Agenda and minutes
PDF 61 KBVenue: Ashcombe Suite, County Hall, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2DN
Contact: Ross Pike or Victoria Lower
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Minutes: Apologies were received from Bob Gardner and Nicky Lee. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 4 JULY 2013
To agree the minutes as a true record of the meeting. Minutes: These were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.
Notes: · In line with the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012, declarations may relate to the interest of the member, or the member’s spouse or civil partner, or a person with whom the member is living as husband or wife, or a person with whom the member is living as if they were civil partners and the member is aware they have the interest. · Members need only disclose interests not currently listed on the Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests. · Members must notify the Monitoring Officer of any interests disclosed at the meeting so they may be added to the Register. · Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest. Minutes: There were no declarations of interests. |
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QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
To receive any questions or petitions.
Notes: 1. The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (12 September 2013). 2. The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (11 September 2013). 3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received. Minutes: There were no questions or petitions to report. |
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CHAIRMAN'S ORAL REPORT
The Chairman will provide the Committee with an update on recent meetings he has attended and other matters affecting the Committee. Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses: None.
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Chairman provided the following oral report:
“I am delighted to welcome Ross Pike as our new Scrutiny Officer. Ross joined us in early August, having previously served in Children’s Social Care Commissioning. I would also like to formally welcome Karen Randolph to the Committee as a new co-opted Borough Councillor.
With Leah or Ross I have now completed a first pass of familiarisation meetings with the relevant organisations. These include the 5 Acute Hospitals, the 6 Clinical Commissioning Groups, the 3 Community Care providers, SECAmb the Ambulance Service provider, the Surrey and Borders Mental Health care provider, Healthwatch Surrey, NHS South East England and Public Health South East England. I have also attended a public meeting of the Surrey Health and Wellbeing Board.
The work-up of the Better Service, Better Value proposal which would impact Epsom Hospital has been suspended over the Summer. Ross will be attending a meeting of Officers soon as work resumes.
Another significant change to the health service experience for Surrey residents would be the possible take-over by Frimley Park Hospital of Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals. This possibility is still under evaluation by Frimley Park Management.
Finally, Peter Hickman and I are meeting with the directors of Epsom & St. Helier NHS Trust to discuss their plans for Sutton Hospital this afternoon. Members are welcome to attend if they are interested.”
Recommendations:
None.
Actions/further information to be provided:
None.
Committee Next Steps:
None.
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Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses:
Cliff Bush, Surrey Coalition of Disabled People Mark Bounds, Chief Officer, East Surrey Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Sam Stanbridge, Director of Commissioning and Engagement, East Surrey CCG Jenny Cooke, Senior System Improvement Lead, NHS Surrey and Sussex Commissioning Support Unit Anouska Adamson-Parks, 111 Project Director, South East Coast Ambulance Service Jane Shipp, Surrey Healthwatch
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee was informed that a number of difficulties had been encountered in the first months following the NHS 111 Service “soft launch” in April 2013. The forecast activity profile had proven incorrect, with a lack of preparedness for the types of calls the service received. It was also highlighted that the staffing structure had not been reflective of demand, and that a number of management and staff retention issues impacted on service delivery. The Committee was informed that a number of rectification plans had been put in place, and that a marked improvement had been made in the two Key Performance Indicators (KPI).
2. Officers from East Surrey CCG commented that they had seen a definitive improvement in the performance of the NHS 111 service, and recognised that South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECamb) had responded to the commissioner’s concerns.
3. The Committee was informed that NHS England had directed a national launch in April 2013, and that this had presented a number of challenges. Amongst these there was the fact that the NHS 111 service was replacing a number of services, that the geographical areas it was required to cover were not the same of those services it was replacing and that there had been a number of contracts previously. It was highlighted that officers did not believe that anyone had been placed at risk by this transition, but that it had created a series of difficulties in the launch of the new service.
