the row over their closure of the hydrotherapy pool at Northwick Park, still not formally scrutinised by Brent Council Scrutiny Committee.  The lack of proper consultation was a major issue but the Trust admitted that consultation would not change their decision - it would only help shape their advice of alternatives.

The current consultation on a reduction in hours of the Central Middlesex Urgent Treatment Centre if of of the same ilk - it appears it would not change the actual hours reduction proposal.  LINK

Have your say on a proposed change to the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) opening hours at Central Middlesex Hospital

We are considering changing the opening hours of the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Central Middlesex Hospital. The UTC currently opens between 8am and 12midnight, seven days per week, with the last patient registered at 11pm. 

Challenges with current opening hours

Radiology services (X-ray, ultrasound, etc) at Central Middlesex Hospital are not available after 8pm. This means many patients who attend after this time must visit another centre that evening or to return for care the following day. This is both inconvenient and causes delays to care. Furthermore, the service only sees an average of four patients per hour after 9pm. This may be because it is well known locally that the hospital does not have an A&E department, leading patients to attend elsewhere. Given low patient numbers and our limited workforce, allocating staff to radiology services after 8pm is not an efficient use of resources.

 Review findings and proposal

A recent review of our urgent care services found that many patients who visit our UTCs out of hours would be more appropriately seen in a primary care or pharmacy setting. We are therefore proposing new opening times of 8am to 9pm, with the last patient registered at 8pm. The UTC would continue to open seven days a week and provide the same services as now. 

Your views matter

We would like to hear your views on this proposed change. Your feedback will help us understand how the change might affect you, your family, or the people you care for. It will also guide us in making sure patients can still get the right care, at the right time, in the right place. The survey should only take a few minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous, and your views will be shared with decision-makers to help shape the future of urgent care in your area.

 

Consultation Meetings  

• Thursday 23 October from 6pm to 7pm at Central Middlesex Hospital
• Friday 31 October from 12pm to 1pm at Central Middlesex Hospital

If you would like to attend either event, please register your attendance on EventBrite.

Online Quesionnaire 

 

Having failed dismally to hold the Trust to account on behalf of local residents over the hydrotherapy pool closure, will the Brent Council Scrutiny put this proposal on their agenda, urgently?

Do you use the 224 bus? TfL is consulting on the section of the route between St Raph's and Alperton. You may miss the bus! Deadline December 6th 2024

 

From Transport for London

Tell us your views

 CONSULTATION PAGE

We are holding an eight-week public consultation to hear what you think about these proposals. We want to know if you agree with them, if there is anything you do not agree with, and to understand the reasons why you feel this way.

You can reply by completing our survey, which should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. The closing date for comments is Friday 6 December 2024. 

To take part in our online survey you will need to register with your email address. Your details will be kept secure.

If you prefer, you can also let us have your comments by:
 

• Email: haveyoursay@tfl.gov.uk
• Telephone: 020 3054 6037 to leave your name and contact number and we will call you back. Please quote 'Route 224' when leaving your message
• Write to: FREEPOST TFL HAVE YOUR SAY (Route 224) no postage stamp required 

Please note responses to the survey may be made publicly available after the consultation has closed, this would typically be in the form of a report on the results of the consultation exercise, but any personal information will be kept confidential. 

Your personal information will be properly safeguarded and processed in accordance with the requirements of privacy and data protection legislation. For further information, please visit our privacy policy. 

