Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillors Lynn Denham, Calne Edginton-White, Tom Wells, John Gallagher, Salman Akbar, and also the Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Health and Wellbeing (Karen May) and the Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Adult Social Care (Adrian Hardman).

None.

The Overview & Scrutiny Manager confirmed that Cllr Frances Smith had been nominated as Vice-Chairman by the Committee’s district council members,  which Council would be asked to approve at its meeting on 12 January 2023.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by email indicating the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 30 November 2022). Enquiries can be made through the telephone number/email listed in this agenda and on the website.

None.

Previously circulated

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 17 October 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. Regarding the Minutes of 2 November, an amendment had been requested to Minute 1096 (The Role of Community Hospitals) – page 7, bullet 6 should read that pre-Covid attendance at Tenbury Minor Injuries Unit averaged 2.5 people a day, and not 3.5 as written – the Committee agreed this amendment and, subject to this amendment, the Minutes were signed.

To follow

In attendance for this item were:

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust -

Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive

Anita Day, Chair

Richard Haynes, Director of Communications and Engagement 

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board

Mari Gay, Managing Director

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust 

Susan Harris, Director of Strategy and Partnerships

Worcestershire County Council

Rebecca Wassell, Assistant Director for Commissioning

The Chairman welcomed Anita Day, Chair of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust (the Acute Trust) and introduced her to the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC).

The Acute Trust Chief Executive (CE) introduced the update on improving patient flow through the system, following earlier reports to the HOSC, after which Committee members would have the opportunity of a tour of the new Emergency Department facilities currently being built.

News coverage of queuing ambulances outside hospitals across the country was referred to, and it was recognised the situation in Worcestershire was not good enough.

The Chief Executive informed the HOSC that an unannounced inspection of both of the Trust’s Emergency Departments by the Care Quality Commissioning (CQC) had taken place from the 21 to 23 November. The inspection had included medical wards, other facilities such as the discharge lounge, with further plans to inspect some GP surgeries, social care and ambulance services – to date the CQC did not plan to visit community hospital services.

The CQC Inspection Report was not expected until end of March 2023, however no immediate safety concerns had been escalated to leaders in respect of acute hospital or ambulance services, and initial feedback referenced good practice regarding privacy and dignity, and a positive culture in wards being a significant difference to the previous inspection. Whilst significant pressures remained, the initial feedback and the fact that no immediate safety concerns had been raised, was reassuring and a tribute to staff.

Nonetheless, a number of concerns had been raised which the Trust was working to address including medicine management and the fact that patients were spending too long in the discharge lounge.

The CE made the following additional points regarding the main areas of focus which the Worcestershire system had agreed as specific urgent actions within Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) to increase speed of recovery and to realise the benefits of significant investment over the previous 12 months:

·         The aim of the new Emergency Department building (which would triple the capacity of Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC)), was the ability to direct patients to facilities designed to meet their needs, for example those requiring immediate medical attention such as blood tests or X-rays, but were not emergencies, and could usually be discharged the same day – this sort of testing facility was currently available but was too small.

·         The first floor of the new ED would be open from 12December with the full new ED opening in May/June 2023.

·         Front door streaming was an area of focus connected to being able to treat non-emergency patients in an appropriate setting – it was important that ambulance crews could  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1103.

As part of the previous item, a further update on patient flow had been added to the HOSC’s work programme.