Issue - meetings

Councillor Turner arrived during this item.

Richard Dale and Yasmin Peiris from the Transforming Services, Changing Lives Programme (TSCL) Team presented the report and explained the inception of the clinical transformation programme and its aim to consider how best to ensure safe, effective and sustainable hospital services at Bart’s Health Hospitals in the context of challenging financial changes and the need to find more than £400m savings in the next five years.  The work programme was launched in February 2014 and was expected to run until October 2014, following which a baseline assessment of the drivers for change for the local health economy would be drawn up in order to inform further discussions about the scope, scale and speed of change that would be needed.  The introduction of NHS111, integrated care and personal health budgets were just some of the changes to the health economy that had occurred recently.  The principles of the Francis Report together with national and international best practice would be at the heart of developing the case for change. 

The governance arrangements for the programme had been established and this included a Programme Board, Clinical Reference Group and its six working areas and Public and Patient Reference Group.  The full details together with the engagement and consultation that the TSCL intended to undertake were set out in the report and the ‘Interim Case for Change’ could be viewed at the web address provided in section two of the report.  Comments could also be made via that link.

The health challenges across the boroughs and the 34% population growth that was anticipated made planning for both treatment and preventative health an issue for all stakeholders, which may require adapting and delivering services in a different way.  Staff also needed to be engaged in the process and empowered to make changes.

There was an acknowledgement that there are some excellent services but they are not always consistently provided across the borough.  The health estate and technology systems also needed to be upgraded to enable different and efficient ways of working.

Helen Jenner, Corporate Director of Children’s Services drew the Boards attention to the need for clarity as the report seemed to be more about inner east London and the Bart’s NHS Trust and not the whole of East London or LBBD provision. 

Anne Bristow, Corporate Director of Adult and Community Services, pointed out that the report was NHS focused and did not seem to exhibit the integration thrust that is being required under the Better Care Fund, Care Act, Children and Families Act, Department of Health Policy and Barker Commission report .

Marie Kearns raised the issue of access and transport and the additional resources that would be required from the Ambulance Service.  The Chair supported the concerns about transport links and said that real life travel issues from LBBD to King George’s site caused genuine difficulties for both patients and visitors.

Councillor Carpenter questioned whether there proposals in the report would result in sufficient drive to address  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39

The Board received the report from Barking and Dagenham CCG on the real challenges of providing care for a growing local population, whilst continuing to meet the health needs of some of the most deprived areas in the country.  Resource restrictions will require both different and innovative ways to ensure care is provided to meet the needs of Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Newham Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham CCGs and NHS England.  As a result a clinical transformation programme called Transforming Services, Changing Lives, was established.  A key element of the programme was to consider how best to ensure safe, effective and sustainable hospital services at Bart's Health and Homerton hospitals and how this would fit in the context of local plans to further develop and improve primary, community and integrated care services.  The work started in February 2014, had its public launch in April and is expected to run until September 2014.

The Board:

(i)  Noted the report and expressed concern that the lessons from earlier consultation on such changes do not appear to have been learned; and,

(ii)  Requested that in future the Board is part of the consultation earlier in the process as this would enable the Board, and its wider partner organisations, to influence the business case in regards to any service or provision changes.

(iii)   Noted that an update report will be presented in September.