• The route would no long serve Abbey Road between Coronation Road and Twyford Abbey Road. Stops on this part of the route would still be served by route 440.
• The route would also not serve Whitby Avenue and Rainsford Road. These roads would not have a bus service. The closest bus stops would be on Twyford Abbey Road. The walk to these bus stops from the existing bus stops is approximately 240 metres
• The route would also not serve Iveagh Avenue. The nearest stops would be on Twyford Abbey Road. The walk to the new bus stop is 220 metres from the existing bus stop
• Passengers wishing to access ASDA heading towards Alperton would use the same stop as now on Coronation Road. Passengers heading towards St Raphael’s would use the stop on the other side of Coronation Road from ASDA near the junction with Western Road, which is about 200 metres away from the main entrance
• Passengers who get on and off of the 224 on Abbey Road could use route 440 from the same stop and change on to the 224 later in the journey, or walk to the new bus stops just over 400 metres away
• Re-routeing the 224 would open the bus network up to over 2,000 more people and 4,000 jobs in the area
• Passengers would also benefit from a simpler route to understand

There would also be an increase in buses along Coronation Road, Lakeside Drive, Bodiam Way and Twyford Abbey Road

Man arrested after stabbings at Central Middlesex Hospital

 From Brent Police

Armed officers were among those responding after calls at 13:18hrs on Wednesday, 21 June to reports that two people had been stabbed at Central Middlesex Hospital.

Officers found two people with stab injuries.

The first victim has injuries that are being treated as life-threatening.

The second victim's injuries are not being treated as life-threatening.

Police arrested a man outside the hospital. He has also been conveyed to hospital having received injuries that are believed to be self-inflicted. His condition is being treated as life-threatening.

Officers will remain in the hospital as further searches are conducted but at this time they are satisfied that no one else is sought.

Police are working to establish the circumstances. At this time the incident is not being treated as terror-related.

The hospital was temporarily locked down but has now re-opened and will be operating services as normal. There is a heightened police presence at the hospital while we investigate.

On Twitter Cllr Ketan Sheth, Chair of Scrutiny Committee said:

Shocked and saddened to hear of a stabbing incident at Central Middlesex Hospital… My immediate thoughts are with the patients and the wonderful staff at the hospital. I’m pleased that the incident was swiftly dealt with by the emergency services.

North West London Integrated Care Systems terminates Urgent Treatment Centre provider's contract at Central Middlesex & Northwick Park sites, along with others

 From the HSJ LINK , by Nick Kituno

An integrated care system has terminated a private provider’s contract to run four urgent treatment centres following performance concerns, HSJ has been told. 

Two local acute trusts were expected to take over from provider Greenbrook Healthcare this week, following the decision by North West London ICS.

The impacted sites include Hillingdon UTC, which is co-located with the Hillingdon Hospitals Foundation Trust, as well as the Ealing, Central Middlesex and Northwick Park sites that are near to the respective hospitals run by London North West University Healthcare Trust.

Two other UTCs on the patch, at St Mary’s and West Middlesex hospitals, are unaffected.

Greenbrook Healthcare is owned by the Totally plc group and its services provided to the NHS include urgent care, planned care and insourcing.

The ICS declined to say why the contract had been ended, but a senior source close to the situation told HSJ it followed performance and staffing concerns.

Winter and performance plans published by the ICS in July and October last year cited performance problems with its UTCs, although it did not mention particular centres.

A report in the summer cited “system wide actions to understand and address weaknesses in UTC performance”, while another in October said a “remedial action plan” was in place “submitted by Totally plc in July 2022, which includes specific actions on staffing performance and re-direction initiatives”.

In a joint statement, North West London ICS and Totally plc told HSJ: 

“As Greenbrook Healthcare approaches the end of its contracts with commissioners to provide urgent care services via UTCs at Ealing, Northwick Park, Central Middlesex and Hillingdon hospitals, and whilst we agree handover plans to the local NHS trusts, the delivery of excellent patient care remains our joint priority.”

The ICS tendered for the long-term running of the UTCs in November, saying at the time that the new providers expected to be in place from early 2023. The ICS has not yet announced the result of the tender. The £26m contract would run for three years and include an option for a further two.

North West London clinical commissioning group awarded a short-term contract to run the UTCs last year, pending the longer-term procurement exercise.

The developments in north west London follow the Care Quality Commission placing four UTCs run by a different independent provider in the North East London ICS in special measures last month, but this is not directly related to Greenbrook or Totally.

Questions have been raised about the workforce model of UCCs in London.