Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

None were received.

None were received.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 9^th September, 2021.

RESOLVED:

          That the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The minutes of the meeting held on 9^th September 2021 were approved and moved by Councillor Dave Wisinger and seconded by Councillor Mike Lowe.

RESOLVED:

          That the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be noted;

(b)       That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises; and

(c)       That the Committee notes the progress made in completing the outstanding actions.

            The Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator presented the current Forward Work Programme stating the next meeting on the 9^th of December had a heavy agenda and provided an outline of the items scheduled to be presented.   She then referred to the 20^th of January meeting and provided an update of the items for that meeting.  The January meeting was the last in the municipal year because of the local Elections.  If any member would like to add any additional items to the Forward Work Programme they could do so by contacting her.

                        The Facilitator then referred to the Action Tracking report confirming that the face to face GP Appointments information and the update on Long Covid had been circulated.  No response had been received from WG on the Mental Health Services in Flintshire but she confirmed that this had been chased.   She then referred to the suggestion from Councillor Marion Bateman that the committee walk around a town centre or Retail Park to gain an understanding of the issues faced every day by disabled people.  This was not featured at present but was on the radar and would be included in the new municipal year’s programme.  All of the other actions had been completed.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be noted;

(b)       That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises; and

(c)       That the Committee notes the progress made in completing the outstanding actions.

To receive an update from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The Chair welcomed Mark Polin, Jo Whitehead and Rob Smith from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) to the meeting.

            Mark Polin (Chair of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board) thanked the committee for the opportunity of attending the meeting to provide responses to the questions raised.   This was also an opportunity to highlight the good working relationships that existed between the Health Boards and Local Authorities, especially during the Covid Pandemic.  He explained that some of the pressures were unable to be resolved in the short term but hoped that this meeting would provide some reassurance that they were doing all they could to try and mitigate these.

            Jo Whitehead (Chief Executive for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board)thanked the committee for the opportunity to speak and also paid tribute to the Chief Officer, the Senior Leadership Team and Partners delivering services in Flintshire.  This work had enabled interesting and forward thinking service models of care which were making a difference to the population.  Having only been in post for 10 months Jo Whitehead was pleased that, despite the challenges, there was a shared focus on the needs of the people in Flintshire.  BCUHB looked after a population of around 700,000 with the over 85 age range expected to increase by 154%.  Vital schemes such as Marleyfield were so important. 

            Jo Whitehead then provided information on the number of Covid cases and an update on the Vaccination and Booster Programmes.  The level of patients in hospital across Wales was as high as February but preparations were underway to execute the Surge Plan for ITU.  The implications of Long Covid, impacts on children and carers were also being considered.  She then provided an overview of their organisational priorities and the Clinical Services Strategy.   Information on the three main acute sites which included Emergency Departments (ED), Maternity and a range of core services was also provided.  WG funding had enabled improvements to the Maelor and Bangor sites with discussions ongoing with regard to the creation of a number of regional treatment centres.  Jo Whitehead then referred to the waiting list initiatives and provided an example for those patients waiting for cataracts or eye surgery who were now travelling to the Wirral, to reduce waiting times.

            In response to a question from the Chair on the Area Teams it was confirmed that the Operating Model was currently being reviewed to ensure that provision could be delivered locally and safely.   The structures were currently being considered and Jo Whitehead wanted to maintain the focus on the East, West and Central areas developing integrated health care management systems. 

            The Chair asked if the promised minor injuries unit would be placed at Deeside Hospital.  It was confirmed that options were being considered for Deeside to alleviate the urgent care cases at the Maelor.  There was no timetable for this work but it was one of the options that was hoped to continue.

Questions from the Committee

1.         Please provide an update on the long waiting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

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