North Central London's Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) is pushing for increased engagement as services at St Pancras Hospital prepare to move to new locations over the next two years. The services themselves are not changing, and will continue to care for the same patients and service users, receive referrals in the same way, and treat the same numbers of people. The difference will be that they will be in vastly improved and more modern environments.

The moves are part of the St Pancras Hospital Transformation Programme, which aims to improve mental and physical healthcare services for patients in North Central London. The programme aims to deliver improved mental health and community services in environments that are fit for purpose, and to enable population health improvement. According to the Public reports pack 12th-Sep-2025 10.00 Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, proceeds from land sales are already funding new healthcare facilities in Camden and Islington.

Proposed Service Moves

The report pack outlined several proposed service moves:

  • Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL): Long-term conditions services, including the Camden community heart failure service, Camden COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and home oxygen service, Camden podiatry service and surgical procedures, and Camden community diabetes service, were either recently moved or in the process of moving to the Peckwater Centre. Clinicians supported this move, based on the rationale that services could become more integrated within a community-based setting.

  • North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT): The neurodevelopmental disorders service was proposed to move to the Peckwater Centre in October 2025. The psychodynamic psychotherapy service was proposed to move to either The Centro Buildings or The Arts Building, with The Arts Building as the preferred option. NLFT viewed 15 possible sites for the future location of the psychodynamic psychotherapy service, but The Arts Building was chosen because it offers a calmer, less clinical feel with potential for soft lighting, plants, and ventilation, a more welcoming reception area and natural light, a spacious lift and easier wheelchair access, a dedicated floor with a single space for psychotherapy more privacy, better toilet access, single reception area, a better layout for staff areas, including kitchen and outdoor access, more clinic rooms and more rooms for group sessions, additional space and a location which potentially opens up possibilities of managing any future growth in demand. The Rivers Crisis House was proposed to consolidate with the North Camden Crisis House at Daleham Gardens to create a 12-bedded facility. Following engagement and an options evaluation process conducted with service user experts by experience, carers, partners, stakeholders and staff, it is proposed that the six beds at Rivers Crisis House will be brought together with the existing six beds in the North Camden Crisis House at Daleham Gardens to make a 12-bedded facility. The proposed move will create one crisis house for Camden, bring it into line with the other boroughs, and make the service more efficient to run.

    However, building work is required so that Daleham Gardens can accommodate the 12 beds needed for the combined crisis house. This building work will mean that new admissions to Daleham Gardens will have to be temporarily suspended for a period of approximately eight months from October 2025. To mitigate this temporary impact, demand and capacity for crisis beds across North Central London have been assessed and the following measures are planned during the building works:

    • Optimise the use of crisis beds resilience across NCL - a review of data from August 2023 to August 2025 confirms that there has been an average of six vacant beds daily across NCL's 67 crisis prevention beds.
    • Reserve vacant beds at Highbury Grove Crisis House for male Camden service users – male service users would be cared for at close-by Highbury Grove just across the border in Islington.
    • Prioritise female admissions at Rivers Crisis House – which aligns with other mitigations to ensure gender equity and effective management of patient flows during the short-term works.

  • Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (RFL): Dialysis and renal outpatient services were expected to move off the St Pancras Hospital site in 2027, with 125 Finchley Road identified as the preferred location for the new dialysis unit. Following an extensive search process, including a review of seven potential new premises, the trust has identified 125 Finchley Road in Camden as its preferred location for the new dialysis unit because due diligence confirmed it is viable for providing dialysis services. The ophthalmology outpatient service was also due to move in 2027, with discussions ongoing to transfer some patients to Moorfields NHS Foundation Trust, given the new Oriel building opening on the St Pancras Hospital site.

Equality impact assessments and quality impact assessments have been carried out to identify any cohorts of patients, service users and local people who would be affected by the proposed service moves. These are being used to understand the impacts of the service moves on patients and staff, both positive and negative. The involvement approach is also focused on engaging and listening to these additionally identified groups to help better understand and then mitigate any negative impacts where possible.

The report pack sought the JHOSC's support for the engagement and involvement approach described, with a recommendation to:

Review and discuss the NHS's outlined approach to ongoing patient, carer and community engagement and involvement in a series of planned service relocations over the next two years, as part of the St Pancras Hospital Transformation Programme