Issue - meetings

Purpose of the report:

To update the Adults and Health Select Committee on the performance of the Sexual Health and HIV Service contracts.

Declarations of Interests:

An interest was declared by Mr David Mansfield as a former employee of Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

Witnesses:

Helen Atkinson, Strategic Director for Adult Social Care and Public Health

Helyn Clack, Cabinet Member for Health

Cliff Bush, Director, Surrey Coalition of Disabled People

Fiona Mackison, Service Specialist (Specialised Commissioning), NHS England

Mark Maguire, Service Director, Sexual Health and HIV Services, CNWL

Matt Parris, Deputy CEO, Healthwatch Surrey

Dr Clare Sieber, Medical Director, SSLMCs

Stephen Tucker, Deputy Service Director, Sexual Health & HIV Services, CNWL

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.     The report was introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health who highlighted that the aim of the integrated Service was to promote early intervention on sexual health and HIV in order to create capacity within the system to support those with more complex or advanced conditions. She acknowledged that there had been challenges during the first year of the contract while Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) were implementing the integrated service but highlighted that she was confident that by moving some services online, the new provider would create more efficient sexual health and HIV provision. These comments were echoed by the Strategic Director for Adult Social Care and Public Health who provided Members with the background to the introduction of an integrated Sexual Health and HIV Service for Surrey. The Committee heard that work had begun on the introduction of an integrated service through development of the Sexual Health Needs Assessment (SHNA). The extent of the reductions to funding for Public Health in Surrey were not known when work had begun on the SHNA.

2.     The Strategic Director for Adult Social Care and Public Health apologised to those who had been left short or inconvenienced by the changes to which had occurred to Sexual Health and HIV Services in Surrey. Members were advised, however, that a phased approach to changes in the Service had been adopted to enable CNWL to better respond to concerns raised by patients and partners about the new model. Members were asked to recognise that there was a need to modernise the Service by making more effective use of the digital space and to understand that these changes took time to implement. Members were further informed that CNWL had been very flexible during this implementation phase in order to respond to the concerns of patients and stakeholders.

3.     The Committee heard from the Service Director who stated that CNWL already operated an integrated Sexual Health and HIV Service in London which was highly regarded by its patients. Members were asked to recognise the scale of the challenge that CNWL confronted in attempting to integrate and modernise the three very disparate and outdated service models that had existed in Surrey prior to the introduction of the new contract in April 2017. CNWL were legally prohibited from reviewing staff structures until the TUPE transfer from all three service providers had been completed which had prevented  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18