Agenda item

Ian Tait introduced the Item and Ruth Lemiech explained that the Economic Impact of Health and Care Services Report had been written by The Strategy Unit prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, it was felt important to share the findings with the Board.  Commissioned by the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) it was also acknowledged that it would need to be updated to reflect the impact of the pandemic.

The remit was to investigate the direct and indirect economic impact of the health and social care sector within the STP, in order to learn more about the value of the sector locally.  Using baseline data, key findings for Herefordshire and Worcestershire included:

·         34,000 (full time equivalent) staff were employed in the health and social care sector, with further jobs generated across other sectors

·         £1.496bn gross value added (GVA) of NHS and Adult Social Care in 2017-18 (around 9% of the total GVA across the 2 Counties)

·         The value of informal care provided by residents was up to £1.433bn

·         The cost to the economy from outpatient appointments was estimated to be £17.8m and to patients themselves £4.68m, with the environmental cost of travelling by car to the appointments estimated to be around 4,442 tonnes, equivalent to 200,000 trees each year 

·         The direct and indirect costs of ill health, such as anxiety and depression, coronary heart disease and lung conditions was £535.7m, with £398.4m of the total specifically associated with the economic impact of anxiety and depression.

Due to COVID-19, the number of outpatient appointments being delivered virtually had dramatically increased and as the NHS Long Term Plan aimed to reduce face to face outpatient appointments by 30% by 2023/24, there was the potential that the target had been already achieved.  This was positive news for patients, who may also progress through the system more quickly, and for the environment and economy as a whole.  It had been estimated that the economic impact already had been around £3m in time saved and travel.  However, there would always be a place for face to face appointments, especially in relation to emotional well-being and support and consultants were very mindful of those patients who would benefit most, therefore a blended approach would continue.  No organisation was suggesting a ‘one size fits all’ approach, however, the opportunity was available to think differently moving forward.

The Director of Worcestershire Children First noted that specific data relating to children wasn’t included in this report and suggested that there shouldn’t be a blanket move to a virtual model for all.  Reassurance was provided that consultation with the Paediatric Consultant was included as part of this process and that there wouldn’t be a one size fits all approach, it was about the right approach for the right situation and safeguarding of children and young people was paramount.

The value of informal care, through family, friends and neighbours should not be underestimated.  It was believed that £668.6m per annum was the opportunity cost of leisure time foregone by informal carers, which compared to £1,432.9m each year for the comparative funded home care, warranted potential supportive intervention.

In relation to equality and diversity implications, there was ongoing work about accessibility, particularly in relation to digital exclusion.

Anchor Institutions, those large employers such as the NHS and local Councils, would hopefully find the Report helpful and use it to inform future work plans and partnership arrangements for the benefit of all residents in the STP. 

The Board looked forward to receiving further updates in due course.

RESOLVED that the Health and Well-being Board:

1.    Reviewed the Economic Impact report and agreed to consider how to take account of these considerations in the formulation of the refreshed Health and Well-being Strategy and Work Plan.