Joint Service Review - The Future Configuration of Acute Services in Worcestershire
(Chris Fearns, the JSR Project Director and Director of Strategy for Worcestershire Acute Health Trust will attend with Rose Johnson, Associate Medical Director and A&E Consultant.)
Minutes:
The Board received a presentation in respect of the Worcestershire NHS Joint Services Review, Worcestershire hospitals – fit for tomorrow, from representatives of Worcestershire Acute Health Trust (WAHT). Members were reminded that a number of pre-prepared questions had been forwarded to WAHT. The presentation was an overview on the case for change of the Joint Services Review and provided information on the models of care which were currently being developed together with details of the project’s planned timetable and any associated governance issues in relation to it. Members were informed that this was a joint review between the commissioners, NHS Worcestershire and the Acute Hospital, which commenced in March 2012 with the aim of a final business case being prepared by January/February 2013. The review was for the whole of WAHT’s services which operated from 3 sites plus 4 community hospitals.
It was a clinically led review and covered 4 work streams, Women and Children, Emergency Care, Elective Care (planned care) and Elderly Care. Representatives from each of these work streams had been involved from primary care and secondary care, together with clinicians from a whole range across the community including ambulance services, nursing and general practitioners. The Models of care, which had been identified and which were explained in detail to Members, would then be appraised in order to assess which should be put forward as final options. It was emphasised that, in all the Models identified, outpatients, diagnostics and primary care facilities would be maintained and provided exactly as they were at the moment in all parts of the County. The Models were focused on the acute in-patient or emergency admission type of work.
The evaluation framework was explained to Members in detail, together with the non financial and financial criteria and weightings that would be considered when creating the shortlist of options which would be included in the final consultation. It was stressed that this was a clinically led and patient centred review and every opportunity was being taken to involve the public in the engagement process. There would be continued external scrutiny through the Worcestershire County Council Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the National Clinical Assessment Board and Stakeholder Reference Board. Details of the revised project timetable were provided together with details of the governance arrangements, accountability and decision making process which would be followed in order to reach the formal public consultation stage in Autumn 2012.
(A copy of the presentation is attached at Appendix 1 for information.)
The representatives in attendance were:
Christine Fearns – Joint Service Review Project Director
Dr. Angus Thompson – Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Clinical Director for Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Dr. Anthony Kelly – General Practitioner from Droitwich.
The Board discussed the following areas in detail and the representatives from WAHT responded to questions: