Archived decisions

Item 2

AT A MEETING of the HEALTH OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE of the COUNTY COUNCIL held at The Castle, Winchester held at The Castle, Winchester on Tuesday, 27 May 2008.

PRESENT

Chairman:

p Councillor Mrs. A.M. McNair Scott

Vice-Chairman:

p Councillor Mrs. P.A. West

Councillors:

Co-opted Members:

Councillors:

a Mrs. M. Kerley

p R. Love

p P. Luffman

p J. Marsh

Also in attendance:

Councillors Felicity Hindson, MBE, Executive Member for Adult Social Care; Mrs. P. Banks, Executive Member for Children and Families: David Stephen Butler (Portsmouth City Council) and Councillor Dr. R. Ellis at the invitation of the Chairman.

144. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members were mindful that, where they believed that they had a personal or personal prejudicial interest any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should normally, at the time of the debate, declare their interest, and having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 12 of the Code .

The following members declared a personal interest:

Councillor Mrs. P. Dickens - employed by NHS and on Advisory Committee of The Trinity Centre, Winchester

Councillor D. Wright - wife a General Practice Manager.

Councillor L. Dunsdon - wife employed by NHS

Councillor R. Love - on Advisory Committee of The Trinity Centre, Winchester

Councillor Mrs. A.M. McNair Scott - on Advisory Committee of The Trinity Centre, Basingstoke

Councillor P. Edgar - does work for the NHS

Councillor Mrs. P. West - Basingstoke Hospital Governor, Andover War Memorial Hospital Stakeholder and daughter-in law works for NHS

Councillor. D. Harrison - employed by NHS

Councillor P. Luffman - employed by NHS

145. MINUTES

The Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 25 March 2008 were

confirmed as a correct record, and signed by the Chairman.

146. CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATION

a. Councillor Dr. Ray Ellis

The Chairman thanked Councillor Ellis for the dedicated work that he had put in as Chairman of the Committee for the past six years.

b. Primary Care Trust lead on Travellers

Following an enquiry at the last meeting of the Committee the Chairman reported that the lead on travellers for Hampshire Primary care Trust was Christine Jackson.

147. WORK PROGRAMME 2008/09

a. Care at the End of Life

The Committee received a presentation from representatives of the Care at the End of Life Steering Group giving an update on progress following the Care at the End of Life review. Details were given of the achievements and progress made over the past nine months since the steering group was formed, indicative targets and issues to be addressed over the next year and an update on the national picture and the role of Hampshire in influencing and supporting the national agenda. Members were advised of the end of life pathway for a particular patient and how he and his family were guided through the pathway. A conference on Care at the End of Life was in the process of being arranged for 9 July 2008 to which all members would be invited and the national strategy was scheduled to be launched in July 2008. Members praised the work that had taken place to date and requested a further update in 2009.

RESOLVED:

That a further update on progress with the Care at the End of Life Review outcomes be presented to the Committee in March 2009.

b. Out of Hours

The Chief Executive presented a report giving an update on progress with the Out of Hours review (Item 4b in the Minute Book). Because of organisational changes in the NHS since the Committee requested the review in 2006 the Primary Care Trust's work on developing out of hours services had slowed considerably. There were varying situations around different parts of Hampshire with various organisations operating the out of hours services.

RESOLVED:

That:

i. The Hampshire Primary Care Trust provides the Committee with confirmation of:

· the current governance arrangements that underpin the delivery of out-of-hours care in Hampshire.

· the clinical evidence and needs assessment that underpins the development of out-of-hours care in Hampshire.

· an assessment of the key risks and dependencies associated with the different models of out-of-hours care, and of having three/four existing operating models as opposed to a single pan-Hampshire approach.

and provides the following information:

· how a strategy for the development of out-of-hours services over the next three/five years will be developed taking account of:

- health needs and equality impact assessments

- access issues, including rural and urban considerations

such as travel times and transport

- links between out of hours services and other

interdependent service providers

· anticipated patient pathways and access points

· performance over the last year of out of hours providers in Hampshire against the key quality standards criteria over the last year

ii. The Hampshire Primary Care Trust provides an update at the next meeting of the Committee.

