Agenda item

1.    Mr Doyle (Chief Executive, NHS Kent and Medway) introduced himself as the newly appointed Chief Executive of NHS Kent and Medway. He said that the report provided an outline of the current challenges and opportunities facing the local health and care system.

2.    Kent and Medway faced significant operational and financial pressures, including a large system deficit, long waiting lists and marked health inequalities. In response, the ICB had launched a comprehensive Reset, Recovery and Transformation Programme which was underpinned by a System Improvement Plan focused on neighbourhood transformation, acute service reconfiguration, strategic commissioning, leadership and culture, digital innovation, and financial recovery.

3.    The NHS 10-Year Plan was a national document which set out the government’s vision for the future of health and care in England. Its aim was to respond to rising demand, widening health inequalities and financial pressures by committing to a fundamental transformation of how services were delivered. The Plan also set the context in which all ICBs and other health bodies had to operate.

4.    The Plan included three main shifts.

a)    Care would move out of hospitals and into communities. Instead of relying on large acute centres for most services, the future model provided for neighbourhood health hubs to become the focal point for care.

b)    A greater use of digital technology by the NHS as a core part of everyday care. NHS App would become the main gateway for patients, offering everything from appointment booking to prescription management.

c)    A shift in focus from treating sickness to prevention.

5.    The NHS 10-Year Plan and other national reforms also prescribed that Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) developed into strategic commissioners, with a focus on improving population health, reducing inequalities and ensuring high-quality, sustainable services. The new commissioning framework embodied a model that was more outcome-focused and embedded in partnership working across health, social care and the wider public sector.

6.    The Kent and Medway ICB would undergo a substantial transformation. It was required to halve its operating budget—from £73.5 million to £38.3 million—to meet national targets. This would be achieved through the Reset, Recovery and Transformation programme and would result in significant reductions in its workforce.

7.    In terms of community services procurement, Mr Doyle said that, over the past two years, the ICB briefed the Committee on the rationale and ambitions for the re-procurement of these services. The new procurement followed the Provider Selection Regime Regulations (2023), with contracts awarded for five years, plus up to three years of extensions. This arrangement allowed alignment to national priorities, such as the Darzi Report’s call to move care closer to home, and the NHS 10-Year Plan.

8.    In reply to a question about the role of pharmacies in this new model, Mr Doyle explained that in primary care there were four main professional groups: GP services, pharmacy, dentistry and optometry.  One of the key challenges for public health teams in the future was to better analyse and understand population growth and demographic patterns in order to allocate the right pharmacies in the right places to best respond to local need.

9.    In reply to a question about preventative measures to reduce the consumption of processed foods which led to increased obesity, anxiety and diabetes Type 2 in the population, Mr Doyle said that the current number of children who were obese (in Year 6) in Kent and Medway was above the national average. In order to respond to this issue, it was important to develop a robust local strategy. Also, given that very little could be done at a local level to change the regulation of food industry, the ICB lobbied the relevant parliamentary groups.

10.A Member asked whether Mr Doyle could expand on the neighbourhood care model.

d)    Mr Doyle explained that it was important to develop a standardised model for Kent and Medway in terms of opening times. The model also advocated that general practises be well resourced and well-funded.

e)    A key aim was to move a proportion of diagnostic tests and first appointments away from hospital and into the community. When appropriate, a number of visits would be provided virtually.

RESOLVED that the Committee note the report.