To receive a presentation from the Chief Operating Officer, Havering Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) on the priorities and plans of the CCG.
Minutes:
It was confirmed that the Havering Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) was now fully authorised although, in common with many CCGs, there were some conditions on the authorisation in areas such as financial planning. The overall aim of the CCG was to improve services and outcomes for local people and communities. Specifically, the CCG was responsible for holding secondary care or hospital providers to account as well as providers of community and mental health services. While GP contracts were now with NHS England, the CCG also had responsibility for improving primary care. The CCG was also a member of the Health and Wellbeing Board which brought all partners together to check that their work fitted with overall strategies.
The CCG was made up of all Havering GP practices and had a formal governance structure. This included lay members representing audit and patient & public involvement. A secondary care consultant and a nurse were also members of the CCG Board, as well as GPs themselves. The CCG clinical directors were elected by the Havering GP practices.
The CCG could be scrutinised by each of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, NHS England and Healthwatch Havering. All meetings of the CCG Board were minuted and held in public. For meetings from 1 April 2013, minutes would be available on the CCG website.
The CCG worked closely with its equivalent organisations covering Redbridge and Barking & Dagenham. Havering CCG took the lead on monitoring the contract with BHRUT. Havering CCG had developed its commissioning strategic plan following a process of engagement with patient representative groups. The CCG also had a number of different priorities including the improvement of General Practice, addressing emergency and integrated care and building effective partnerships. The work of the CCG was also closely aligned with the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
Members were concerned that the CCG plans as presented were too generic, feeling in particular that GP surgeries should be open longer hours and that the current under use of some medical facilities should be addressed. The CCG chief operating officer confirmed that there were plans being developed to make more use of existing facilities. In the longer term, the CCG wished to see more services provided in the community or in people’s homes which was also often a cheaper option. Evening GP sessions would be introduced and the CCG was also in discussion with its members about opening some GP surgeries at weekends.
The chief operating officer agreed that the use of facilities in Havering needed to be addressed and a primary care investment strategy was being developed. The CCG wished to engage with patients and the public on these plans. As regards GP access, the CCG was looking at disseminating good practice and accepted that GP access was a major issue. Members agreed, feeling that the GP should be people’s first point of contact and that out of hours availability was therefore vital.
Other issues raised by Members including the need for more chiropody services in the community, particularly in the light of patients from Cranham now having to travel to South Hornchurch for chiropody services. The CCG officers agreed that services such as the removal of stitches should be offered by GPs.
GP outcomes were measured by a series of GP Outcomes Standards that were available on-line. A comparison of local GPs was also available via the My Health London website and CCG officers would supply further details.
The decision to consult on developing a centre of excellence at the St. George’s Hospital site was driven by the elderly nature of the local population. There would however also be other sources of treatment for local elderly people. The consultation was only on the overall principles of the development at this stage although a Member felt that it was unclear where the St. George’s proposals fitted into the wider CCG plans.
The CCG chief operating officer also wished to see an enhanced GP service at St. George’s and would look at comments made about this during the consultation. Some Members felt that the consultation had been inconsistent with little meaning although the Chairman and other Members disagreed with this. The chief operating officer agreed to come back to the Committee after the conclusion of the consultation with further details of the proposals.
Members also felt that the rising elderly population of the borough should be taken into account as should local transport issues.
The Committee noted the update.