148. INQUIRIES RECEIVED AND ACTION TAKEN

The Chief Executive presented a report on enquiries received, the

source of each enquiry and the action taken (Item 5 in the Minute Book). The enquiries related to:-

a. Fordingbridge Hospital

Hampshire Primary Care Trust reported that Fordingbridge Hospital would be re-opening shortly with a more robust medical cover.

b. Joint Strategic Needs Assessment - Progress

The Director of Public Health gave a presentation on the progress with the development of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the key areas for action emerging from this work. Copies of the Primary Care Trust document " Healthy Horizons enabling people of Hampshire to live longer and have healthier lives" was circulated to Members. She gave details of emerging practices and said that the Local Area Agreement was the tool to the delivery of services. The Public Health Annual Report was now available on the website and the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment would be published in Autumn 2008.

c. Oak Park Hospital, Havant

Hampshire Primary Care Trust said that the development of Oak Park Hospital was linked with the planned refresh of the Southeast Capacity Plan and that a report on this would be presented to the next meeting of the Committee. Attention was drawn to the fact that a revised planning application for Oak Park Hospital had already been made to Havant Borough Council and members requested information as to why this had happened prior to consultation with the Committee.

d. Access to Health Services for People who are Homeless

Hampshire Primary Care Trust gave an update on the provision of healthcare services for the homeless population of Winchester shown as Appendix two to the Chief Executive's report. Members requested information about these services in the rest of Hampshire.

e. General Practitioner Engagement with Local Commissioning

Hampshire Primary Care Trust gave a presentation outlining the ways in which General Practitioners were engaged in the development of local commissioning.

f. Mental Health Services at Andover War Memorial Hospital

Following numerous enquiries about the future of the Alan Gardner Unit at Andover War Memorial Hospital the Hampshire Primary Care Trust reported that they had met with Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust which had given a commitment on pre-engagement for any proposals about the Alan Gardner Unit. Members asked that their concerns about the future of the Alan Gardner Unit be shared with Hampshire Primary Care Trust and Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust.

g. Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust - Royal Hampshire County Hospital Business Plan

The Chief Executive reported that the business plan for the Royal Hampshire County Hospital had now been received and was available in the office.

h. Surrey and Borders NHS Trust

Following local stakeholders raising concerns in which the needs of Hampshire residents were being taken into account , further information was being sought on the impact of proposals to reconfigure inpatient adult mental health services by the Trust. Neither this Committee nor Surrey Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee nor Rushmoor, Hart and East Hampshire District Councils had been consulted on the proposals. It was agreed that as well as seeking information on proposals Surrey and Borders NHS Trust be reminded of its obligations to consult under the provisions of Sections 242 and 244 of the National Health Service Act 2006.

i. Changes to General Practitioner Premises - Plan for Engagement with Practice Population

Hampshire Primary Care Trust presented its plan for engaging with the practice population for changes to General Practitioner premises which was shown as Appendix three to the Chief Executive's report.

j. Pain Clinic Referrals from Gosport

Following an inquiry from a Gosport Borough Councillor information was sought from Hampshire Primary Care Trust on the number of patients affected and the relationship between in-patient and out-patient activity; the needs assessment supporting these changes, taking account of travel difficulties; details of the current review and supporting engagement activities; if pain clinics will be provided on an out patient basis in the future and the current pattern of pain clinic provision across south east Hampshire. The Primary Care Trust's response was shown as Appendix four to the Chief Executive's report. Members said that there was a need to develop a strategy for the range of out patient services at Gosport War Memorial Hospital and concern was expressed about the ability of Gosport War Memorial Hospital being able to cope with the demand for services following the closure of the Royal Haslar Hospital. Hampshire Primary Care Trust was requested to provide additional information on the pattern of pain clinics across southeast Hampshire to a future meeting of the Committee.

k. Local Involvement Networks (LINks)

Pauline Owen, the LINks Project Manager gave a presentation giving the Committee an update on the current position with LINks including host procurement (interviews were to be held for a LINks host on 3 June 2008); the management of the transition period, including the establishment of a Transition Committee to carry on the work of the Patient and Public Involvement Forums prior to the host taking over; the work programme and how Members would be kept informed.

l. Patient and Public Involvement Forums - Final Reports

The Chief Executive presented the final reports of the Patient and Public Involvement Forums which ceased to exist on 31 March 2008. Members thanked the Forums for the work they had done.

