Agenda item

10:50

The Committee will receive an update (JHO7) on progress in relation to the Review of Local Health Needs, including any possible revisions to condense the timescale for a decision, as requested at the last meeting.

Maggie Swain cited a research paper undertaken by the University of Birmingham entitled ‘Analysis of the profile, characteristics of patient experience and community value of community hopes’ 2019 which echoed the patient experience of those living in the OX12 area. In this document people had stated that it felt different to be a patient in a community hospital than elsewhere. This was due to the environment and the atmosphere. It had found that patients received a holistic and personalised approach to care, together with a different patient experience of staff care. She also referred to the Save Wantage Hospital Campaign’s Facebook request for accounts of patient experiences. A large response had emerged regarding the physiotherapy services provided by Healthshare, mainly focusing on travel difficulties for many patients journeying from Wantage to East Oxford and Bicester. She also highlighted problems experienced by patients leaving hospital being placed in care homes a long distance away from Wantage. She concluded by appealing to Health to carry out the repairs to Wantage Hospital so that people could receive their care in their own home town.

Julie Mabberly asked for an update on action in relation to the time frame presented by the CCG on Wantage Hospital at the September and November meetings of this Committee – and, furthermore, that it be presented in a professional manner. She circulated a chart which indicated that some of the promised actions were late. She stated that the campaign group had no confidence that the project would be brought to fruition. She also complained that the Terms of Reference for the project did not include representation from the Campaign Group.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby called for a wider vision to the project, to include all localities in the south of Oxfordshire. It was her view that the CCG was not progressing very quickly on the Wantage Hospital project. She pointed out that Wantage Hospital had not been included within the consultation under scrutiny at this meeting and this was not the correct manner in which to approach it, time had been lost. She urged the Committee to use its powers to refer the Wantage Hospital to the Secretary of State for Health.

Councillor Jane Hanna, commenting on this item and the next, made reference to the statement that there would be ‘a consistent approach to health care across Oxfordshire and wider innovative progress.’ She had found it difficult to see how the issue of governance and the experience of residents in the Wantage and Grove area connected with the work of the Integrated System Delivery Board (ISDB) and Government initiative. She asked where the funding would come from to fund a world class service, as expected. In her view, there was no transparency of funding contained within the local plan and decision making of the ISDB was not in the public domain. It demonstrated that local members had been excluded and not even given the opportunity to observe. She called for equity with health, and public scrutiny of decision making.

Dr Ruddle stated that the CCG had met with Wantage representatives on 19 December, and also on 13 February 2019 via their Stakeholder Reference Group. He asked if Councillors Hanna and Hannaby had been actively included and had engaged with both these meetings. Councillor Hanna responded that she had attended both meetings but could not be in agreement of what had been stated there, as there had been insufficient clarity. Councillor Monica Lovatt reminded them that she was both the Chairman of the Vale of White Horse District Council and the district council representative on this Committee, and that they could speak to her also. The Chairman observed that the Task & Finish Group had parity with the Horton HOSC, but the latter, by its very nature of its involvement with the IRP, was taking longer to reach its goal. The need for brevity was the reason why it had been decided that the best way forward for Wantage Hospital was via a Task & Finish Group.

The Chairman welcomed Catherine Mountford, Dr Kiren Collison and Jo Cogswell (OCCG) and Pete McGrane (Oxford Health Foundation Trust) to the meeting.

Jo Cogswell took the Committee through the key highlights of the report with regard to progress made with regard to Wantage Hospital. She reported that at the next meeting of the Stakeholders Group there would a test made of the timetable to ensure that there was transparency and meaningful engagement. She apologised if people felt that insufficient progress had been made in the direction they wished it to proceed, but stated that if it was executed faster, important aspects may have been missed. She added also that a response to the issues identified at the meetings, ie, that of GP services would be given in the near future. Furthermore, the CCG had been working hard behind the scenes with Oxford Health to address the requests made by the local community to reinstate the Physiotherapy services. She reported that a decision had been made to reinstate these services. Moreover, an update on this decision would be provided as soon as practically possible. Jo Cogswell also commented that CCG recognised the importance of elected members and this had been recognised within the membership of the Stakeholder Reference Group.

The Chairman expressed the Committee’s appreciation for the amount of work which had taken place in this field. But, nine weeks on from the November meeting of this Committee at which this had been considered, he wondered if sufficient priority was being given to moving things forward in relation to the Hospital. Jo Cogswell assured the committee that a significant amount of work was taking place on the research side in relation to the population groups and health and social care need, and on how to draw out relevant information and best practice. Dr Collison was leading a group of clinicians, and knowledge from the Stakeholder Group was part of it. In response to questions from the Chairman, she gave her reassurance that this work would be completed by the May/June deadline.

In response to a question about how purdah might affect this deadline, Catherine Mountford reported that NHS England had taken Cabinet Office guidance which had been issued to the NHS. She undertook to forward the links to this to members of the Committee. She reassured the Committee that work would be ongoing during the purdah period. In response to a request for a commitment in relation to this, Catherine Mountford stated her expectation that the CCG would be in a period for developing options for the future provision of services in April/May/June. She added that the CCG would also still be in the engagement phase, unless a decision had already been taken. There was therefore an expectation that they should be able to proceed.

Dr Ruddle informed the meeting that a draft paper for engagement with the plan would be presented to the Stakeholders Reference Group which was due to meet the following week. He made an appeal to the CCG for a clear and realistic approach to be followed, as there had been a three - month delay. He added that the Task and Finish Group was a scrutiny body, and the project was in need of a project manager and it also required an elected member. He reminded the Committee that this was meant to be a co-produced, local approach and needed clarity.

Jo Cogswell responded that Libby Furness, OCCG, was the project manager whose latest work was on the Older People’s Strategy. She added that, on the face of it, some of the deliverables had slipped, but two informal meetings with representatives of the system had taken place. The CCG had  looked at the demographics of the area – and had given some thought about how to ensure that the Stakeholder Reference Group genuinely represented all. Contained within the reference group were representatives from partner groups who would support the shaping of how it could be sure to represent the community as the project moved forward. Resources had been set aside to advance this work at a pace.

Jo Cogswell was asked when there would be a decision about services provision in Wantage. She responded that there were other issues in Wantage which needed to be addressed and evidence of need gathered, but that she could confirm that MSK services would be commenced again from Wantage Community Hospital site. Councillor Lovatt commented that having MSK services at Wantage Hospital would be very helpful. Members of the Committee asked whether there would be the same number of plinths as there were before? Would the Vale area get the same number of plinths as before? And were services returning to Abingdon Hospital also?

Jo Cogswell responded that some facilities were available within the Vale area, but it had to be equitable within the county. Jo Cogswell agreed to respond on all the above issues.

It was AGREED to:

(a)  to thank all for attending; and

(b)  that the Chairman would write to NHS England to ask that it did everything in its power to assist in a quick resolution to this issue.