Update from Bracknell Forest PCT on a range of current issues including:
a) The re-configuration of PCTs in East Berkshire
b) The financial and budgetary position of Bracknell Forest PCT
Minutes:
(a) The Reconfiguration of PCTs in East Berkshire
Diane Hedges, Chief Executive of Bracknell Forest PCT attended the meeting to give an update on the reconfiguration of PCTs in East Berkshire. The Panel was advised of the timetable of changes to be implemented before Berkshire East PCT became fully functional on 1 October 2006:
(i) South Central Strategic Health Authority would be functional from 1 July 2006 with Dr Geoffrey Harris as Chair and Mark Britnell as Chief Executive.
(ii) South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust would also be functional from 1 July 2006 with Neil Goulden as Chair and Will Hancock as Chief Executive.
(iii) Berkshire East PCT was currently going through a recruitment process with the announcement of the Chairman scheduled for July and the Chief Executive for August.
(iv) There would be three Locality Directors, one for each Local Authority and a locality office in each area.
The new Berkshire East PCT would continue to build on current partnership working and would look at developing local integration. The Panel noted the success of some examples of partnership working in action such as the Intermediate Care Team. Diane Hedges noted that it was important to be mindful of the current elements of successful partnership working in order to design those into the models within the new East Berkshire PCT. CAMHS collective commissioning would assist the continuation of partnership working and would focus on meaningful ways to target the broader area.
In terms of budget allocation, the aim was to benchmark services according to need, which would identify issues in spend and look at how each PCT could become more cost effective. The PCT would receive a national budget worked out from a national formula and would allocate the money over a three year period. By using practice based commissioning GPs would have a role in determining their budget. Each area would receive the level of budget according to their need and priority areas. Area budgets would be set at the start of each year and through Partnership arrangements each Local Authority would have a role in making decisions of the needs and priority areas. The Locality Director would oversee GP and local budgets in order to keep local flexibility and a level of influence.
The Panel was advised that by managing the change effectively money would be saved, and the local focus was of paramount importance.
Members asked a number of questions.
(b) The Financial and Budgetary Position of Bracknell Forest PCT
Diane Hedges, Chief Executive of Bracknell PCT gave an update on the financial and budgetary position of Bracknell Forest PCT. The aim of the East Berkshire Local Delivery Plan 2006/07 was to repay the 2005/06 deficit and make savings through care pathway redesign. Care pathway redesign aimed to give more power to GPs in deciding what cases needed referral. For example, by increasing diagnostic tools, such as the use of the merlin test for heart anomalies, and avoiding increasing outpatient numbers by ensuring only the appropriate people went into secondary care. The separate East Berkshire PCT budgets would be top sliced to repay the financial deficit. Close working with Colin Hayton, Chief Executive of the Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospital Trust would enable a return to a more stable financial position.
The following were new targets of Berkshire East PCT:
(i) Improved measures on GP/Practice access – measures also include patient satisfaction.
(ii) 100% of appointments offered within 48 hours of contacting a genito-urinary medicine (GUM) service.
(iii) National roll out of screening for Chlamydia by 2007.
(iv) Halting the year on year rise in obesity among children under 11 by 2010, in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole.
(v) Implementation of Practice Based Commissioning (PBC).
(vi) From 2008, patients requiring planned hospital care will have the right to choose to have their treatment in any health care provider.
(vii) Working towards maximum outpatient waits of 11 weeks by 31/3/2007 and inpatient waits of 20 weeks by 31/3/2007.
The Panel was advised that the aim was to make £11.6m of savings through internal savings in the three PCTs, contracts and commissioning. It was hoped that the savings would not affect frontline staffing, or the standard of care, although assessment would be given to staffing numbers in relation to national staffing figures relative to area deprivation scaling. Assessment would also be given to the appropriate skills mix provided within the same services e.g. nursing relative to their national figures.
The Panel requested that Diane Hedges report back to a future panel meeting on the relative average hospital waiting times in the three East Berkshire areas. The Panel noted various concerns and clarification of a number of points.