Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:  That all items of business be considered in public.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 28 April 2015.  It was agreed that the Committee would request further information from The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to be presented at a future meeting in relation to the schools outreach work that had been undertaken by the Paediatric Diabetes team.  It was noted that this work had clear links to the work undertaken by other bodies such as Public Health in relation to obesity, healthy eating, sport engagement and Members would be able to enquire about how this work was joined up.

It was agreed that Healthwatch Hillingdon would be asked to provide the Committee with an update at a future meeting in relation to its review of the CAMHS service in the Borough.

RESOLVED:  That:

1.    THH be asked to provide the Committee with an update on the schools outreach work undertaken by the Paediatric Diabetes team;

2.    Healthwatch Hillingdon be asked to provide an update on its CAMHS review; and

3.    the minutes of the meeting held 28 April 2015 be agreed as a correct record.

The Chairman noted that this had been a useful meeting and that the Committee would look forward to the update that would be forthcoming as a result.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 12 May 2015 be agreed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 May 2015 be agreed as a correct record.

The Chairman welcomed those present to the meeting. 

Ms Zoe Packman, Director of Nursing and Quality at the London Ambulance Service, apologised for not having attended a previous Committee meeting to discuss the Trust’s draft quality report but thanked Members for the feedback that they had provided.  She advised that a copy of the final version of the report would be forwarded to Members for their information. 

Members were advised that the report had been produced in a standard format and, as such, the LAS was somewhat constrained on the content that it could include.  Ms Packman noted that the report had set out the Trust’s quality priorities for the forthcoming year which had included the appointment of a consultant midwife (three days per week) to provide training, support and expert advice.  Work had also been planned in relation to the extensive number of frequent callers which put addition pressure on the limited resources of the Trust.  To this end, a Darzi fellow had been appointed to review this issue from September 2015.  Members were advised that the LAS worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service, Urgent Care Centres and clinics to triangulate information and share intelligence about common frequent callers. In addition, the LAS had an information sharing agreement in place with social services - although these agreements needed to be in place before information could be shared, Members were assured that this was not an onerous process.

Concern was expressed that information sharing in relation to persistent callers was not as joined up as it could be.  Ms Packman advised that, once the Darzi fellow was in post, consideration could be given to attending a future meeting to discuss the matter further with Members 

As mental health continued to feature prominently in the work of the LAS, six mental health nurses had been appointed to support the teams from the clinical hub.  The review of the mental health pathway was a continuing area of work and, to this end, mental health focus groups were being organised to better understand how the service could be improved.  In addition, work had been undertaken to ensure that the staff voice was considered (for example, there were a large number of individuals training to become paramedics and, as possible future members of staff, it was thought important to listen to their feedback).

It was acknowledged that staffing had been a big issue for the LAS and that this was likely to continue, given the current shortage of paramedics.  Members were advised that the LAS had put together a robust recruitment and retention plan and that, reassuringly, the Trust now had more joiners than leavers.  The LAS worked closely with the Open University and four other universities (Hertfordshire, Greenwich, St Georges and Anglia Ruskin) that offered the Paramedic Science degree, as well as offering placements for these students.  There had been an increase in the 2014/2015 university cohort but it was acknowledged that this would take time to come to fruition. Members suggested  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Consideration was given to the Committee's Work Programme for 2015/2016.  It was agreed that the Committee’s first review would be in relation to alcohol and that consideration would need to be given to whether the review should look at alcohol related admissions (inpatient) or presentations to hospital.  Focusing on underage drinkers would enable the Committee to look at what work was undertaken to prevent longer term alcohol abuse and the associated impact on the health service.  It was agreed that the Working Group would comprise three Conservative Members and two Labour Members. 

Other possible reviews that could be undertaken by the Committee or update reports that could be requested included:

·         Female genital mutilation (FGM);

·         Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE);

·         Probation Service;

·         frequent callers (links between the police, health services and Council services); and

·         Drug treatment and substance misuse update.

It was agreed that the updates on previous reviews would be included on the agenda for the meeting on 16 February 2016 rather than 15 March 2016. 

Members were advised that the Democratic Services Manager had submitted evidence on behalf of the Committee in relation to the CQC inspection of the LAS. 

RESOLVED:  That:

1.    The scoping report be agreed; and

2.    Subject to the changes agreed at the meeting, the report be noted.