Posted on: 26 September 2024
On Wednesday 25 September, we hosted our Annual General Meeting (AGM), reflecting on CNWL’s performance and progress, the lessons learnt and our achievements in the last 12 months.
Over 180 people joined us virtually, and CNWL’s Executive team were on hand to present our annual report and accounts 2023-24, sharing our plans for the year ahead.
Download a copy of the Annual Report and Accounts at this page. You can also read about some of our highlights by downloading the annual summary here. The Easy Read version is also available on our website.
This year’s AGM was themed around our community services, and we featured some of the brilliant work happening in these teams, including the Milton Keynes Virtual Ward and our volunteering services.
A recording of the event can be found below.
Challenges facing the NHS
Amanda Rowlatt, CNWL’s Vice Chair, kicked off the event by touching on the recent investigation into the NHS led by Lord Darzi. This review sheds light on the challenges the NHS in England is currently facing.
She said: “Like the rest of the NHS, we are grappling with increasing demand on our services, financial pressures, and the growing complexity of needs among our patients.”
The review also makes important points on the need to shift care from hospital into the community, and CNWL welcomes this focus.
Comm.UNITY: Starting well. Living well. Ageing well.
We’re excited to announce that CNWL will be launching a dedicated campaign in November to highlight the critical role of community services. This month-long campaign will reinforce the importance of our teams who are keeping people out of hospital and bringing care closer to home, which brings better outcomes for patients and links to the national direction of travel for the NHS.
Stay tuned for more details!
Priorities for the year ahead
Our Chief Executive, Claire Murdoch, gave an update on our performance and outlined our future plans. She said we will be busy focusing on a number of areas:
- Supporting people to stay well in the community: this type of work is where the future of the NHS lies, playing a key role in helping ease system pressures.
- Community collaboration and voice: Continued focus on advancing equalities and taking a population health approach through patient and carer involvement and co-production.
- Working in collaboration: Building on our strong relationships and partnerships in the different systems and places CNWL operates including Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, North West London and North Central London.
- Culture of safety, innovation and improvement: Leading quality improvement capability, which will help us to improve our services and how they are delivered.
Open Dialogue
We heard from Dr Gareth Jarvis, Divisional Medical Director, about the learnings from the Open Dialogue approach, which emphasises open communication and collaborative decision-making between clinicians, patients, and their families.
We’re starting to adopt this approach at CNWL, and this model has shown promising results, particularly in mental health care.
We heard a powerful story from a service user who described feeling “part of the process rather than a passive recipient of care”, which has not only helped them recover but to build stronger relationships with their loved ones.
Health equality
Ketan Sheth, CNWL’s Lead Governor, spoke about CNWL’s commitment to prioritising health equality in the years ahead. CNWL serves a diverse population, and unfortunately, certain groups continue to face barriers to accessing healthcare and experience poorer outcomes compared to others.
The Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework is an important tool we’re using.
He said: “Our outreach work with underserved communities is a great example. In Brent, we’ve partnered with Crisis Skylight to offer health checks, mental health consultations, and other support for homeless people. In Hillingdon, we’re working with the Integrated Care Board to support asylum seekers and tackle issues like obesity. And in Milton Keynes, we’re partnering with voluntary and public health groups to provide targeted mental health services for at-risk populations.”
New Board in Common and collaborative approach
In closing, Amanda highlighted the importance of her role in supporting Tom Kibasi, the Joint Chair of CNWL, Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, and West London NHS Trust.
The three Trusts have already established partnership working through the Provider Collaboratives in community and mental health and we intend to deepen our joint working in the future.
With the establishment of the new Board in Common, CNWL will also be better positioned to speak with a unified voice within the Integrated Care System (ICS), allowing us to strengthen our core offer for patients.