Agenda and draft minutes

Members are asked to declare any interests in the items under consideration and in doing so state:

(1) the type of interest concerned either a

(a)   personal interest

(b)   prejudicial interest

(c)    disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI)

and

(2) the nature of the interest concerned

If any member requires advice on declarations of interests, they are advised to contact the Head of Democratic Governance in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest on this occasion.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on 8 February 2024 as a true and correct record.

The Committee agreed that the minutes of the last meeting held on 8 February 2024 be signed by the Chairman as a true and correct record.

To consider any requests from members of the public to speak at the meeting.

There were no requests from members of the public to speak on this occasion.

To advise the Adult Social Care and Health Scrutiny Committee about the current position with the Stroke Service in Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTH).

Mr Steven Christian, Chief Operating Officer and Chris Barben, Medical Director Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTH) presented the Committee with an update of the changes implemented within the Stroke Unit following the CQC Inspection in 2022.

Mr Barben acknowledged the challenges that staff had experienced following the malpractice and criminal prosecution which had resulted in considerable reputational damage to the Stroke Unit.  Staff had been supported throughout the process and a ‘Freedom to Speak Policy’ had been developed.  He advised that a recent staff survey indicated that staff were much happier and settled in the workplace.

The Committee was notified that the Acute Stroke Unit housed 23 beds, Members raised concerns with regards to the recorded time it took for Stroke patients to be admitted to the ward.  The target time had been set at 4 hours, the current transfer time had been improved to less than 7 hours but Mr Barben acknowledged that work would continue to reduce the time further.

The Emergency Village had opened in December, a multi-disciplinary team was on hand to diagnose and provide immediate Stroke treatment if necessary and to arrange for early transfer to Royal Preston Hospital if required.

Members summarised that early support and ‘treat at home’ were key areas for development.

Mr Christian explained that new pathways had been developed for various services and had proved to be a success.  Rapid Access ensured that patients would be seen by a senior doctor within 10 to 15 minutes.  Mr Christian advised that the Triage Pathway had been working more efficiently.

The Committee agreed:

1.      To note the positive progress regarding The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) performance, medical junior recruitment and the improvements sustained regarding Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) access;

2.      To note the challenges associated with consultant medical recruitment and the pressures that non-elective services face, exacerbating access issues in times of heightened demand;

3.      To note and support the approach for delivering improvements as part of the wider Lancashire and South Cumbria (LSC) Stroke Network with a committed focus on specific milestones and access that would improve care.

4.      To note the final phase of the Enhanced Network Model of Acute Stroke Care and Rehabilitation business case, which sought to introduce Hyper Acute Stroke (HASU) therapy models across different sites were on pause due to funding constraints across the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.

To advise the Committee on the progress against the Five-Year Strategy, associated 2024 / 25 objectives and work streams for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTH).

Mr Steven Christian, Chief Operating Officer and Mr Chris Barben, Medical Director, BTH provided an update on the progress against the Five-Year Strategy and associated 2024/25 objectives and work streams for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTH).

Mr Christian advised that consultant recruitment remained a challenge nationally, but BTH was moving towards a blended workforce model.  He explained that BTH had been working with the College and Care Academy to provide the relevant training opportunities to students with a view to growing local talent.

Members acknowledged that the Levelling-Up, in particular improvements in the housing sector, would contribute to the long-term positive impact on the health of the town.

Mr Christian confirmed that he was confident that the promise of Reduced Referral to Treatment (RTT) times would come to fruition and advised he would attend a future Committee to be held accountable if the reduction was not achieved.

Members were updated with regards to financial challenges the Trust faced and indicated that they would use this opportunity to work with partners to develop innovative ways of working and an create efficiency savings. 

Partnership working had already commenced and was developing well, but work would continue to progress further, he observed that cost efficiency savings within the cross partnership working would cultivate over time.

Members were invited to attend a tour of the hospital.

The Committee agreed: 

1.      To note the progress and the challenges associated with the key work streams.

2.      To receive an update upon the RTT figures following the September deadline.

3.      To undertake a site visit at the hospital to see first-hand the improvements that have been made to the services.

To provide an update to the Committee on recommendations made in the Mental Health Provision for Young Men scrutiny report.

To provide an update to the Committee on suicide prevention awareness and ongoing work, including national and local data and crisis service provision.

Mrs Zohra Dempsey, Public Health Practitioner updated the Committee on recommendations made in the Mental Health Provision for Young Men scrutiny report.

Members emphasised the need for more provision for the middle age range (45 to 54), due to the increase shift in the number of deaths within this age range.

Members were content that the recommendations highlighted at a previous Scrutiny meeting had been met.

Mrs Dempsey advised that Suicide Prevention Training was available for Elected Members.

Members raised concern regarding how the services measure the impact of the work with the public, and requested figures be provided to the Committee at a future date. 

Councillor J Farrell informed Members with regards to the Blackpool Mental Health Partnership Board, and summarised that the Board had been developed to provide an opportunity for services to come together, network and share information on their current work program, future events and good practice.

The Committee agreed to:

1.      To receive and accept the update on recommendations, and to sign them off as complete;

2.      To endorse the offer made for Elected Members to be provided with Suicide Prevention Training from the Public Health Team;

3.      To receive an impact report in 12 months’ time.

To provide a summary of the key updates and decisions made since the last ICB update at the scrutiny meeting in November 2023, including an update on recovery and transformation.  The report also includes a summary of the most recent integrated performance report for the ICB.

Ms Karen Smith, Director of Adult Services, Blackpool Council and Director of Health and Care Integration (Blackpool), Lancashire and South Cumbria (ICB) provided the Committee with a complete update on the work of the ICB which had been relevant to Blackpool.  She highlighted the work of the Place Based Partnership and praised the work being undertaken via the partners across the ICB footprint.

Whilst developments had been achieved to reduce the capacity of patients going to Accident and Emergency and to reduce Ambulance handover time, Members acknowledged that more work would be required to develop the areas further.

Members were reminded that the Blackpool Place Based Partnership was hosting a free community health and well-being event ‘Spring into Spring’ on Friday 12th April 12noon to 4pm at the Horseshoe Pavilion, Winter Gardens.  The event would focus on the promotion of a range of services, things to do and get involved with across Blackpool. 

Mr Neil Hartley-Smith, Blackpool GP and Clinical Director advised that he had been working on re-establishing connections with GP surgeries to identify current issues affecting the service.

With regards to the Community Pharmacy, Members commended the service and praised the promotional material created.

The Committee acknowledged that an element of lifestyle choice and change would be required to improve overall health in Blackpool, in addition the Committee felt the Levelling-Up project would have a long-term positive impact on improving the public health in Blackpool.

The Committee agreed:  To note the report.

To consider the Workplan and to monitor the implementation of Committee recommendations, together with any suggestions that Members may wish to make for scrutiny review topics.

The Committee considered its Workplan for 2024 and noted the items within.

To note the date and time of the next meeting as Thursday, 11 July 2024 commencing at 6.00pm.

The date and time of the next meeting was noted as Thursday, 11 July 2024, commencing at 6.00pm.