Agenda and minutes

Mr R Brookbank proposed and Mrs A Allen seconded that Mr M Angell be elected Vice-Chairman.

Carried unanimously.

(a)       Mr Nick Chard declared a personal interest in the Agenda as a Non-Executive Director of Health Watch Kent.

(b)       Councillor Michael Lyons declared a personal interest in the Agenda as a Governor of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 8 March 2013 are correctly recorded and that they be signed by the Chairman.

Liz Shutler (Director of Strategic Development and Capital Planning, East Kent Hospitals NHS University Foundation Trust), Marion Clayton (Divisional Director, Clinical Support Services, East Kent Hospitals NHS University Foundation Trust), Rachel Jones (Divisional Director, Surgical Services, East Kent Hospitals NHS University Foundation Trust), and Felicity Cox (Kent and Medway Area Director, NHS England) were in attendance for this item.

(a)       The Chairman welcomed the Committee’s guests who then explained that they would be delivering a presentation covering three areas (see Appendix). Although representatives from East Kent Hospitals NHS University Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) had attended HOSC meetings in the past to discuss their clinical strategy, the first part of the presentation would provide some background as there were a number of Members new to the Committee. The other parts of the presentation would focus on two areas, the outpatients’ strategy and options for breast surgery.

(b)       By way of background it was explained that EKHUFT was a good Trust but that it still aimed to improve and deliver sustainable, efficient, services. The Trust was looking to boost outcomes as well as improve facilities and ensure they were fit for purpose. There were four workstreams: emergency care; planned care including general surgery and breast surgery; outpatients care; and trauma. Real progress had been made in outpatients’ care and breast surgery.

(c)        Beginning with the outpatients’ strategy, it was explained that the clinical strategy aimed to make sure patients saw the right person at the right time in the right place. Currently services were delivered across more than 20 sites. Much of the estate the services were delivered from was substandard and only a limited range of services were available. The plan was for outpatient services to be consolidated across 6 sites. These would be ‘One Stop’ services where the results of diagnostic tests would be available on the same day and patients would have a treatment plan agreed before they left. Where the appointment was for a surgical assessment, a day for surgery would be agreed before the patient left. This would reduce the need for follow up and return appointments. These services would be open longer hours than the normal 9-5 now and would open from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week. Members questioned the detail of how this would work and whether it would involve spending a whole day at one site. It was explained that the expectation was for patients to have to attend for 2-3 hours at most. Many diagnostic tests could produce results quickly or even immediately. This would not be the case in every instance, so there would be occasions when patients would need to return.

(d)       It was further explained that a full booking service was introduced in January. This meant an appointment time was negotiated with the patient and this result in a drop of those who did not attend their appointments (DNAs) of 10% to 6.9%. The average waiting time had reduced from 8 to 6 weeks as waiting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.