Residents may recall that I have previously written about the work of Northwood resident Dr Jide Menakaya, who is a Consultant Paediatrician at Hillingdon Hospital and an expert on care of neonatal children. As part of his work, Dr Menakaya has been leading the Hospital's collaborative work with health visitors and Children's Services at Hillingdon Council to develop a package of support which addresses the care needs of children with significant medical challenges through a 'family hub' model. It has been fantastic to see the impact the clinic has had locally on new-born babies and families.

I recently facilitated a meeting between Dr Menakaya and Dame Andrea Leadsom in Westminster. Residents may be aware that Dame Leadsom chairs the Start for Life Unit in Parliament and I have personally supported her extensive campaign to improve early years provisions, citing the care provided up to the age of two as critical to a child’s development.  This intrinsically links with the work Dr Menakaya has been carrying out at a local level, and mirrors the vision that Dame Leadsom has for levelling up the health and care provision for the very youngest in our society across England.

It was a really useful discussion in which expertise and ideas on this issue were exchanged and I look forward to following developments in this area closely. You can find further information on the Best Start for Life programme here.