Agenda item - Chair's Communications

27.1    The Chair gave the following communications:

We have 2 items on the agenda today. The first item is an update report on trans healthcare, focusing on the Sussex Gender service. This is a pilot scheme that provides specialist gender services for Sussex residents who would previously have had to travel to London or another location outside of Sussex, often facing multi-year waits for access. When HOSC last looked at trans health, this service was in the process of being launched. It has now been in operation for a little over a year, so we should be in a good place to assess how well it is working.

The report will be presented by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust who are the service providers. There is no presentation on other aspects of trans health services today, but if members have questions on other services, NHS colleagues will try to answer them at the meeting, or in writing.

The second item for consideration is a report on access to GP services in the city. I asked specifically for this report as I know that getting a GP appointment is a major issue for people living in Brighton & Hove.

On Monday, I visited the Royal Sussex County Hospital where I was shown around the Emergency Department by the lead nurse and doctor. They talked about the daily challenges they face and were proud of local innovations and improvements that have reduced corridor care this winter. But they were clear the main cause of corridor care is delayed discharges due to availability of other health and social care services they do not provide.

As our committee has heard before, every day the hospital has dozens of patients in ward beds who no longer need hospital treatment - if just a proportion of these people could leave hospital on their discharge date, the ED staff said the problem of corridor care would no longer exist. I also visited the new Surgical Assessment Unit, which is the first area to be completed in the £50m redevelopment of the Emergency Department. Colleagues talked me through the plans which will see the whole department modernise and expand over the next three years.

While at the hospital, I wanted to speak with chief executive Dr George Findlay about ongoing negative media coverage related to Operation Bramber. Obviously, we know George cannot comment on the inquiry itself, but he fully recognises, and shares our concerns about the impact this has on patients. George provided assurance about the quality and safety of care patients receive, as well as progress being made on the Improvement Plan they brought to HOSC last summer.

I am asking the Trust to return to committee soon to provide us with an update, and to answer any questions you may have.

26.2    Cllr Hill noted that Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust had previously agreed to share with the committee an equality impact assessment on its plans to shut city acute dementia beds, but this had still not been circulated. The Chair agreed to contact the Trust to request this be shared.