Agenda item

Arrangements for the Quality Accounts 2016-2017

(To receive a report by Simon Evans (Health Scrutiny Officer) which invites the Committee to make arrangements for the Quality Accounts process for 2017)

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report by the Health Scrutiny Officer which invited the Committee to make arrangements for the Quality Accounts process for 2017.

 

Simon Evans, Health Scrutiny Officer, introduced the report and explained that, in January 2017, NHS England confirmed the arrangements for 2017 which followed the pattern of last year.  In 2016, statements were prepared on behalf of the Committee on the Quality Accounts of nine providers of NHS-funded services.  Three of those statements were jointly prepared with Healthwatch Lincolnshire.

 

The legal framework for Quality Accounts came into effect on 1 April 2010 and had been amended since to reflect changes in NHS organisational structures and to further prescribe the content of each Quality Account.  NHS-funded services were required to submit Draft Quality Accounts to their local Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee; local Healthwatch organisation; and the relevant Clinical Commissioning Group.

 

The regulations did not include a formal role for health and wellbeing boards, although providers were able to share the draft Quality Accounts with local health and wellbeing boards for comments, should they wish to do so.   This was emphasised by NHS England who indicated that this involvement was discretionary.

 

The contents of a Quality Account were prescribed by regulations and must include three or more priorities for improvement in the forthcoming year; and an account of the progress with the priorities for improvement in the previous year.  It must also include details of the types of NHS funded services provided; any CQC inspections; national clinical audits; Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) activities and mortality-indicator information.

 

Foundation trusts were required by NHS Improvement to prepare a Quality Report which must also incorporate all the required elements of a Quality Account.

 

Guidance from the Department of Health encouraged organisations to focus on the following statements when completing a Quality Account:-

·       Do the priorities included in the Quality Account reflect the priorities of the local population?

·       Have any major issues been omitted from the Quality Account?

·       Has the provider demonstrated that they have involved patients and the public in the production of the Quality Account?

·       Is the Quality Account clearly presented for patients and the public?

·       Are there any comments on specific local issues, which Healthwatch/the Health Scrutiny Committee have been involved with?

 

A working group arrangement had always been adopted whereby representatives of the provider organisation presented their draft Quality Account to a working group of Committee members and representatives from Healthwatch Lincolnshire.  The output from the working group was a statement (up to 1000 words) which was required to be included within the final published version of the Quality Account.

 

The regulations also enabled the "relevant overview and scrutiny committee" to make a statement on the Quality Account of a local provider.  The following providers had headquarters in Lincolnshire and would, therefore, be required to include a statement on their Quality Account:-

·       Boston West Hospital (Ramsay Healthcare)

·       Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust

·       Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

·       St Barnabas Hospice

·       United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

 

The registered office of the following providers was not located in Lincolnshire but they had, in the past, voluntarily agreed to the inclusion of a statement on their draft Quality Account:-

·       East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS)

·       Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

·       Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

 

These Trusts provided a significant number of services to Lincolnshire residents and it was for the Committee to decide on which of the above providers' draft Quality Account it would wish to make a statement.  It was noted that, in 2016, Marie Curie requested a statement from the Committee on the basis that it cared for more patients in Lincolnshire than any other local authority area, despite its Head Office being based in London.

 

The Committee had also worked jointly with Healthwatch Lincolnshire for the last three years.  Healthwatch Lincolnshire was being consulted on whether it wished to continue to work with the Committee on the following three Quality Accounts:-

·       Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust;

·       Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; and

·       United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

 

It was suggested that the Working Group might need to meet up to four times in total during April, May and early June 2017 to prepare statements on the relevant Quality Accounts.  The Committee was asked for volunteers to form the Working Group.

 

Councillors Mrs C A Talbot, P Gleeson, S L W Palmer, Mrs J M Renshaw, Mrs S M Wray, Mrs P F Watson, J Kirk and C J T H Brewis volunteered to form the Working Group.

 

RESOLVED

1.    That the following local providers of NHS-funded services be provided with a statement from the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire for inclusion within the respective Quality Account:-

a.    East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust;

b.    Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust;

c.    Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust;

d.    Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust;

e.    Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;

f.     St Barnabas Hospice; and

g.    United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

2.    That joint statements for inclusion within the Quality Account of the following providers be prepared together with Healthwatch Lincolnshire (subject to the agreement of Healthwatch Lincolnshire participating in joint arrangements):-

a.    Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust;

b.    Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; and

c.    United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

3.    That the establishment of a working group for the Quality Account process for 2017 be agreed and include Councillors Mrs C A Talbot, P Gleeson, S L W Palmer, Mrs J M Renshaw, Mrs S M Wray, Mrs P F Watson, J Kirk and C J T H Brewis.

 

The Chairman adjourned the meeting for lunch at 12.50pm and asked the Committee to reconvene at 2.00pm.

 

NOTE:       At 2.00pm, the Chairman reconvened the meeting.  On return, following Members and Officers were in attendance:-

 

Lincolnshire County Council

 

Councillors S L W Palmer, Mrs S Ransome, R A Renshaw, Mrs J M Renshaw, Mrs C A Talbot (Chairman), T M Trollope-Bellew and Mrs S M Wray.

 

Lincolnshire District Councils

 

Councillors P Gleeson (Boston Borough Council), J Kirk (City of Lincoln Council), Mrs P F Watson (East Lindsey District Council), Mrs K Cook (North Kesteven District Council), C J T H Brewis (South Holland District Council (Vice-Chairman)), Mrs R Kaberry-Brown (South Kesteven District Council) and P Howitt-Cowan (West Lindsey District Council).

 

Also in attendance

 

Liz Ball (Executive Nurse, South Lincolnshire CCG), Andrea Brown (Democratic Services Officer), Alison Christie (Programme Manager, Health and Wellbeing), Simon Evans (Health Scrutiny Officer), Tony McGinty (Interim Director of Public Health), David Stacey (Programme Manager, Strategy and Performance), Michelle Webb (Director of Patient Care, St Barnabas Hospice), Chris Weston (Consultant in Public Health (Wider Determinants)) and Chris Wheway (Chief Executive, St Barnabas Hospice)

 

Prior to consideration of the next item of business, the Chairman was disappointed to report that the demonstrators in attendance to hear consideration of item 5 – Congenital Heart Disease Services – NHS England Consultation had prevented colleagues from NHS England leaving the building.  The Chairman noted that this behaviour was unacceptable and that she would, on behalf of the Committee and the Council, write to NHS England to apologise.

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