Agenda item

The Board’s views and feedback are sought on the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust’s draft five year Integrated Business Plan.

The Board’s views and feedback were sought on the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust’s draft five year integrated plan. The Chief Executive of the Trust, Ed Donald delivered a presentation and made the following points:

• The Trust’s five year plan presented the Trust’s emerging view over the next five years. Beginning a dialogue with local authorities about this plan was important to the Trust.
• The Trust felt that the following four elements were central to everything the Trust did: i) what were patients saying about services, ii) what were staff saying, iii) what were the clinical outcomes and iv) was value for money being achieved.
• The Trust saw the key challenges that lay ahead as providing; safe, high quality care for all, managing forecast demand increases jointly, safe and modern infrastructure to meet demand and financial stability.
• The Chief Executive stated that demand for services was set to grow and one of the major challenges that lay ahead for the Trust was to consider how they could work better to keep people well and at home. The Trust operated from an ageing building that was 175 years old in parts. The Trust’s A&E was designed to cope with 65,000 patients a year, demand was forecast to grow up to 100,000 in the coming years. Any work that could be done to prevent Bracknell Forest residents from using the A&E services at the Trust would be greatly appreciated.
• The Trust felt that innovative approaches were needed to deal with this level of demand. Currently the Trust did not have any beds that were unused or being closed, every bed was in use. Waiting lists for elective and planned surgery had increased despite attempts to reduce waiting times. The Chief Executive stated that he would welcome the Board’s views, particularly on the methodology used by the Trust to predict population growth and demand on services. The Trust had estimated that 125 additional beds would be needed across the healthcare economy, based on medium growth and 87% occupancy. Feedback from the Board to ensure that there was alignment on major diseases would also be useful.
• In terms of strategic investments, the Trust had invested in the Royal Berkshire Healthspace. The Chief Executive felt that this facility was underused and would like to see it used to its fullest potential. The Healthspace provided real choice for both patients and GPs. It was noted that Frimely Park were already providing services from the facility, the Heatherwood and Wexham Park Trust would also be welcome to utilise the facility. He also looked forward to the delivery of the Urgent Care Centre.
• He looked forward to working with CCG colleagues to establish one stop shops and to general closer working with GPs. Integral to this closer working would be the use of technology to ensure GPs could view when patients were booked in for day surgery and other similar developments.

CCG representatives expressed concern around the prediction that 125 additional beds would be required across the local health economy and asked that a dialogue around this be continued outside of the Board meeting.

The Trust’s Chief Executive confirmed that the forecasting in the Trust’s five year plan took into account the Trust’s catchment area as it currently stood.

The Board commented that in terms of integration work there was clearly scope for work around prevention and perhaps considering more fully outreach services. The Chairman stated that he would like to see partners coming together to carry out prevention work wherever possible, as this would reduce costs overall. The Board were clear that Public Health work would have a significant role to play in this.

The Council’s Chief Executive commented that he felt it encouraging that the Trust saw a more fuller use of the Healthspace facility regardless of who the provider was. The Trust’s Chief Executive confirmed that he hoped to see the name of the Royal Berkshire Clinic at Brants Bridge changed to the Royal Berkshire Bracknell Healthspace once this had been agreed by the Trust’s Board which was likely to be in October/November 2013.

The Board agreed to coordinate its feedback and share this with partners.