2:40
30 minutes
Person responsible: Chief Executive, OCCG
Person giving report: Chief Executive, OCCG
There will be a verbal update on the draft submission to NHS England (HWB8).
Minutes:
David Smith, Chief Executive, Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, gave a verbal update on the draft submission of the Oxfordshire’s Sustainability & Transformation Plan 2016/17 to NHS England. He gave the update in two parts, the first being ongoing work across the ‘BOB’ (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire) footprint and the second, ongoing work specifically in Oxfordshire.
With regard to the ongoing work across the BOB footprint, he reported that the draft submission had now been submitted to NHS England and he was the lead. The main priorities at this level were:
(a) prevention – including the promoting of physical activity and the prevention of obesity;
(b) changes to Urgent Care across the system;
(c) capacity issues in maternity services; and
(d) specialised commissioning.
The STP leaders, chief executives of various organisations had raised a number of issues about the proposals that needed to be worked up, one of which was of governance and how the new structures would sit with Health & Wellbeing Boards across the BOB network. NHS allocation of new funding would be made across the BOB footprint and implications for local planning were unknown. A discussion then ensued about what the Board would aspire to in order to attain the most positive benefits and the merits of an enhanced prevention agenda was agreed.
In relation to the ongoing work specifically in Oxfordshire, David Smith referred to the ‘Big Conversation’ which had just been launched, which comprised 6 public engagement events in various locations. In parallel to this, the NHS was in the process of working up detailed plans for care closer to home and how to link in community pharmacies, Social Care and the voluntary sector. Following clearance by NHS England and Central Government, the Oxfordshire Transformation Plan (the local part of the STP) would be out for consultation in the early Autumn.
Dr McWilliam spoke about the merits of enhanced levels of a ‘transformation shift to prevention across all NHS services. This needed to be a core part of the plans at both Oxfordshire and STP level if the pressures on the NHS were to be reduced and people were to have better and longer lives. This had to include NHS initiatives to embed prevention in all patients contacts and would need changes in the system to enable GPs and others to have time to devote to talking to patients about preventing illness.
Other proposals likely to be in the consultation document would include enhanced levels of primary and community care closer to home, to prevent hospital admissions, which would enable GP surgeries, working as groups in a locality, to have access to technology and specialists. This would be supported by an agenda leading to the integration of social care and primary care. Building this up to suit the requirements of each location would require building based designs.
With regard to process, David Smith stated that as the above would be a significant change to services, the Oxfordshire Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) would need to be formally consulted. Implementation would depend on the consultation process and the decisions coming out of it. Any formal decisions would be taken by the OCCG Board in February 2017 and implementation would take place after that in the next financial year and would take 3 to 4 years. He warned that change was required, otherwise there would be a very large deficit.
In response to a question about plans for communication with residents in the localities, David Smith stated that every form of media communication would be used. District Councils would also be briefed. He added that HOSC was the only respondee who had the power to refer proposals to the Secretary of State via the Independent Review Panel.
Eddie Duller advised that the consultation should be in plain English, adding that the public tended to be concerned mainly with its own locality and family needs. Healthwatch Oxfordshire were doing their best to inform the public of the forthcoming consultation via their website.
James Drury advised that NHS England would need to sign off, as part of their NHS Service Reconfiguration Policy, stages 1 and 2 of the review.
The Board AGREED to note the report.