Issue - meetings

Report of joint topic group with Healthwatch Havering attached.

A director of Healthwatch Havering presented the report of the joint topic group on Delayed Referrals to Treatment. This summarised the finding and recommendation of a review that had been undertaken jointly between the Sub-Committee and Healthwatch.

The review had taken evidence from a number of key stakeholders including BHRUT, NELFT and Council officers. The principal recommendation of the review had been that BHRUT should adopt as more robust process in the migration of data. The review had also concluded that the CCG should look more closely at the position with delayed referrals to treatment and that GPs in particular should take a closer interest in the process of referrals of patients to hospital.

The report had now been approved by the Healthwatch board and the Sub-Committee Chairman thanked the Healthwatch director and the Clerk to the Sub-Committee for producing a very good report.

The Healthwatch director felt it was important that GPs considered how they dealt with future problems around referrals and that it was accepted by the NHS that the model of general practice in Havering needed an overhaul.

It was confirmed that all relevant health bodies were obliged to consider and respond to the report and that responses could be invited in order that they could be considered at the next meeting of the Sub-Committee. The Director of Public Health added that BHRUT had advised the Health and Wellbeing Board that the target of 92% of patients being seen within 18 weeks of referral would be reached by September 2017.

The report also made a recommendation regarding the integration of IT systems and the local CCGs were leading work on a road map to achieving this. The use of different IT systems and contracts had caused problems although most GPs in the local boroughs had now agreed to move towards the use of a common system – EMIS. In the long term, it was planned for there to be enough points of connectivity for information to be electronically shared. The Sub-Committee Chairman added that in areas such as Islington, all GPs pharmacies and patients were connected via a single on-line record and systems could be integrated.

It was AGREED that an update on the position with delayed referrals to treatment should be taken at the Sub-Committee in 2018.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Sub-Committee approve the Joint Topic Group report on Delayed Referrals to Treatment.

2.    That the Sub-Committee agree that the recommendations contained within the report should be referred to the relevant NHS organisation(s) for response.