Agenda item

Mr D Shortt, CHEK, Mrs L Selman, Director of Citizen Engagement, Dr R Stewart, Medical Director, Dr J Ribchester and Ms A Sutton, Chief Executive, Eastern & Coastal Kent PCT and Mr M Kershaw, Chief Operating Officer and Ms E Shutler, Director of Strategic Development, East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust will be in attendance for this item.

(Mr D Shortt, CHEK, Dr R Stewart, Medical Director and Dr J Ribchester, Professional Executive Committee Member, Eastern & Coastal Kent PCT, Mr M Kershaw, Chief Operating Officer and Ms E Shutler, Director of Strategic Development, East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust and Mr J Pearce, Centres of Clinical Excellence were in attendance for this item)

(1)       Dr Stewart informed the Committee that the proposed development of a Polyclinic at Whitstable was a response to the Government White Paper on Our Health, Our Care, Our Say a new direction for community services published by the Department of Health in January 2006.  This document sets out the agenda for providing NHS care “closer to home”.

(2)       Dr Stewart said GPs were responding to this Government policy and what would be presented to the Committee by Dr Ribchester was a proposal for the provision of services more locally.  This work was evidence-based.

(3)       He added that Primary Care Trusts were working collaboratively with the East Kent Hospital’s Trust on this current policy.  Dr Stewart concluded by saying that there should be more investment in services locally.  The proposals that were to be presented by Dr Ribchester did not yet have the formal approval of the Eastern and Coastal Primary Care Trust.  Dr Ribchester of the Whitstable Medical Practice and Jonathan Pearce of the Centres of Clinical Excellence then made a presentation to the Committee on the proposal to open a new GP surgery at Wraik Hill, Seasalter, co located with a community pharmacy, an NHS ambulance response-base and a surgical polyclinic.

(4)       A copy of Dr Ribchester’s presentation is attached as Appendix 1 to these Minutes.

(5)       Mr Kershaw, on behalf of the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, said that a vast amount of what Dr Ribchester was proposing was uncontentious.  However, it was proposed that some surgical services would be provided at the polyclinic and this would have potential implications for services provided by the East Kent Hospitals Trust at Canterbury and Margate.  Mr Kershaw acknowledged that what was being proposed at Wraik Hill, Whitstable was linked to the national agenda.  However, it was important that preparatory work was done in collaboration to ensure that all health services were viable. 

(6)       Ms Shutler added that it was important that the Primary Care Trust, the East Kent Hospitals Trust and other partners worked together to do some joint modelling to ensure that the implications of this additional capacity in a polyclinic were being fully taken into account. 

(7)       A document produced by Centres of Clinical Excellence, entitled “Our Credo”, was tabled at the meeting.

(8)       Members of the Committee, local Kent County Council members, Canterbury City Councillors, local Patient and Public Involvement Fora representatives and others then asked a range of questions. 

(9)       Regarding whether the cost of the service to be provided by Centres of Clinical Excellence at the polyclinic would be cheaper than the NHS national tariff, the response was that the service would be delivered at NHS tariff prices.  The Committee was informed that what was being proposed was not unique.  Other private companies, such as Asda, Sainsburys, Virgin and UnitedHealth Europe, were also looking to provide NHS services.

(10)     The Committee was told that the polyclinic proposal would rely on the use of local consultants who were currently working for the East Kent Hospitals Trust. This would be an advantage for patients because of the local knowledge of the clinicians.

(11)     It was evident from the questions raised that there were a number of people that were fully supportive of the proposal for a polyclinic at Wraik Hill, Whitstable – but others needed further reassurance.

(12)     A number of those persons present spoke about the role of Centres of Clinical Excellence in the proposals. The view was expressed that they would only be involved because they were a “profit-making body”.

(13)     There was a general acknowledgement that the proposal was in an area of new development and would be a facility that would be required.  However, it was equally important that the joint modelling proposed by Ms Shutler was undertaken by the Primary Care Trust, East Kent Hospitals Trust, Centres of Clinical Excellence and the Whitstable Medical Practice to ensure that the proposal did not destabilise other health services.

(14)     Mrs Walker, on behalf of the PCT Patient and Public Involvement Forum locality group, said that, from the patient–user point of view, she was very supportive of the proposal. She saw that there was a distinct advantage in the proposal for the whole area – and especially for the residents in the immediate vicinity of the polyclinic, because it would cut down travel time to other facilities.  Mrs Walker concluded that the project was innovative and should be welcomed. 

RESOLVED:-

a)             that the development of a polyclinic at Whitstable be kept under review; and

b)             that the Committee welcome the proposed joint modelling by all the partners on the proposed project so that a reassessment of the project proposals could be reviewed before decisions were taken.