RESOLVED:

That:

i. The report be received and the actions outlined in it be endorsed.

ii. Hampshire Primary Care Trust be requested to provide updated information on the planning application procedure for Oak Park Hospital, Havant..

iii. Hampshire Primary Care Trust be requested to provide information on access to health services who are homeless for the rest of the County.

iv. Surrey and Borders NHS Trust be reminded of their obligations under Sections 242 and 244 oh the National Health Act 2006.

v. Hampshire Primary Care Trust be requested to provide information on the proposed services to be provided at Gosport War Memorial Hospital following the closure of the Royal Haslar Hospital and the pattern of pain clinics across southeast Hampshire to a future meeting of the Committee.

vi. The committee's appreciation of the work carried out by the Patient and Public Involvement Forums be noted.

149. PROPOSALS TO DEVELOP OR VARY NHS SERVICES

The Chief Executive presented a report on proposals to develop or vary

health services in the area of the Committee (Item 6 in the Minute Book). He presented the report in two parts which comprised of items for information which alerted the Committee to forthcoming proposals from the NHS to vary or change services and items for action required by the Committee to respond to proposals from the NHS to substantially change or vary NHS services.

Under items for information he gave details on:-

(a) Maternity Services in Southwest Hampshire

The Chief Executive reported that work on the new Ashurst Birth Centre was now on scheduled and that this would be completed on 19 August 2008 with the Centre opening on 1 September 2008.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee continues to receive regular updates on the progress with the development of Ashurst Birth Centre from Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust.

(b) `Changing for the Better' Guidance when undertaking major changes to NHS services

i. The Chief Executive reported that Lord Darzi had published a further interim on his review of the NHS which had began in July 2007. The interim report set out the context and underpinning principles for local models of care developed by clinicians across the country. At the same time the Department of Health had published `Best Practice Guidance' to guide patients, the public and NHS staff on the processes, including the consultation process, underpinning changes to acute NHS services. This included reference to local authority scrutiny, including options for resolving disagreements between scrutiny committees, and a range of community engagement and consultation activities and case studies. The framework for assessing substantial change developed by Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and the former Hampshire Strategic Health Authority is to be updated taking account of the proposed changes.

RESOLVED:

That:

ii. The framework for assessing substantial change developed by Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and the former Hampshire Strategic Health Authority be updated taking account of the proposed changes.

iii. The Hampshire Primary care Trust in collaboration with this Committee take this work forward.

Under items requiring action he gave details on:-

(c) West Sussex Primary Care Trust - Acute Service Reconfiguration

The final recommendations of the West Sussex Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee had been made to West Sussex Primary Care Trust which shown in Appendix two to the Chief Executive's report. West Sussex Primary Care Trust had since agreed that all three hospitals would retain Accident and Emergency Services with either St. Richards Hospital, Chichester or Worthing General Hospital becoming the major general hospital. An announcement on which hospital was to become the major general hospital was expected on 28 May 2008. A presentation on the issues learnt from this process would be presented to the next meting of the Committee.

RESOLVED:

That:

i. The Committee be kept appraised of the progress of the West Sussex Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

ii. Councillors D. Wright and Mrs. A Buckley continue to represent the views of the Committee on the West Sussex Joint Healthy Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

iii. The Committee continues to actively consider the scope for the preferred option identified by West Sussex Primary Care Trust to have a significant impact on health services for people living in Hampshire.

150. FORWARD PLAN

The Chief Executive presented the Committee's Forward Plan (Item 7

in the Minute Book). A request was made for the annual public health in Hampshire report to be given consideration by the Committee.

RESOLVED

That the Forward Plan be approved subject to the inclusion of issues raised at this meeting.

.