Agenda item

To consider a report of the Director of Transformation and Governance on issues brought to the attention of the Committee which impact upon the planning, provision and/or operation of health services within Hampshire, or the Hampshire population.

·         Friarsgate Surgery and West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group: Update on Closure of Kings Worthy branch surgery

SHORT BREAK

·         Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust: Antelope House – update on urgent temporary closure of beds

Friarsgate Surgery and West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group: Update on Closure of Kings Worthy branch surgery

Representatives from West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and the Friarsgate Practice presented an update on the closure of the Kings Worthy branch of the Friarsgate surgery, Winchester (see presentation, Item 7 in the Minute Book).

The local County Councillors for the area covered by the Friarsgate Practice, Cllrs Jackie Porter and Martin Tod, spoke to the update.  Cllr Porter noted local concerns raised relating to long patient journeys from Kings Worthy to Weeke, as well as access to medical appointments and the use of e-consult.  Some negative feedback had also been received by Cllr Porter from patients regarding the availability of the patient transport service operated for a short time after the closure of the branch surgery.  Cllr Porter also made the Committee aware that the structure of the Health and Wellbeing Café had changed to one focused around patient cohorts, rather than just the frail and elderly.

In response to Cllr Porter’s concerns, the Practice’s representatives noted that the Health and Wellbeing Café was always expected to evolve to best meet patients’ needs, as there was no ‘one size fits all’ approach to this model, with each GP surgery finding what worked best for them.  The patient participation group had been active in shaping the café through discussions with those who used them.  It was still too early for a full evaluation of the café, but the Practice were aware that the café wasn’t fully reaching its potential to date, and further evolution would be required.

In terms of the patient transport operated by the Practice, despite changing the hours of the service and promoting it to all registered Kings Worthy patients, there had been very little take-up of the service and therefore it had been decided to discontinue this.  However, fares at a discounted rate were still available through the Dial-A-Ride service.

In response to questions, Members heard:

·      That demand for same-day appointments and sessions with own-GPs would always outstrip supply, and similar Practices in Winchester and other urban areas were experiencing the same issues with waiting times.  This required innovative thinking to resolve, especially as many GPs nationally are due to retire within the next five years, and not enough medical students were choosing General Practice as their specialty.

·      The e-consult system, which was mobile-enabled, had been recently launched by Friarsgate and this was being used by approximately 180 patients per week, with a number more using the advice to self-diagnose and treat without making contact with the Practice. 

·      That the Practice were not aware of specific parking issues for patients visiting the site in Weeke; the Waitrose car park provided two hours of free parking, and although there were some peak times of year when the car park was busy, there hadn’t been any significant issues raised by patients regarding this.

·      That public transport availability and parking for staff remained an issue for those travelling to the Weeke Practice.  Some staff had made agreements with local homeowners to use their driveways, and other solutions had been found.  This issue was likely to escalate with the plans to make the area permit-controlled.

·      At the June 2016 Committee meeting the Practice had noted that they had actively met and lobbied local bus services in order to change routes to ensure that those travelling from the Worthies could access services Weeke without having to change buses in the centre of Winchester.  The Committee had also written to the Executive Member to discuss this issue, but to date Stagecoach, the primary operator of bus services in the City, had not agreed to introduce a new route or to change an existing route to take Kings Worthy patients to Weeke.

The Chairman moved to debate.  Members discussed the issues relating to travel and transport to the Weeke site and agreed that it would be helpful to write to the Executive Member for Environment and Transport to understand if there were Community Infrastructure Levy funds available to support a travel plan for staff and patients travelling from the local geography to the Friarsgate Practice.

Members also agreed that in considering a future update on this item, further information on the demographics of the Kings Worthy patient group being discussed would be helpful, as well as details of the patient survey referred to in the presentation.

The Chairman moved to proceed to recommendations.

RESOLVED

That Members:

1.  Note the evaluation update following the closure of the Kings Worthy branch of the Friarsgate Surgery, Winchester. 

2.  Request that the Chairman write to the Executive Member for Environment and Transport to suggest that work be undertaken in conjunction with Winchester City Council, in order to explore the feasibility of using Community Infrastructure Levy monies to support a plan for staff and patients travelling to the Friarsgate Practice in Weeke.

3.  Request the following additional information:

·      Details of the GP patient survey results for the Friarsgate Practice, once available.

·      A breakdown of the demographics for the Kings Worthy population registered at the Friarsgate Practice.

·      A wider evaluation of the closure of the Kings Worthy branch surgery, in order to provide assurance that patients are able to access and receive appropriate pathways of care.

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust: Antelope House – update on urgent temporary closure of beds

Representatives from Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust presented an update report on the urgent temporary closure of the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) located at Antelope House, Southampton (see report, Item 7 in the Minute Book).

Members were provided with a summary of the report.  It was heard that the PICU was now open to admissions on a phased basis, but there still remained concerns in relation to the recruitment and retention of staff that the Trust remained focused on and committed to.

In response to questions, Members heard:

·      The issue of staff retention in mental health services remained a significant issue, and particularly impacted Antelope House due to the complexity of the services it housed.

·      The percentage of exit interviews completed was now significantly higher than when last reported to the Committee, with staff having the option to share feedback with senior officers and non-Line Managers if preferred.  The data captured from these had helped to shape staff policy.

·      Some staff who may have previously have left the Trust have managed to be retained due to greater flexibility with working locations.

·      Success had been found by the Trust by upskilling current staff and enabling people to progress through the service by supporting them to access education and training.

·      A number of non-registered roles had also been developed by the Trust aimed at supporting clinical staff in a number of specialties.

·      There was an issue with mental health trusts poaching workers from each other, as well as the costs paid to agency workers, and to this end the Mental Health Alliance workstream of the STP would focus on staffing as a priority, following similar work undertaken in relation to social workers by the South East network of County Councils.

·      The most recent National Staff Survey had shown general improvement across the board for the Trust, which was a reflection of the work undertaken to support and retain workers.

The Chairman moved to proceed to recommendations.

RESOLVED

That Members:

1.  Note the progress by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust to reopen the Hamtun Ward, Antelope House, and to recruit to staff vacancies.

2.  Request a future update on staffing in six months’ time.