Issue - meetings

Rose Gibb, Chief Executive, Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and Steve Phoenix, Chief Executive, West Kent PCT will be in attendance for this item.

(Ms R Gibb, Chief Executive, Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and Mr S Phoenix, Chief Executive of West Kent PCT were in attendance for this item)

(1)       Mr Phoenix and Ms Gibb were accompanied by some consultants from Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, Mr J Webb, Clinical Director – Emergency Services and Critical Care, Mr P Skinner, Clinical Director – Orthopaedics and Mr P Bentley, Clinical Director – Surgery.

(2)       Mr Angell raised a number of questions with Ms Gibb relating to:-

a)      whether the calculations regarding the proposed reconfiguration took into account fully the growth in population, the ageing of the population and the growing number of overweight people;

b)      what guarantee could be given as to whether the proposed reconfiguration would actually happen; and

c)      whether she could guarantee that there would continue to be a quality Accident & Emergency (A&E) department at Maidstone.

(3)       Ms Gibb responded that the Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust had given due consideration to all the demographic factors.  She said that the anticipated population growth was sufficient to affect primary care but not great enough to affect planning for hospital services.

(4)       She said that the changes could be concluded by December 2007/January 2008 if the NHS Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed them. The Trust had the necessary finances and project infrastructure ready.  It was imperative that the core of services must be sustainable and appropriate, otherwise the Trust would be unable to guarantee the quality and range of services.  Finally, Ms Gibb concluded in response to Mr Angell’s questions that they did not know how health policy and technology would change in the future but what was clear was that we could anticipate continual change.

(5)       Mr Skinner, Clinical Director – Orthopaedics, added that all orthopaedic surgeons believed in the separation of elective and emergency orthopaedic care and a concentration of elective surgery at one location.

(6)       It was important that there was a dedicated surgical team who could operate on emergency cases without distractions.  Mr Webb, Clinical Director – Emergency Services and Critical Care, informed the Committee of an A&E middle-grade vacancy where recently there had been just one suitable applicant.

(7)       He said that the Trust were very supportive, both practically and financially.  Mr Webb informed the Committee that he had two Specialist Registrars based solely at Maidstone and four middle-grade staff at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells. The nurse-provider service had been expanded at both locations.  F1 and F2 staff (i.e. Housemen) were on duty overnight in A&E.  He said that a 24-hour middle-grade rota at the Kent & Sussex Hospital, Tunbridge Wells would be a significant advancement.  He said that the model being proposed of an integrated physician/general practitioner/nurse practitioner team with junior doctor support at Maidstone would also be a step forward.  Mr Phoenix referred the Committee to the West Kent Primary Care Trust Board decision of 15 March 2007, which had attached conditions to the proposed reconfiguration.  Significant checks and balances had been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24