Issue - meetings

Rebecca Sparks, Director Development and Partnerships; Michael Ridgwell, East Kent Primary Care Trust; Steve Phoenix, Chief Executive Officer and James Thallon, GP and Professional Executive Committee member for West Kent Primary Care Trust;

Lynne Selman, Director of Communications and Roger Pinnock, GP and Professional Executive Committee member for Eastern & Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust; Colette Glasson, Director of Communications, Heidi Shute, Community Cardiology Manager and Marion Dinwoodie, Chief Executive Officer for Medway Primary Care Trust

(Item 4 – Rebecca Sparks, Director Development and Partnerships, South East Coastal Strategic Health Authority; Steve Phoenix, Chief Executive, West Kent Primary Care Trust; Lynne Selman, Director of Communications and Dr Roger Pinnock, GP and Professional Executive Committee (PEC) member, Dr Robert Stewart, Medical Director, Eastern & Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust; Colette Glasson, Director of Communications, Heidi Shute, Community Cardiology Manager and Marion Dinwoodie, Chief Executive, Medway Primary Care Trust were in attendance for this item)

(1)       The Committee had among their papers a briefing note on commissioning.  It was recognised that there was not a concise definition of commissioning, since this term actually referred to a range of activities that had changed over time and were continuing to change as a result of major NHS reforms.  The briefing note referred to: the original NHS model; the internal market; commissioning and the new NHS; Payment by Results; patient choice; practice-based commissioning; the mixed economy of providers; the role of Foundation Trusts; expectations as regards PCTs undertaking commissioning and how that sat with practice-based commissioning and patient choice; how commissioning related to the reconfiguration of services; how commissioners could ensure access to services and tackle health inequalities.

(2)       Health colleagues then made a presentation to the Committee, which is attached as Appendix 2 to this set of minutes. 

Dental, Palliative and Respite Care

(3)       Following the presentation, Mr Godfrey Horne indicated that he liked the idea of the best care being available in the best place for the best value because he felt that it added meaning for the public and it was easier to understand.  He then asked a series of questions relating to how commissioning plans would improve services such as dental care, palliative care and respite care, recognising that there needed to be an holistic approach across the core agencies for delivering some of these services.  Mr Phoenix responded that there was an agreement between the Primary Care Trusts and local authorities that neither would take decisions that would impinge on, and place additional financial burdens on, the other side.  From a West Kent perspective, he said that there would be a review undertaken shortly on palliative care.  He acknowledged that dental-care provision was an issue across many parts of Kent and this was something that the Primary Care Trusts needed to tackle collectively. However, that work had not yet started. Marion Dinwoodie said that, in Medway, the Primary Care Trust ran the Wisdom Hospice; she actually had a surplus of hospice beds, because care in the community was working so well.

Patient Choice vis-à-vis Planned Hospital Care

(4)       Mr Phoenix said that there was clearly a possibility that Patient Choice would not deliver everything that was hoped.  He added that there might or might not be tensions between Choice and practice-based commissioning.  He said it was intended there would be a national set of standards, but the care pathways and the services offered would end up looking different in different areas.  He said that devolution often  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8