Agenda item

Anna Collins (Head of Communications and Engagement) and Marcus Warnes (Accountable Officer) from the CCG presented a report concerning My Care, My way, Home First. The presentation set out the current position at the community hospitals in North Staffordshire with some beds temporarily closed to new admissions. a final decision had not been made by the Board and that this would follow the 12 week formal consultation period at the end of February 2017.

The CCG officers set out the engagement principles together with the assurance and governance framework.  They reinforced the key messages with regard to the beds which had been commissioned to provide sub-acute medical care with the current model not resulting in best use of public money. They reported that feedback had been overwhelming in response to the engagement undertaken during November and this would be used to inform the next stage of the formal consultation process.

Councillor Gardner expressed concerns that alternative provision should be operating safely prior to the removal of the provision at Bradwell.  In response, although acknowledging there were challenges around provision for specific cohorts with challenging behaviour, Marcus Warnes was confident that by the end of March 2017 there would be an exit plan for all 64 of the patients who were occupying the commissioned beds.  The rest of the services would continue to operate from Bradwell Hospital until the end of March. Continuing Marcus Warnes reported that the difficulties experienced by Stoke on Trent City Council in commissioning sufficient care providers had been helped by additional funding and were now resolved. A total of 173 community beds would be retained to provide for rehabilitation or assessment. He added that no-one was waiting longer than 3 days, when medically fit, to be discharged.

Councillor Holland questioned the outcome from the consultation and how to ensure that the information generated was useful to inform future plans.  Anna Collins hoped to achieve a co-production and co-design mechanism by asking questions such as “what services would be appropriate in your area”.  Each of the community hospital sites were different and so may have different options, the optimum would be to achieve the best service model for each community.

Councillor Hailstones pointed out that patients would be discharged prior to March and felt that decisions had already been made and that the difference between beds and hospital needed to be clearly stated in consultations

Councillor Hailstones was also concerned that all palliative care beds had been commissioned by Stoke on Trent City Council and she strongly argued that local provision should be available within the Newcastle under Lyme area for its residents. Marcus Warnes explained that there was most need for a home based model for end of life care.  Councillor Hailstones pointed out that rural areas suffered from a lack of nursing care provision, adding that funding was the not the most difficult issue to solve.  Marcus Warnes stated that the CCG payed a premium to the providers AMG and Teesdale to provide this support.

Councillor Loades raised the issue of the difference between medical care and social care at home during consultation

The Chair asked how the ongoing engagement would link into the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) consultation and Marcus Warnes explained that although the consultation process had begun prior to publication of the STP the two were linked.

Agreed:         That the presentation be noted.