Agenda item - Brighton & Hove CCG - Commissioning Intentions of Brighton 2014-16

Report of Chief Operating Officer (copy attached).

31.1    The Board considered a report of the Chief Operating Officer, CCG which informed members that the CCG had a requirement to share its commissioning intentions with stakeholders, partners, patients and the public and provider organisations.  The report set out the emerging commissioning intentions of the CCG for the two year period 2014/15 and 2015/16. 

31.2    Councillor Meadows asked if NHS England had similar plans and if so, whether they dovetailed with the CCG’s plans?  Councillor Meadows noted that dementia was missing from the report and asked why.  Councillor Meadows referred to prescriptions and pharmacies.  She mentioned that medicines were essential to patients in urgent care settings and patients who were discharged from hospital to their homes.  Councillor Meadows asked what could be done to avoid cases where people had no medicines prescribed for days after discharge. 

31.3    Councillor Meadows asked for an explanation of the second bullet point on page 39 of the agenda relating to medicine management (‘medicines optimisation in care pathway redesign, and further integrating the medicines management team with the commissioning teams’). 

31.4    Geraldine Hoban explained that NHS England did have commissioning intentions.  The CCG was working closely with the NHS England, Area Team to have closer alignment.  It was critical that there was joined up working in the acute sector.  Dementia was mentioned in the report in paragraph 4 of the Brighton and Hove Commissioning Intentions document (Community Services).  The CCG did not commission pharmacies, however, the CCG did have to ensure that there is joined up working.  There was a need to consider how people were supported.  The bullet point under medicine management was about making sure people get the right and best medicines.  This bullet point would be changed to make it clearer.   

31.5    Fiona Harris, Head of Public Health Commissioning at NHS England, Area Team reported that NHS England did have commissioning intentions.  NHS England commissioned pharmacies and some of the commissioning intentions related to pharmacies.  NHS England would work closely with the CCGs.

31.6    Tom Scanlon noted that the CCG commissioning intentions document was a very integrated plan which integrated well with the JSNA.  He suggested it would be useful to reference tobacco control and healthy weight in the CCG commissioning intentions. 

 31.7   Frances McCabe asked if work had been carried out on financial inequality.  She referred to the pain clinic and expressed concern at the waiting times people had to endure.  

31.8    Geraldine Hoban replied that the CCG would be interested in working with public health on the issue of inequality.  The CCG would take as broad a perspective as possible to deal with inequality issues.  There had been a great deal of feedback on pain management.  Additional capacity had been brought into the acute sector. This was a short term fix for people waiting at the moment.  Information on this issue would be provided to Healthwatch.

31.9    Hayyan Asif referred to the section on ‘Developing Our Plans’.  This referred to regular meetings with the third sector.  He asked if there had been any meetings with youth groups and young people.   The same section of the paper referred to a public event.  He asked if this event would be youth friendly and what time it would be held.  Hayyan mentioned that healthy weight and nutrition amongst young people was an issue, especially in schools.  He asked if enough was being done especially in the 14-25 age group.

31.10  Geraldine Hoban replied that there had been engagement with youth groups.  The CCG engaged with young people through the Section 75 arrangements.   She noted the comments about the public event and undertook to check the timings.  Public events often ran at different times to give people every opportunity to attend. All dates would be available on the CCG website.  

31.11  Tom Scanlon agreed that the issue of healthy weight was worrying.  There had been some success locally.  There had been a reduction in weight in reception classes and year 6 in recent years.  Work was being carried out in schools, but more work was required in secondary schools. 

31.12  Councillor Meadows referred to the different ways of working that were proposed. She asked if this meant that GP’s surgeries would open 7 days a week. 

31.13  Xavier Nalletamby explained that there was work going on to help with winter pressures.  Pop up surgeries were planned from Christmas until March 2014.  The initiative would help prevent people going to A&E.  Dr Nalletamby did not know if there would be 7 day working in general practice.  There was recognition that an out of hours service was desirable.   

31.14  Councillor Meadows asked where the pop up clinics would be located.  Dr Nalletamby explained that there would be three pop up clinics in the centre, east and west areas of the city.  The central location would be the current walk in clinic. The east area clinic would be the fracture clinic at the RSCH.  Geraldine Hoban explained that the west area would be in the north Portslade area. 

31.15  The Chair considered that a northerly part of the city also required access to a pop up clinic.    

31.16  Councillor Bowden noted that the pop up clinics were in existing settings.  He asked what would happen if someone from Portslade went to the Central pop up clinic.  Would systems be in place to enable records to be shared?  

31.17  Xavier Nalletamby confirmed that GPs in the pop up clinics would have full access to medical records.

31.18  The Chair confirmed that a report on the finalised CCG Commissioning Intentions would be submitted to a future meeting of the Health & Wellbeing Board for final sign off.

31.19  RESOLVED –  (1)    That the commissioning intentions of the CCG for the period 2014-2016 be noted.

(2)               That the comments of Health and Wellbeing Board, as detailed above, be noted.