Agenda item

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the Committee and made the following announcements:-

i)          GP Vacancies

At the last meeting, the Committee requested information on the number of GP vacancies in Lincolnshire.  Dr Kieran Sharrock, Medical Director of the Lincolnshire Local Medical Committee (LMC), advised that (as of 24 March 2016) there were 40 vacancies for GPs known to the Lincolnshire LMC.  Dr Sharrock also agreed to attend the meeting of the Committee on Wednesday 15 June 2016 to provide further information and to explore the topic in greater detail. 

The Chairman advised that a reply had been received in response to the letter sent to the Secretary of State for Health and co-signed by MPs, CCGs, Trusts and the Chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire.  The content of the response was unknown at the time of the Committee meeting but it was hoped a clearer picture would be available when Dr Sharrock attended.

ii)         Dental Procurement Programme

A briefing paper had been issued by NHS England Central Midlands on the dental procurement programme, which affected Lincolnshire.  The procurement programme had been paused awaiting further guidance.  The pause affected twenty contracts for provision of General Dental Services across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire; and two contracts for provision of Special Care Dentistry Services for Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire.  The briefing paper would be circulated to the Committee following the meeting in addition to which the Chairman sought to add this item to the Committee Work Programme for later in the year.

iii)       Burton Road Surgery – Care Quality Commission Rating

The Committee had taken a particular interest in the Burton Road Surgery, following the intention of NHS England, in 2014, to close it.  On 7 April 2016, the Care Quality Commission published its inspection report on the surgery, which had 2200 patients on its list and now managed by Universal Health, and found that the surgery "required improvement".

Whilst disappointing, context was given that 47 of the GP practices in Lincolnshire had now received a rating from the CQC under the new inspection arrangements following their introduction in October 2014.  To date, one practice had been rated as "outstanding"; thirty practices had been given a "good" rating; thirteen practices "required improvement"; and three practices were "inadequate".

iv)       East Midlands Ambulance Service – Future Management Arrangements

Following the recent departure of its Chief Executive, the East Midlands Ambulance Service had confirmed that it was seeking the expertise of the Chief Executive of the West Midlands Ambulance Service as it developed its future management arrangements.  The announcement had been construed by the local media as a proposal to merge the two organisations but the Chairman reported that this was not the case.  It was confirmed that each organisation had issued statements indicating that a merger was not being considered.

v)         Adults Scrutiny Committee – Delayed Transfers of Care

On 6 April 2016, the Adult Scrutiny Committee carried out the request of the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire to consider Delayed Transfers of Care (DTOC).  At the same meeting, the Adult Scrutiny Committee considered an item on seasonal resilience and the Chairman, Councillor H Marfleet, would discuss further consideration at the next agenda planning meeting.

vi)       Care Quality Commission Report – Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

On 15 April 2016, the Care Quality Commission published its quality report on Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.  This followed the inspections on 13-16 October 2015, 6 November 2015 and 5 January 2016.  The overall rating for the Trust was "required improvement".

In addition to the overall rating, the CQC had published individual reports and ratings for each hospital:  Scunthorpe General Hospital received an "inadequate" rating largely because of concerns in its outpatients department; and Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby was rated as "required improvement".  A significant number of Lincolnshire residents were treated in these hospitals, therefore the rating for the Trust and, in particular Scunthorpe General Hospital, remained a concern.  The links to the reports on the CQC website would be circulated to the Committee via email.

vii)      Quality Accounts Working Group

On Tuesday 19 April 2016, the first meeting of the Quality Accounts Working Group took place and reviewed the draft Quality Account of Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust.  A further meeting of the Working Group was arranged for 26 April 2016 to review the draft Quality Accounts of Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.

viii)     Marie Curie Quality Account

Marie Curie had approached the Chairman to request that the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire give consideration to making a statement on the draft Quality Account of Marie Curie.  The Head Office of Marie Curie was located in the London Borough of Lambeth and therefore the relevant body for quality account purposes under the regulations would be Lambeth.  However, as Lincolnshire currently had the highest number of patients being treated by Marie Curie, the Committee had been approached to consider making a statement.  The Chairman proposed to consider this request as part of Agenda Item 11 – Work Programme.

ix)       Meetings in the Last Month

On 17 March 2016, the Chairman had met with Gary James, Accountable Officer for Lincolnshire East Clinical Commissioning Group, where information on the proposals for a Care Portal and the budgetary position for the Clinical Commissioning Group were received.

Gary James advised the Committee that the Care Portal was currently being built and would be a major benefit for patients.  An update would be presented to the Committee once the build was complete.  In relation to the Budget, it was confirmed that this was extremely tight and driven by various factors.  There was a particular challenge to balance the books but this was a situation faced by all service providers.  The requirement to make a 1% saving to deliver the surplus remained but the Committee were reminded that this sum was removed at the start of the financial year which meant the CCGs were aware of how much budget they had left to work with.

x)         Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust – Foundation Trust Arrangements

The Committee had responded to the consultation by Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) on its application for foundation trust status in 2012.  Recently, a further consultation was issued by LCHS on a minor change to the proposed governance arrangements.  Since 2012, LCHS had developed its services beyond the Lincolnshire boundary, delivering services in Peterborough.  This included the Minor Illness and Injuries Unit at the Peterborough Care Centre.  In order to reflect this, the new proposal was for an 'Outside of Lincolnshire' element in the public constituency of the foundation trust governance arrangements. 

The Committee suggested that representation from patients outside of Lincolnshire was important and would be beneficial to the service provision for patients within the county.  As this was a change in Governance arrangements, the Chairman proposed that this item be considered further under Agenda Item 11 – Work Programme.

xi)       Community Pharmacy Provision – Informal Meeting – 3 May 2016

Lincolnshire Health and Wellbeing Board would be holding an informal meeting on Community Pharmacy Provision on Tuesday 3 May 2016 at 2.00pm.  Councillor Mrs Sue Woolley, Chairman of the Board, had extended an invitation for representatives of the Committee to attend the session which was to take place in the Council Chamber at County Offices.  The programme for the session was to include an understanding of the rules and regulations for the setting up of pharmacies.  The session would also cover the Community Pharmacy in 2016/17 and Beyond consultation where an opportunity would be provided to discuss the proposals.  Councillors C J T H Brewis, Mrs J M Renshaw, Mrs P F Watson and Mrs S M Wray indicated that they would attend on behalf of the Committee.

xii)      Future Diary Dates

The Chairman confirmed two sessions for the Committee's attention, both of which would be held on the afternoons following the scheduled Committee meetings.

At 2.30pm on Wednesday 18 May 2016, the Committee would receive a briefing on the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) and Lincolnshire Health and Care (LHAC).

On Wednesday 15 June 2016, the Committee would receive training on the background to services and treatments for mental health from Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT).

As East Lindsey District Council would be holding their Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 18 May 2016, Councillor Mrs P F Watson indicated that both herself and Councillor S L W Palmer would not be in attendance for the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire.