Agenda item

Bill Miller (Chief Operating Officer, NHS Ashford CCG & NHS Canterbury & Coastal CCG), Andrew Bowles (Leader of Swale Borough Council and KCC Member for Swale East) and Tom Gates (KCC Member for Faversham) were in attendance for this item.

(1)       The Chairman welcomed Mr Miller to the Committee and asked him to introduce the item. Mr Miller began by outlining the key points in the NHS Canterbury & Coastal CCG paper. Since discussions with HOSC in November 2013, the CCG had worked with the local community through a steering group to explore alternative ways of delivering services at the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU). The recommendations of the steering group were supported by the CCG at its governing body meeting in June. The CCG was in discussions with providers to deliver the new service specification. The specification included direct access x-ray to enable more patients to be seen and treated which was more attractive to providers. The CCG was grateful for the support of the local community and the current provider IC24. The new service would commence in April 2015.

(2)       The Chairman invited the local Members, Mr Bowles and Mr Gates, to speak. Mr Bowles explained that the local community was pleased with the outcome. He hoped that a provider would be found to deliver the services. He was grateful to the CCG for listening but expressed concern about how close the MIU had been to shutting. He thanked the Committee for their intervention and sincere support. In addition, he thanked the Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Health at Swale Borough Council and the Mayor of Faversham.

(3)       Mr Gates thanked the Committee, Chairman and staff for keeping him informed and updated. He was grateful to the Committee for their hard work in preventing the MIU’s closure. He supported the new specification but enquired if the x-ray activity could be increased in the future.

(4)       Mr Miller responded to the comments made by local Members. He explained that in Faversham a community network had been developed with local people and the CCG. The network had stimulated discussion and enabled future services to be planned collaboratively with the local community. The CCG was hoping to develop similar networks across the Ashford and Canterbury & Coastal areas. In regards to the extension of x-ray services in the future, it was explained that additional services would be dependent on demand from patients.

(5)       A Member highlighted the positive impact the Committee had. The importance of communication with the local community was stressed. A comment was made about contract specification; CCGs were encouraged to ask KCC if they required assistance with contract writing and monitoring.

(6)       Mr Inett was invited to speak about the report submitted by Healthwatch Kent. He explained that Healthwatch had powers to conduct ‘Enter and View’ visits. Healthwatch Kent had attended the steering group meetings and wanted to gain additional insight by visiting the MIU. The visit was conducted on Saturday 31 May during the MIU’s busiest time. The staff had been very welcoming and it was a positive experience. Minor recommendations were made and were fed into the steering group’s specification in particular raising awareness of the unit and the services it covered. Mr Miller confirmed that greater communication and awareness of the unit was key for the new service specification.

(7)       RESOLVED that Mr Miller be thanked for his attendance at the meeting, and that the CCG be requested to take note of the comments made by Members during the meeting and that the Committee is kept informed with progress.