Members of the public who wish to speak at this meeting can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection.
To facilitate ‘hybrid’ meetings we are asking that requests to speak or present a petition are submitted by no later than 9am four working days before the meeting i.e., 9am on Friday 17 November. Requests to speak should be sent to omid.nouri@oxfordshire.gov.uk and scrutiny@oxfordshire.gov.uk
If you are speaking ‘virtually’, you may submit a written statement of your presentation to ensure that your views are taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9am 2 working days before the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.
Minutes:
The Chair invited the registered speakers to address the
Committee.
1.
Statement by Cllr Stefan Gawrysiak
Cllr Gawrysiak highlighted that in December, 7 short stay
Hub beds (SSHB) were being removed from Chiltern Court Henley on the Townlands
health Campus. This was part of a reduction across the county from 97 SSHB to
63. A further cut to 40 was to happen in April and that this removal by OCC had
been done without any consultation with GPs and the local community. These beds
were currently fully occupied and were supervised by the Bell and Hart
Surgeries.
This meant that the whole of South Oxfordshire was without
any SSHB. South Oxfordshire comprises 140,000 residents. These were not Henley
beds, these were beds that served postcodes RG9, RG4, OX10, OX9 and OX39.
A frail elderly person, with frail elderly relatives who was
discharged from the Royal Berkshire Hospital would be placed in a care homes
20miles and a 2hr Bus journey away. This could not be good for their recovery.
Cllr Gawrysiak highlighted that all local GP’s
were against this because the burden would fall on them. Also, it was to be
noted:
Ø
that even though they run the service they had
not been consulted.
Ø
Henley Town Council, Patient Groups as well as
himself (Cllr Gawrysiak) as County Councillor had not been consulted.
Cllr Gawrysiak concluded by asking HOSC to investigate and
ask the following questions:
2. Statement
by Henley Town Council Cllr Ian Reissmann:
Cllr Reissmann outlined that he was speaking in his capacity
as Chair of the Townlands Steering Group; a community-based committee which
invited a wide range of community representatives including 15 Parish Councils
from the South of Oxfordshire. The group had also been active for 20 years in
the subject of health and social care, and had met a
week prior to the HOSC meeting to discuss the closure of the SSHB in Henley.
Cllr Reissmann shared Cllr Gawrysiak’s concerns
outlined in the previous public statement, and that he was concerned that the
determining factor behind the closure of the beds may be cost-driven as opposed
to being based on patient need. It also seemed inappropriate that South
Oxfordshire, which had a population of 140,000 residents, would have no SSHB.
Cllr Reissmann also expressed concern regarding the ways in which the care
pathways would work under the proposed reductions of SSHB. The GPs had
clarified that they provided the care for the patients occupying the SSHB, and
that these beds were fully utilised. Cllr Reissmann added that he had been
informed that the beds had only been occupied by patients who experienced
delays in being discharged home by Adult Social Care due to capacity issues.
However, not all patients that occupied these beds were
doing so specifically for that reason alone. In order for
the community, patients, as well as GPs to be reassured, there would have to be
confirmation on the figures around the usage of these beds over the last 2
years.
Cllr Reissmann also stated that the lack of public
engagement with the community over the closure of the beds had also been a
cause of concern amongst residents as well as GPs. Cllr Reissmann also called
for the deferral of the closure of the SSHB in Henley pending satisfactory
levels of community engagement.
The Health Scrutiny Officer made a statement highlighting
that at the point in time of the meeting, the Committee was not in a position to declare the closure of the SSHB as a
Substantial Change for two reasons:
1. The
current guidance around declaring Substantial Changes indicated that such
declarations could only be made over NHS services, and not on services that may
be exclusively commissioned by a County Council.
2. If
it was determined that prior to commissioning these beds, the intent was for
these to be interim and not permanent beds, then declaring their closure as a
Substantial Change would not be appropriate.
However, the Health Scrutiny Officer outlined that this did
not mean that HOSC did not have the prerogative to scrutinise such closures and
to examine the impacts of such closures on local residents.
The Chair outlined that the Committee will be looking into
this matter of the closure of the SSHB further, and that a decision on how to
proceed would be made in the Chair’s update item.
3. Statement
by Vale of the White Horse District Council Cllr Dr Debra Dewhurst:
Cllr Dewhurst explained that Cllr Hayleigh Gascoigne and
herself were the Vale of White Horse District Councillors for Blewbury and
Harwell – which covered the parishes of Blewbury, Harwell, Chilton, Upton and the newly formed parish Western Valley (the Vale
portion of Great Western Park).
Cllr Dewhurst raised the issue of Primary Care provision in
Didcot and the surrounding area, in particular the planned GP practice for
Great Western Park (GWP). It was explained that this was an important issue for
their residents and one that was brought up with them regularly. All health
centres and GP surgeries in the Didcot area were currently oversubscribed and
many had closed their books to new patients. With 4000 new homes due to be
built in the area imminently, this was a problem that needed to be solved
urgently.
Cllr Dewhurst further explained that the ICB had delegated
powers from NHS England to be the commissioner of Primary Care Services in Oxfordshire.
Consequently, the ICB was charged under these delegated powers to ensure
appropriate primary medical services were available across Oxfordshire. The ICB
therefore oversaw these Primary Care Services and, as the reimbursing body of
Primary Care estate rent, effectively decided which premises those services
operate from.
A site of 0.2 hectares within the GWP District Centre,
currently owned by Taylor Wimpey, had been set aside for primary care provision
in the GWP S106 Agreement dated 18 July 2008, together with a health centre
financial contribution; but the site was still currently empty/derelict. Cllr
Dewhurst added that the S106 was in place to improve infrastructure to mitigate
the impact of the development and yet the GWP estate had been fully occupied
for some time, adding some 6000-7000 additional residents. Cllr Dewhurst
explained that they were aware that the Vale of White Horse District Council
was working with Taylor Wimpey and the ICB to have the land and the money
transferred to the ICB and to modify the S106 agreement.
Cllr Dewhurst outlined that given the urgent nature of
primary healthcare provision in the Didcot area, was there anything holding up
this process? It was also enquired as to what the timescales were for having a
health centre on GWP. As with all S106 agreements, the money available was time-limited. It was urged that residents were to be given
reassurance that this much needed health centre would be built. It was also
asked as to what the next step in the process was?
Cllr Dewhurst concluded by stating that they all wanted to see the GP surgery
being built and put to use as soon as possible.
The Committee Chair highlighted that the issue of capital
and builds for Primary Care estates was something that the Committee was
concerned about, and referred to a Primary Care
Workshop that the Committee had previously held, where the Didcot Estate was
the case study that was actuality utilised given the particular scenario Didcot
was facing. The Chair also referred to the agenda papers for this meeting which
contained a letter with recommendations on Primary Care that was submitted to
the Secretary of State for Health. It was also highlighted that recommendations
around some of the aforementioned challenges had been
made by the Committee to the ICB previously.
The BOB ICB Oxfordshire Place Director highlighted that the
Didcot project was progressing, and that the ICB were working with Local
Authorities as well as Primary Care at the local level. Delays had been around
affordability, where the ICB had to approve the Value for Money, as it had to
go above the District Valuer amount for rental agreements. It was emphasised
that a detailed response was to be provided to the Parish.
The Committee urged for a timely resolution on the district
valuation, given the urgency of need in the Didcot area.