Agenda and minutes

Minutes of the Meeting held on 9^th July, 2014 (previously circulated). 

The Minutes of the meeting held on 9^th July 2014 were signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

Representatives of the Lancashire North Clinical Commissioning Group have been invited to attend the meeting to discuss the above. 

All Members of Council have been invited to attend the meeting to hear this item.

The Chairman welcomed Dr Alex Gaw, Clinical Chairman for Lancashire North Clinical Commissioning Group, Andrew Bennett, Chief Officer for Lancashire North Clinical Commissioning Group and Aaron Cummins, Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Finance and Phil Woodford, Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs both from University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

Andrew Bennett provided the Committee with an update on the ‘Better Care Together’ review of health services.  Members were reminded that a Clinical Strategy for Health Services in Morecambe Bay had been produced and over the summer this had been submitted to NHS England and Monitor.

The main proposals in the Strategy were :

•       No closures or privatisation of any of the three hospitals at Barrow in Furness, Lancaster or Kendal.

•       Core services including maternity to be retained on all three hospital sites and A&E services at Furness and Lancaster.

•       Elective surgery  (non urgent care e.g. planned surgery) to move to fewer sites which will drive up quality standards, reduce costs and make it easier to employ and retain specialist permanent staff – details to  be worked up further. 

•       Flexibility in the way that Morecambe Bay health and care services are funded in the future to take into account our unique geography and the needs of our various communities.   

•       Significant short term investment in primary (including GP services) and community care across Morecambe Bay in order to reduce the need for any inappropriate hospital stays and any unnecessarily long stays in hospital.

•       The majority of proposed changes are about the way that primary, community and social care services work together to provide the best possible care for patients.  Wherever possible this will be within their local community or neighbourhood.

Initial feedback had been received on certain aspects of the Strategy that required further information which would be submitted in October 2014.

The Chairman gave the Committee, other Members of the Council and the County Councillors present the opportunity to ask questions.

Members went on to ask a number of questions relating to such issues as phoning GP’s surgeries for appointments, healthy living, lack of mental health provision, funding requests, reducing non urgent care provision, staffing, the need to encourage people to live and work in Lancaster and the need to work with the County Council’s Public Health team.

It was agreed that a further update would be given at the December 2014 meeting.

Resolved :-

That a further update be provided on the ‘Better Care Together’ Review in December in 2014.

Aaron Cummins, Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Finance and Phil Woodford, Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs from the Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust will be in attendance at the meeting.

Members were given an overview of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) findings which had resulted in Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust being placed in special measures. It was reported that 30 inspectors had visited the 3 sites being the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Westmorland General Hospital and Furness General Hospital. Although the review had highlighted good practices within the Trust there were also areas that were deemed as inadequate or in need of improvement.

The Committee was informed that the Trust Board had agreed an overarching Quality Improvement Plan to deliver longer term quality improvements over the next 3 years with the CQC Improvement Plan being an essential component in year one. It was reported that each service would have its own actions which would be communicated down to the wards.

It was reported that an Improvement Director was to be appointed, funded by Monitor and an Improvement Board was to be established which would report on a monthly basis both publicly and to staff. The Trust had also partnered with two other Trusts to provide help and support as ‘buddies’.

It was expected that the Trust would be ready for a re-inspection by April 2015.

The Committee had submitted a number of questions prior to the meeting and Members of the Committee and the County Councillors present were given the opportunity to ask further questions.

A lengthy question and answer session followed.  Questions related to such issues as staffing, communication, the presence of the Executive Team, monitoring of unplanned admissions, feedback from the Maternity Unit, the IT system in use, problems in the Audiology department with missed appointments, the possibility of the privatisation of the pharmacy service and vulnerable patients.

A question was asked regarding the problems highlighted with patient transport and lengthy waits in outpatients.  Information on how these issues would be rectified would be circulated to the Committee.

It was suggested that the Trust should provide a further update at the December 2014 meeting of the Committee.

Resolved :-

(1)  That Dr Alex Gaw, Andrew Bennett, Aaron Cummins and Phil Woodford be thanked for their attendance at the meeting.

(2)  That information on how problems highlighted with patient transport and lengthy waits in outpatients would be rectified be circulated to the Committee.

(3)  That the Trust provide a further update at the December 2014 meeting of the Committee.

Councillor Paul Gardner has been invited to attend the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed Councillor Paul Gardner, the Council’s Health Scrutiny representative to the meeting.

The Committee was given an update of the issues considered by the County Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee over the past few months. These included Health Checks, Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust being put into Special Measures and the role of Public Health now it was the responsibility of the County Council.

It was suggested that it would be useful if a summary of the work being undertaken by the Health Scrutiny Committee could be circulated.

Resolved :-

(1)  That Councillor Paul Gardner be thanked for his attendance at the meeting.

(2)  That a summary of the work being undertaken by the Health Scrutiny Committee be circulated to Members of the Committee.

It was noted that there had not been any requests for items to be considered in accordance with the Councillor Call for Action process.

It was noted that there had not been any requests for items to be considered in the accordance with the consideration of Petitions process.

It was reported that the Three Tier Forum had not met since the last meeting. The next meeting was scheduled to be held on 15^th September 2014.

Report of Chief Officer (Governance). 

The Democratic Support Officer presented the Work Programme report. It was noted that the presentation on the Marmot Review would now take place as a Member Briefing for all Councillors on 8^th October. It was agreed to invite members of the Health and Wellbeing Partnership to the briefing.

It was noted that the issue relating to incontinence pads for children that had been raised at an earlier meeting had been resolved.

Members considered the response that had been received from the Chairman of Lancashire Combined Fire Authority, regarding the Committee’s recommendations at it’s June meeting when the reduction in fire appliances at Lancaster Fire Station had been considered.

It was agreed that the Fire Authority would be requested to include the Committee in future mailing lists particularly regarding future reviews of the Service.

With regard to the Arts Commissioning Framework, it was agreed that consideration of this issue be referred to the Budget and Performance Panel.

It was noted that the information regarding ‘Hospital stays for self harm’ and ‘Emergency hospital admissions for COPD’ that had been requested from the Public Health Team had been received and would be circulated to the Committee.

Members were advised that the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee had launched an inquiry into litter and were keen to receive any information from local authorities about the issue. The Committee was therefore requested to consider if it wished to undertake a review regarding litter in the district.

It was agreed that Members would send any comments or observation to officers who would forward them on. It was further agreed that the Committee would consider establishing a task group in the new municipal year to investigate litter in the district focusing perhaps on the night time economy and the concept of taking pride in the city and that this issue be placed on the Work Programme.

With regard to the Morecambe Area Action Plan, it was agreed that an update of this would be requested for the October meeting of the Committee.

Resolved :-

That the actions agreed above be noted.