Agenda item

[Jeremy Vanes, Chair, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, to present report]

Jeremy Vanes, Chair – The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWHT), presented a draft of the Quality Accounts 2017/18 report. The Chair outlined the background to the purpose of the document and commented on progress made against priorities set at the start of the year and the plans for 2018/19.

The Chair advised the panel that a formal report will be published on NHS website and a paper version of the draft would be available. The Chair added there have been further changes made to the draft since the report was sent to the panel. The Chair advised the panel that the draft report is externally audited to check the accuracy of the content before it is published. The Chair added that the deadline is 7 June 2018 for health scrutiny to comment on the document.

The Chair commented that the hospital is awaiting the results of a recent Care Quality Commission inspection report on the use of hospital resources and overall efficiency which will give a different view of its overall performance.

The Chair highlighted key sections of the document to help panel members understand the progress made by the hospital in meeting key priorities and performance against national measures.

The Chair invited panel members to comment on the draft report. A summary of the comments is given below:

·         The vision and values section have no details – Chair advised that this section has been completed and included in the latest draft document.

·         The panel share concerns about staff vacancy rates and acknowledged the work done to fill gaps to deliver safe and effective care to patients. The Chair advised the panel that progress made to stabilise staffing levels and that 50 nurses from the Philippines had been trained to meet shortages.

·         The panel discussed the issue of the number and type of serious and reportable incidents during the year and the reasons. The panel wanted assurance about the impact of actions taken to reduce the likelihood of them happening again in the future. The Chair commented on safety thermometer – harm free care chart which shows current progress towards the target and how the hospital coped during the winter period.

·         The panel noted the progress on improving infection control and reducing the number of pressure injuries. The Chair advised the panel of initiatives aimed at helping staff to maintain safety critical systems and to continue functioning at an optimal level during periods of high stress.

·         The panel discussed the advice given to people help them get ready for discharge as part of efforts to reduce delays. The Chair commented on work done to encourage people to declare their ethnic origin to help the hospital compare its performance against published standards. RWHT provide mandatory training package on diversity to both existing staff and as part of the induction programme for new staff.

·         The panel discussed progress since the introduction of vertical integration – which involves GP practices being integrated with the RWHT through sub-contracting arrangements. The panel discussed the results detailed in the Live GP Dashboard and the implications for improving future practice and policy.

·         David Loughton, Chief Executive, RWHT, commented on the high risk to the hospital of achieving workforce planning targets and that despite extra funding from NHS there is a national shortage of staff with the necessary mix of skills and experience.

·         The panel queried the reason for the placement of a young person on adult ward following treatment and lack of information in the hospital about where the public can get advice. The Chief Executive accepted that the situation is not ideal for the person and agreed to meet separately to discuss further. The Chief Executive commented on the work of PALS service and positive feedback on the quality of the service. The members of the panel were advised that information about the service is advertised across the hospital and there are leaflets which explain their role. The Chief Executive asked members of the panel to contact him if there are concerns about the service and agreed to review how the service is publicised.

·         The panel discussed the idea of extending visiting times but accepted the need to have times when visiting times. The panel discussed the issue of parking and problems caused for patients, visitors, residents and staff. The delays cause problems for WMAS .The Chief Executive commented on the delay in reaching an agreement with CWC to get planning permission to build extra car park capacity to help relieve pressure on service. John Denley, Director of Public, agreed to follow this issue up and report back to a future meeting.

·         The panel discussed the impact of the removal of the student bursary on efforts to create the workforce to meet future demands. The Chief Executive agreed that the changes had been a false economy and had created problems in recruitment and retention across the health sector. The Chief Executive had raised the issue with the Secretary of State for Health and the staff shortages across a range of health professions

·         The panel discussed the benefits of having and sharing information about the performance of the GPs working in vertical integration and how it could be used to improve the patient experience.

·         Stephen Marshall, Director of Strategy & Transformation, WCCG commented on the issue of reaching an agreement about the sharing of patient data following Health Act 2012 and the work being done to achieve equity of service.

The Chair asked the panel that any comments on the draft quality accounts should be sent to scrutiny officer asap so that it can be included in the response.

Resolved:

1.    The panel agreed that a response to draft quality accounts will be sent to RWHT before the 7 June 2018.

2.    The Chair and Vice Chair to agree a final draft which will be shared with the panel.