11.30

Updates on Elective Recovery Plans and BOB ICS Workforce and People Strategy

The Committee had received updates on

·       Elective Recovery Plans,

·       Midwifery Led Units,

·       BOB-ICS Workforce and People Strategy and

·       Re-opening of Temporarily Closed Specialties.

Sara Randall, Chief Operating Officer at Oxford University Hospitals, confirmed that the remaining specialties had reopened and they continued to work within BOB-ICS to manage the very long waiting lists.

Dr Alan Cohen asked for details of the waiting times for reopened specialties – in particular ENT and Ophthalmology – and how they were handling what must be an enormous surge of referrals.

Sara Randall responded that the overall waiting times were in the information pack but she could supply the specific information on those two.  She confirmed that there would not be any patients waiting more than two years by the end of March and the numbers waiting more than a year had been steadily reducing.  They had task and finish groups working on solutions across the BOB-ICS to ensure patients were seen in a timely way.  Advice and guidance was being provided to GPs.

Councillor Freddie van Mierlo asked if there was now a two tier system with those who can afford it going to the private sector and others having to wait.  He asked how many patients were leaving the waiting lists to be seen by the private sector.

Sara Randall responded that she could only speak for the NHS but referrals were being prioritised by urgency.  She would know how many people left waiting lists but would not necessarily know where they went.  She offered to get whatever information was available on that.

Councillor Nick Leverton gave an example where he had received a prompt service from an independent provider paid for by the NHS.  Sara Randall agreed it was an example of effective cooperation with the independent sector.

The Chair asked when the Committee could see the recovery plan currently being developed.  Sara Randall replied that there was an elective care board working on the issues on behalf of the ICS.  She would ask them to advise on when that would be ready to be seen by the Committee.

The Chair asked for more information on the reasoning for the temporary closures of some local maternity units and the levels of absences through sickness.  Sara Randall reported that the closures were being reviewed on a weekly basis.  It was due to safety concerns around staffing levels during the latest Covid surge.  It was a problem across the region and the country.  Overall the numbers out with Covid had reduced from a high of 600 to around 200.  She did not have figures for maternity but would get them for the Committee.

Councillor Damian Haywood asked about nursing recruitment rates. Sara Randall stated that international recruitment was going well but there were some particular areas of shortage.  She agreed to get data on that.

James Scott, People Strategy Programme Director, BOB-ICS, summarised the ICS People Plan that includes five programmes and multiple projects such as  recruitment, retention, apprenticeships and evaluation.

Councillor Damian Haywood asked what the local authority could do to help.  James Scott responded that it would be good to have some follow-up meetings on it.  There were gaps in the plan with regard to some social care and third-party services and the strategy was rather ‘trust-heavy’.  He offered to come back to the Committee when he had identified the gaps more clearly.

Barbara Shaw noted that there were a lot of abbreviations in the paper that many people would not understand.  She asked if it was possible to see the impact on Oxfordshire – not just across the BOB region.  James Scott agreed to provide that information and apologised that the paper had initially been intended for internal use.

Councillor Nick Leverton suggested that the council could help staff by ensuring they could have free parking on site at the various facilities.

James Scott also identified the cost of living in the BOB region as a difficulty and stated that a case was being put together to argue for a supplement similar to that operating in London.

Actions:

Sara Randall to provide information on

·       the waiting times for ENT and Ophthalmology;

·       the number of patients who have removed themselves from elective treatment waiting lists;

·       the new elective care access offer across the BOB footprint (the provider collaborative);

·       vacancy and sickness rates across midwifery;

·       nursing recruitment.

James Scott to

·       meet Members separately to explore workforce challenges across Oxfordshire/the NHS

·       provide information on impact in Oxfordshire