Agenda item

Fiona Slevin-Brown and Dr William Tong from the East Berkshire CCG to update the Panel on the conversations the CCG is having with local people about urgent care services.

Fiona Slevin-Brown, Director of Strategy and Operations East Berks CCG, gave Members an update on the work the CCG had recently undertaken to gain views from members of the public about urgent care provision throughout Bracknell and Ascot.

It was stressed this was a conversation, not a consultation, although they would consult in the future if the outcome of the conversations led to a change in provision. In scope were the type and location of urgent care services and what type of models would best serve the population in the future. Urgent care was defined as non-life threatening but required the patient to receive advice or treatment on the same day.

Members were informed that:

• £10 million would be spent on urgent care in the local area (not including South Central Ambulance Service or Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments) in 2018/19
• Conversations were about how to make best use of this funding.
• Conversations took place with a number of groups including over-represented/under-represented members of the community.
• A web-based questionnaire ‘Big Conversations’ had been set up and received 400 responses to date.

Members were asked to help raise awareness of the questionnaire and agreed to send the link out to Members following the meeting.

Early themes indicated:

• Members of the public often wanted to speak to their GP but could not get an appointment so used other urgent care services instead.
• Responses also showed people were willing to use technology for some services but they still wanted ‘face to face’ contact.
• Accessibility and location were also important, particularly for the less mobile or those who had to use public transport.
• People with mental health issues gave a varied response to current urgent care services although it was thought this had improved recently.

The first phase of conversations had been concluded and the survey, the second phase, was underway. Feedback would be collated at the end of August/early Autumn and options would be fed into a stakeholder group, which would include local authority partners, to agree criteria for prioritising the options. An options appraisal would then be sent to the governing body in October this year. Further consultation and engagement with providers would then take place to understand how changes could be implemented by April 2020.

Members asked how the above would work with GPs extending their opening times and were informed it was all part of the same urgent care system and GPs already offered urgent care, it was just hidden as the public did not necessarily think of GPs as urgent care.

Members asked why people chose a particular type of urgent care service and were informed people seemed confused by the range of options and this was something that needed to be made clearer – such as how to get a prescription when GP surgery is closed or why one location offers some services and others do not.

Actions:

Fiona Slevin-Brown, Director of Strategy and Operations East Berks CCG, to send the link for ‘Big Conversations’ questionnaire to all Members.