4. The Committee questioned how the quality of advice offered was measured. It was explained that a GP Lead regularly reviews the service. In addition there was a clear complaints process which was monitored by clinical leads. The Committee was informed that GPs and other healthcare professionals were being encouraged to try the service for themselves as ‘mystery patients’ and that there had been positive feedback.
5. The Committee asked what pressures had been taken off acute services as a result of implementing the NHS 111 service. Officers commented that a complex series of factors contributed to increasing pressures on acute services. The Committee was informed that there was a need to build confidence in the 111 service and ensure that the appropriate care pathways were being signposted. It was highlighted that work was underway to consider how services were brought together on one site in order to improve patient flow between pathways. Officers also commented that the NHS 111 service was an effective way of highlighting where commissioning gaps may exist within Surrey.
6. The Committee discussed ways of improving public confidence in the NHS 111 service. ... view the full minutes text for item 36/13 |
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PATIENT TRANSPORT SERVICE UPDATE
Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses:
Mark Bounds, Chief Officer, East Surrey Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Sam Stanbridge, Director of Commissioning and Engagement East Surrey Clinical Commissioning Group Anouska Adamson-Parks, 111 Project Director, South East Coast Ambulance Service Cliff Bush, Surrey Coalition of Disabled People Nick Markwick, Surrey Coalition of Disabled People Sonya Seller, Adult Social Care, Surrey County Council Tracey Coventry, Environment and Infrastructure, Surrey County Council Jane Shipp, Surrey Healthwatch
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee heard from witnesses that there were a number of concerns relating to the Patient Transport Service (PTS). It was highlighted that there were issues with the clamping mechanism used in the vehicles and their appropriateness for wheelchair users. Representatives from South East Coast Ambulance (SECAmb) confirmed that a new wheelchair clamping mechanism was currently being tested and it was anticipated that this would be in use by October 2013. The Committee expressed serious concerns that the issue had not been resolved in the six month period leading up to the contract’s start on 1 April 2013. Officers commented that there was currently limited provision for recording detailed notes on the requirements for individual patients.
2. The Committee was informed that there were concerns about the punctuality of PTS, in particular relating to out-patient appointments. The view was expressed by witnesses that the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of 45 minutes before or 15 minutes after the scheduled appointment meant that many patients were not arriving at hospital in a timely fashion. Further to this, many patients returned having missed their homecare due to lateness. The Committee commented that this was not acceptable, and that greater efforts should be made by PTS to identify where people were likely to miss their home care arrangements. It was also highlighted that drivers were not contacting patients when they were running late. Representatives from SECAmb commented that they were encouraging drivers to do so. However, the Committee expressed the view that phoning should be mandatory.
3. The Committee was informed that the complaints process for PTS required a number of details to be provided before SECAmb would investigate. This could sometimes prove difficult for patients to recall. Representatives from SECAmb confirmed that the name and date would be the only thing required in order for them to investigate.
4. The Committee was informed that SECAmb was working with the acute Trusts to improve the provision of transport for late hospital discharges. It was recognised that often a number of these bookings were last minute. Officers from Surrey County Council highlighted the work of the recent Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) around acute hospital discharge and that there were significant changes being made to the discharge process. It was confirmed that multi-disciplinary teams would now be in place on hospital wards to support discharge pathways. The Committee was informed that services were encouraging patients to discuss and consider what transport options were available to them in order to reduce the number of staff automatically using the PTS. ... view the full minutes text for item 37/13 |
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RECOMMENDATION TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME
Purpose of report: Scrutiny of Services/Policy Development
The Committee is asked to monitor progress on the implementation of recommendations from previous meetings, and to review its Forward Work Programme. Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses: None.
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee noted its recommendations tracker and forward work programme. There were no further comments.
Recommendations:
None.
Actions/further information to be provided:
None.
Committee Next Steps:
None.
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Committee will be held at 10 am on 14 November 2013.
Following this meeting the Committee will have a private workshop to scrutinise NHS Finances. Minutes: The Committee noted that its next meeting would be 14 November 2013 at 10am. |