Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Delyn Committee Room, County Hall, Mold CH7 6NA

Contact: Maureen Potter 01352 702322  Email: maureen.potter@flintshire.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

57.

Declarations of Interest (Including Whipping Declarations)

To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

58.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board pdf icon PDF 82 KB

Representatives of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board have been invited to the meeting to:

 

(1) Give assurances over contractual arrangements with the Countess of Chester Hospital and service continuity;

(2) Respond to the outcome of the Notice of Motion considered by County Council on 28 January 2020 (attached); and

(3) Consider questions submitted by Members (attached).

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)          That the answers given to the pre-prepared questions and the question raised at the meeting be noted;

 

(b)          That written answers be provided on the late questions which were submitted to the Committee by Members;

 

(c)          That assurances be given over the renewal of the contractual arrangements with the Countess of Chester Hospital to ensure service continuity and uninterrupted patient access (by the end of March);

 

(d)          That an updated risk assessment on General Practitioner capacity and coverage across Flintshire be shared (by the end of April);

 

(e)          That the Council and the Health Board continue to work closely together to plan future primary health care services based on population growth and community and house-building planning;

 

(f)           That the Health Board involve the Council in scoping the planned review of Minor Injuries Unit service provision in Flintshire as a contributory solution to reducing demand on Accident and Emergency services (by end of April);  

 

(g)          That further information be shared on workforce recruitment, retention and training strategies with the Council supporting the proposal to develop a Medical School for North Wales;

 

(h)          That the Health Board be encouraged to enlist the support of regional partners in negotiating with Welsh Government a sufficient and sustainable operating budget.  

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed the representatives of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) to the meeting, and thanked them for their attendance. 

 

The Chief Executive explained the reasons that representatives of BCUHB had been invited to the meeting, which were as follows:-

 

  1. Give assurance over contractual arrangements with the Countess of Chester Hospital and service continuity;
  2. Respond to the outcome of the Notice of Motion considered by County Council on 28 January 2020; and
  3. Consider questions submitted by Members.

 

The Chair invited the representatives to provide assurance over contractual arrangements with the Countess Chester Hospital (CCH) and service continuity.

 

            Mark Polin said that there had been a suggestion that issues around the contractual arrangements with the CCH had been the fault of the BCUHB and advised that this had not been the case.  He did not anticipate the issue arising in the future and meetings to ensure that the Countess Chester Hospital were meeting their contractual arrangements were ongoing to ensure that the contracts would be signed soon.

 

            In response to a question from the Chair around timescales, Sue Hill said that it was anticipated that the contract would be signed by the end of March.  The Chief Executive suggested that feedback, once the contract had been signed, could be circulated to Members.

 

            In response to a question from Councillor Carol Ellis around the term ‘activity not being delivered’, Mark Polin explained that the not all of the activity to be delivered by the CCH through the contractual agreement had been delivered and therefore further work was being carried out to better understand this prior to the new contract being signed.  Simon Dean explained that this was usual process to ensure that the number of patients referred and treated by the CCH was set at the right level to ensure the appropriate resources were being made available. 

 

            In response to a question from the Chair, Sue Hill advised that there were no proposals to change the pathway for residents in Flintshire to access services at the CCH.  Gill Harris said that she would like to see service increase, specifically around maternity services. 

 

            The Chair invited the representatives of the BCUHB to provide a response to the specific questions outlined within the Notice of Motion considered by Council on 28 January; 2020.

 

1. Is there sufficient capacity in Wrexham Maelor, Glan Clwyd and the Countess of Chester hospital?

 

            Mark Polin invited Imran Devji to provide an update to Members on preventative measures and joint partnership working being undertaken at Wrexham Maelor hospital.

 

            Imran Devji reported that a review of patients arriving in Accident and Emergency (A&E) who required urgent care had been undertaken in order to manage pathways and prioritise patients.  During the review a number of factors were considered, including 1) the A&E profile hour by hour over the last 5 years; and 2) nursing shifts over a 24 hour 7 day a week basis.  Following the review, key improvements had been made, specifically around clinical and acute  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

59.

Members of the Press and Public in Attendance

Minutes:

There were no members of the public and one member of the press in attendance.