Issue - meetings

Matthew Cole, presented the report, which in response to comments at earlier Board meetings was in a new layout style, and provided the quarter 1 performance and update on health and wellbeing in the Borough.  The report highlighted areas that had improved and also indicated areas that required improvement. 

The Board discussed a number of issues including, the poor performance in regards to Health Checks, care home placements and vaccination rates.

In response to a question from Cllr Turner, Matthew Cole provided information on the national initiative to ensure that all pregnant women receive a Whooping Cough (Pertussis) vaccination.  Matthew said this initiative had been well received by pregnant women and had a good take-up rate locally.  There had been one death locally from Whooping Cough.  Dr Heeps, BHRUT, explained that maternity services vaccinations are given by GPs not at the hospital.  Matthew Cole advised that he believed that a business case had been approved to allow the vaccinations at any maternity service health point, including the hospital, and he would check on this and report back to the Board in due course.  Anne Bristow suggested that Partners needed to investigate ways to improve the provision of vaccination services to pregnant women, so they were provided in a patient centred way.  Cllr Turner supported the suggestions and said that it was important that vaccination services are provided by all GPs, as well as being offered at other health points.

The Chair raised the issue of additional support for the CCG in view of the additional work pressure the CCG would have following recent CQC inspections.  Ceri Jacobs explained the governance role of NHS England, the support provided to Primary Care and that there were also NHS England medical directors available to support the CCG.  Sharron Morrow, Chief Operating Officer, Barking and Dagenham CCG, explained that a committee had been set up to look at performance issues and to develop improvement / actions plans and how the CCG input into those plans as well as looking at poor health presentation through promotion.  Dr Mohi provided information on the logistical and business planning work that was being undertaken with local GPs.

BHRUT gave an update on the 18 week Referral to Treatment (RTT) position and it was noted that the number of patients who have waited a long time had reduced by 67% since 3 April 2016.  The target for operating theatre productivity had been exceeded, but there is a very significant challenge to return to meeting the RTT standards in a sustainable manner.  This would involve carrying out around 5,000 operations and 93,000 outpatient appointments over an 18 month period.  A management and assurance process was now in place to achieve a return to RTT standard, this included meeting with NHS England and the BHR System Resilience Group. 

BHRUT assured the Board that the clinical reviews of those patients waiting over a year indicated that there were no cases where there had been clinical harm due to the length of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38