Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Adult Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/102

Contact: John Jackson, Director for Social & Community Services Tel: (01865)323574

Report by Director for Social & Community Services and Director of Public Health(CA6).

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUHT) was formed in November 2011 from the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust. 

OUHT is currently applying to become a Foundation Trust.  Foundation Trusts differ from other NHS Trusts in that they have a membership drawn from communities served by the Trust and the staff that work for it.  The membership elects a Council of Governors which is involved by the Trust’s Board of Directors in setting the future direction for the Trust.  Foundation Trusts have the freedom to respond to local needs, and through their public and staff membership they are able to reflect the concerns and wishes of their local population.  The government has said that all NHS Trusts must become Foundation Trusts by 2014.

The purpose of this report is to set out the possible issues relevant to the application so that the Cabinet can express a view to both the Board of OUHT and also the Strategic Health Authority.  This paper reflects discussions with both the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group and the OUHT.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to support the application of Oxford University Hospitals Trust to become a Foundation Trust on the basis that it is committed to the following principles:

(a)               Commitment to the highest standards of medical and nursing services for both secondary and tertiary care.  This includes ensuring that frail older people are treated with dignity and respect in accordance with the standards set by the Commission on Dignity in Care for Older People.

(b)              Continued and strengthened commitment to working in partnership with the rest of the NHS, local government and other partners to deliver the most effective and efficient ways of meeting the care needs of the people of Oxfordshire.

(c)               Actively supporting the move to providing more care within the community rather than in a hospital setting as part of a broader commitment to the local delivery of services.

(d)              Actively supporting developments which prevent people from needing care or limiting the extent to which they might need care.

(e)              Commitment to the continued existence of the Horton hospital providing district general hospital services to the people of north Oxfordshire.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUHT) was formed in November 2011 from the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust. 

OUHT is currently applying to become a Foundation Trust.  Foundation Trusts differ from other NHS Trusts in that they have a membership drawn from communities served by the Trust and the staff that work for it.  The membership elects a Council of Governors which is involved by the Trust’s Board of Directors in setting the future direction for the Trust.  Foundation Trusts have the freedom to respond to local needs, and through their public and staff membership they are able to reflect the concerns and wishes of their local population.  The government has said that all NHS Trusts must become Foundation Trusts by 2014.

Cabinet considered a report that set out the possible issues relevant to the application by Oxford University Hospital Trust (OUHT) to become a Foundation Trust so that the Cabinet could express a view to both the Board of OUHT and also the Strategic Health Authority.  The paper reflected discussions with both the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) and the OUHT.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Shadow Cabinet Member for Adult Services commended the full discussion held at the Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting a note of which was before Cabinet. Her main concern was that the focus on specialist services should not be to the detriment of more mundane general care including for the elderly and she gave an example of cataract operations. Communication was also a worry and she gave an example relating to midwifery services generally and the service in Wantage specifically where she had received conflicting information.

Councillor Jim Couchman, Chairman of Adult Services Scrutiny Committee, advised that he had attended one of the consultation meetings and had also been at the Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting. He sought clarity and assurances that the basic services would remain a principal role of the Foundation Trust. He also sought assurances that the OUHT would meet the financial tests for Foundation Trust status and would not be undermined by the existing PFI deals. He further hoped that there was a robust future for The Horton Hospital and that it would continue to improve.

Sir Jonathan Michael and Andrew Steven from OUHT and Ian Busby and Mary Keenan from OCCG were invited to the table.

John Jackson, Director for Social & Community Services in introducing the report explained the national context for the application, and highlighted the factors that needed to be taken into account to build a successful Foundation Trust in the eyes of the people of Oxfordshire. He noted that Sir Jonathan Mitchell had committed the Trust to the successful delivery of these issues and further noted the useful discussion that had been held with OCCG.

Issues highlighted included the concern mentioned above that specialist work receives greater attention than more routine District General Hospital work which more closely affects the people of Oxfordshire; the importance of maintaining the highest  ...  view the full minutes text for item 110