Agenda item

Report of the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

The Committee received a presentation from CCG and NHS providers to outline the restoration and recovery plans for services across three provider organisations, University Hospitals Midlands North (UHMN), University Hospitals Derby and Burton (UHDB) and Royal Wolverhampton Trust (RWT) Acute Trusts and also welcomed representatives from mental health and community health services.

The Accountable Officer for the 6 Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent CCGs assured the Committee that it was the right time to consider restoration and recovery in light of progress with the vaccine programme, he indicated that there was a need to look forward, whilst living with Covid and the pandemic to give confidence to the public to use the services available to them.

The Director of Strategy UHMN presented an overview of the current position referring to the planning guidance to stand services back up. She indicated that services had been re-introduced in summer 2020 temporarily before second lock down resulted in services being stood down again, and that this had provided useful experience moving into this restoration and recovery phase.

The Director of Strategy presented the challenges for restoration, highlighting the demand for urgent and emergency care at the front door, capacity in critical care, work force resilience, winter pressures and mental health service demand. She indicated that the three biggest risks to recovery were workforce resilience, ability to restore activities and widening health inequalities.

It was reported that providers were starting to see increased referrals and were tackling the backlog list for procedures. All three provider organisations were looking at services that had been temporarily closed to agree what needed to happen next to stand them back up. In relation to Minor Injuries Units at Leek and Cannock which were temporarily closed due to the pandemic and staffing issues.  Leek MiU was now open with limited hours, but Cannock Chase MIU remained closed. The Director of Strategic Planning & Performance at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust gave a commitment to attend Cannock Chase DC to provide an update.

It was noted that the following processes were in place:

·       Partners were working collaboratively across various Trusts to facilitate recovery. 

·       Work was ongoing to ensure existing workforce and facilities were deployed efficiently.

·       It was important to look after staff, to ensure support mechanisms and communications were in place. 

·       Patients in need of care the most were prioritised and communication with patients on waiting lists was ongoing to advise if care could be deployed to independent sector and also to validate that patients still wanted to proceed with procedures.

Additional data was requested from each of the three provider organisations relating to:

• People waiting longer than 62 days for procedures
• Staff vacancies
• Restoration and recovery action plans
• Specialist services action plan on backlog

It was agreed that a letter be sent from Staffordshire County Council to thank the NHS for the work that had been carried out through the pandemic and to congratulate the NHS for being awarded the George Cross.

RESOLVED: 

a)           That Committee note the progress and risks around restoration and recovery for the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System (ICS).

b)           That additional information and documents be requested from the provider organisations University Hospitals Midlands North (UHMN), University Hospitals Derby and Burton (UHDB) and Royal Wolverhampton Trust (RWT) acute Trusts to circulate to members in relation to the following:

·       Number of people waiting longer than 62 days for procedures

·       Number of staff vacancies

·       Restoration and recovery action plan

·       Specialist services back log action plan

c)           That a letter be sent from Staffordshire County Council to thank the NHS for the work that had been carried out through the pandemic and to congratulate the NHS for being awarded the George Cross.