Patients in Hillingdon are experiencing significant delays in accessing both GP appointments and Accident & Emergency (A&E) services, according to feedback presented to the Health and Social Care Select Committee.
Healthwatch Hillingdon's Patient Experience Programme has highlighted persistent telephone waits and difficulties with online systems for GP access, and long waits and limited real-time updates in A&E for hospital experience.
These issues contribute to uncertainty about processes, expectations, and pathways, reinforcing the need for clearer communication end-to-end.
Despite these challenges, Hillingdon Health and Care Partners (HHCP) reported positive developments in emergency care. They noted a reduction in emergency demand and improved Emergency Department (ED) waiting times.
Notably, Hillingdon was the only London borough to see a reduction in emergency demand between June and December 2025. In the last quarter, Hillingdon Hospital was either the best or second-best performing borough in North West London (NWL) for ED waiting times.
Measures being implemented to address these issues include a reduction in 'No Criteria to Reside' (NC2R) delays,
with fewer than 4% of Hillingdon Hospital beds occupied by patients without a clinical need to remain. Furthermore, emergency admissions among residents with severe frailty have reduced by 36% due to proactive neighbourhood case management and integrated community support. The three Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) are now fully established, and frailty case management is being expanded. Urgent same-day primary care has also been enhanced, and a mobile diagnostics service was initiated in November 2025. The Lighthouse service, which supports patients experiencing mental health crises, has increased its capacity.
The original feedback from Healthwatch Hillingdon indicated persistent telephone waits and difficulties using online consultation systems
as key themes regarding GP access. For hospital care, patients faced long waits in A&E and did not always receive timely updates on their treatment.
Further details on these matters can be found in the Public reports pack for the Health and Social Care Select Committee meeting on 26th March 2026 Public reports pack 26th-Mar-2026 18.30 Health and Social Care Select Committee.
