Agenda item

(To receive a report from Simon Evans, Health Scrutiny Officer, which invites the Committee to consider the consultation document presented and whether it wishes to make a response to the consultation as a ‘non-statutory’ consultee.  Representatives from the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board will be in attendance for this item)

Consideration was given to a report from Simon Evans, Health Scrutiny Officer, which invited the Committee to consider the consultation documents presented, and to decide whether it wished to make a response to the consultation on proposals affecting acute hospital services at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby and at Scunthorpe General Hospital, as a non-statutory consultee.

Appendix A to the report provided the Committee with an overview of the Humber Acute Services Consultation dated 17 August 2023; and Appendix B provided a copy of the ‘Have your Say’ – Public Consultation information leaflet for the Committee to consider.

The Chairman invited the following representatives to remotely, present the item to the Committee: -

Presenters from the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board: Alex Seale, North Lincolnshire Place Director, and Linsay Cunningham, Associate Director of Communications, Humber Acute Programme.

Presenters from Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust: Dr Anwer Qureshi, Consultant Acute Physician and Clinical Lead for Elderly Care, at Scunthorpe General Hospital and Kerry Carroll, Deputy Director of Strategic Development.

The presentation referred to:

·       What was being proposed to provide a better model of care whilst addressing the challenges being faced and minimising the impacts on patients and staff;

·       Services that would remain unchanged, and services that would be changing. It was noted that to improve services, those with the most urgent and complex needs would be brought together at one hospital, the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby, which would ensure a higher quality service, provide access to dedicated services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, help to address critical shortages in the workforce by organising teams more effectively, and by helping patients to be seen and treated sooner;

·       Services changing included: the Trauma unit, Emergency Surgery (overnight), some medical specialties (inpatient) and Paediatric overnight (inpatient) care;

·       The impact for Lincolnshire, based on 2019/20 modelling outputs and how the proposals came to being.  It was noted that the options had been based on strong clinical evidence base and data analysis;

·       Key issues and impacts raised from engagement so far, this included travel and access, discharge from hospital, contingency planning and major incidents, and the impact on Goole; and

·       Ways to get involved in the consultation, timeline, and next steps.

During consideration of this item, the following comments were noted:

·       There were significant capital challenges and a backlog of repairs requiring capital funding.  The Committee noted that a business case for funding Scunthorpe General Hospital as part of the government’s New Hospitals programme had unfortunately been unsuccessful. It was noted further that when looking at the proposals, one of the drivers had been around the centralisation of the most specialist elements of the service to the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby, as less capital infrastructure was required to deliver the changes within the site and the proposal would have less impact on the population and patient flows;

·       Some of the members who had attended the joint Humber and Lincolnshire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee sought answers in writing to their previously submitted questions.  Presenters agreed to respond to the questions raised;

·       One member welcomed the inclusion of veterans as a consultation group and further clarity was sought as to how engagement with veterans in Lincolnshire would be actioned.  Reassurance was provided that work was ongoing by colleagues within Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust who had an extensive veterans and armed forces community.  Further information was sought for any additional contacts within Lincolnshire County Council to help support further engagement opportunities in this regard;

·       Some concern was expressed regarding the robustness of the consultation, in the Gainsborough area and the western side of West Lindsey, and how residents were going to be made aware of forthcoming consultation events. The Committee noted that work was ongoing with colleagues in the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board area to help spread the word through their networks.  It was noted further that media would also be used to get messages out regarding the consultation and forthcoming events.  Any help and support from Committee members in getting messages out was welcomed. The Healthwatch representative offered support with the planning of consultation events in the Gainsborough area and help with links into patients’ groups and other networks;

·       Reassurance was provided that appointments would comprise of face to face and virtual appointments where appropriate.  It was also highlighted that in urgent emergency care, at times remote advice was needed for a patient who was ill.  The Committee was advised that telecommunications would help in this situation as currently if someone was very sick on the Grimsby site over a weekend with a cardiology issue, there was not the skill mix to manage that situation locally.  The Committee was advised further in that situation Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham would be contacted for advice.  With technology this would be improved as ECG’s and images could be viewed, and that was the reason for some of the specialties.  It was noted that telecommunications would also assist ambulance crews who had a stroke patient being able to seek the advice of a specialist or clinician;

·       Transport issues for those living in more rural areas of the county.  It was felt that there was not enough within the consultation to mitigate the concerns.  The Committee was advised that further details of the high-level themes were available in the pre-consultation business case, which was available on the website.  It was also highlighted that a transport working group were also looking into specific areas;

·       Some concern was expressed relating to virtual wards and to the fact that parts of the county had very poor Wi-Fi and broadband connections;

·       Confirmation was provided that the event planned for Louth would be on 29 November 2023 at the Louth Library at a time to be agreed, it was however thought the timing would be from around 11.00 am to 1.00pm;

·       Improved stroke services and the options available to patients dependent on their needs;

·       One member enquired what the response had been of those staff, who now had to potentially travel further, or find an alternative job, with another trust.  The Committee was advised that the changes were mostly going to affect clinicians rather nursing and other support staff.  It was highlighted that clinicians’ workshops were ongoing at the moment.  It was highlighted further that many acute physicians currently worked rotas that worked across both sites; and

·       The Committee was advised that timescales were not yet known for the review of maternity services and neonatal services, but when information was available, this would be shared with members of the Committee.

The Chairman on behalf of the Committee extended his thanks to the presenters.

RESOLVED

1.      That the Humber and Lincolnshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s role as the statutory consultee on the Humber Acute Services Review for the purposes of the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013 be noted.

2.      That a response be made by the Committee to the consultation as a non-statutory consultee. 

3.      That this Committee’s own response to the consultation be shared with the Humber and Lincolnshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, with a view to it being considered for inclusion in the Joint Committee’s response.