Agendas, Meetings and Minutes - Agenda item

Agenda item

Sustainable Transformation Partnership and the NHS Long Term Plan

Minutes:

Attending for this Item were:

 

Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups

Simon Trickett, Accountable Officer

 

Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

Sue Harris, Director of Strategy and Partnerships and STP Communications and Engagement Lead

 

A presentation had been circulated as part of the Agenda and Members were reminded of the vision and five aims of the NHS Long Term Plan (LTP), which had been launched in January 2019.  These were broadly around improving health and well-being outcomes, reducing inequalities, improving quality and productivity and developing a sustainable workforce.

 

Five priority areas had also been highlighted, including integrated primary and community services, mental health, urgent care, elective care and cancer care.

 

As a Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) footprint, Herefordshire and Worcestershire was already working towards some of the aims and workstreams were well established.  However, the STP had to be refreshed to align with the new LTP priorities and with political changes nationally, it was now expected to be published in late Spring 2020.

 

The HOSC was reminded of past discussions on Maternity Services and Neighbourhood Teams for example, which had been established in order that several health and social care professionals could work together in the community with the aim of being responsive to keeping people in their own homes.  Through wider discussions, HOSC Members were also aware of other health initiatives, such as social prescribing and better planning for end of life care.

 

The STP was also working on Mental Health and Learning Disability services, which should see improvements to services.  Plans were also being formulated on urgent care, elective care and cancer services.

 

Workforce was assessed as the health and social care system’s biggest asset.  Partners were working collectively to create a resilient and sustainable employee base and developing new roles, including Registered Nursing Associates and Social Prescribers. 

 

Patient information would be more accessible across health system partners through digitalisation and the possibility of digital primary care, for example video consultations, was in sight.

 

Relationships across the healthcare organisations covering the STP footprint were developing as a system, with the collective aim of working together to ensure that patients get the safest, most effective and efficient services when they are needed.

 

In the ensuing discussion, the following key points were made:

·         Despite the STP needing to be refreshed, the vision and aims remained the same

·         The Neighbourhood Teams approach was working well.  It’s aim was to keep patients in a primary care setting for longer

·         There were now 11 Primary Care Networks across Worcestershire, seeing groups of GP surgeries working together to better serve the population

·         Funding had been secured for mental health transformation.  The STP was one of twelve Pilot areas which had been successful with their bid.  New models of care were being developed and would free up capacity in the system

·         When asked what would change in the refreshed STP, it was reported that there would only be subtle changes

·         Members learned that individual organisations would no longer be able to bid for capital funding by themselves, rather system partners would need to support any future bid

·         Some legacy Capital funding was being finalised from the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust bid, which resulted in the link bridge being built

·         A Member questioned why no timescales were included in the documentation, to be informed that the 2020/21 Annual Plan resulting from the LTP was due in March and would be more detailed.  The Plan would apply to all organisations involved but funding decisions would be decided by individual organisations

·         Furthermore, detailed plans were being developed with targets set

·         A Member pursued health inequalities, suggesting that the situation was deteriorating in particular areas and it was reported that prevention services and moving away from acute treatment options was a huge workstream

·         The CCGs Accountable Officer suggested that the Health and Wellbeing Board’s priorities could perhaps be reviewed to focus on the gaps

·         A Member reported that access to GP services was still a concern for some residents, although according to a national survey, Worcestershire was in the top 10% nationally for ease and availability of GP appointments

·         The HOSC acknowledged that there was no consistency to access GP appointments and each surgery had a different system.  It was noted that in time it was planned that the system would be more seamless

·         It was suggested that through the Primary Care Networks, patients would see change and be signposted to appropriate professionals, not always a GP.  This would include making compromises in some parts of the health system, through triage for example and building resilience through practices buddying up with each other

·         Simon Trickett reported that workforce remained the top challenge across all local health services.  The partnership with Worcester University was developing and it was still their desire to establish a Medical School.  If successful, it would help build resilience in the local health system

·         The HOSC noted that residents were now able to self-refer for physiotherapy services, freeing up surgery time

·         In response to a query about out of hospital care, it was reported that Herefordshire and Worcestershire were much more further forward than other areas and there were good working relationships across the health and social care system, including with the voluntary and community sector.

 

In summing up the Chairman thanked those present for the update and looked forward to receiving further updates in due course.

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