Any other items which the chairman decides are urgent.
Minutes:
The Chairman reported that there were two items of urgent business that had arisen since the publication of the papers for the meeting:
i) The Francis Inquiry Report into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
The Director of Adult Social Care, Health & Housing reported that the Francis report had been published in the previous week and it had included 290 recommendations. The Department of Health had yet to respond to the findings. Commissioning organisations locally were preparing to take action and commissioning arrangements in light of the recommendations would be reported back to the Board at the next meeting. Action plans were also being developed to ensure that acute care was in line with the recommendations.
Board members made the following comments:
· The recommendations were extremely important, the Board were clear that the unacceptable care provided at mid Staffordshire could not be repeated. Every stakeholder needed to engage with the findings to ensure patient safety and care.
· It was critical that the voice of the patient and carer was always heard and that performance and targets did not hinder patient care. The Board was keen to see a strong commitment to patient care in all plans and actions of partner organisations.
· The Chairman stated that it was clear that structures had failed at mid Staffordshire and that nobody seemed to want to take responsibility for these failures. He invited the chairman of the Health Overview & Scrutiny (O&S) Panel to comment.
· Cllr Virgo stated that they had already agreed to set up an O&S Working Group to look into this and in particular the scrutiny at mid Staffordshire and how it had apparently failed.
· Board members noted that at mid Staffordshire there seemed to be lots of reporting by patients and families expressing concerns, however little if anything was done in response. The Chairman stated that the Board would also be seeking input from Healthwatch on the report, their input would be invaluable.
· The Director of Public Health reported that CCG’s and PCT’s had been keeping a watchful eye on the emerging recommendations from the Francis Report over the last few months, particularly around areas where a higher than expected death rate existed. Quality monitoring and a robust complaints process would be critical in any new structure. GP’s also had a contact number that they could use to report any concerns.
The Chairman stated that it was key that the Board continued to drive the agenda; he did not want to see the Board becoming bureaucratic in its function. If action needed to be taken between formal meetings of the Board, they should be completed as soon as possible and all members notified by email. If decisions were needed between meetings, this could be done by asking the Chairman or Vice Chairman for approval and then listing the decisions made between meetings at the next regular meeting of the Board for information and examination if necessary. It was agreed that the Board would conduct it business in this way to eliminate delays, particularly regarding issues around the Mid Staffs recommendations.
ii) The suggested possibility of a merger of the Frimley Park Trust with Heatherwood and Wexham Park Trust reported in the local media over the last few days. Dr Tong reported that Heatherwood & Wexham Park Trust had undergone a series of financial difficulties over the years and a suggested solution was for the Trust to merge with the Frimley Park Trust. It would be prudent for local commissioners to develop a plan locally rather than for there to be central intervention. Frimley Park and Heatherwood & Wexham Trust’s had announced in the media that they would consider the possibility of merging and how this could be achieved. The Board agreed that if this did emerge into a local proposal, it would be one that the Board would support in principle.
The Chairman stated that he sincerely hoped that any proposals would consider the whole picture and what would be best for the population of Bracknell Forest and the surrounding area, based on sound clinical judgement and need. Proposals should not focus on location, but on quality, long term viability and not short term political fixes. If proposals were controversial, politicians and other partners would need to make some brave decisions to secure the best possible healthcare solution for local people. He was keen to support the providers and looked forward to hearing their proposals.
The Director of Adult Social Care, Health & Housing stated that the Council would do whatever it could to assist the providers.
Board members were keen that quality of care and patient outcomes remained central to proposals; there existed a discrepancy between the two trusts in terms of quality.