Tom Abell thanked Members for including the report on the work programme and provided Members with an update on the current thinking, the key events leading to the current position and the next steps for changes in local health and care across the Mid and South Essex Sustainability and Transformation Partnership. Members were asked for their feedback from the report and on the future plans to undertake a public consultation.

Tom Abell briefed Members on the commissioning functions of the Clinical Commissioning Group Joint Committee and the strategic functions. The consultation programme would commence December 2017 through to March 2018 with a final decision shortly after. The Group were scheduled to meet on the 7 July to make decisions on any final consultations and would be happy to discuss further with this Committee.

Councillor Snell thanked the Officer for the report.

Councillor Gerrish asked with the focus on becoming sustainable what would be the scale of the challenge. Tom Abell stated that the sustainability gap in the National Health Service locally would be five years at a cost of £200 million and that the plans in the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership would address measures to bridge this gap.

Ian Evans queried the onward transfer of patients and whether any projectors or indicators as to the numbers and availability were available. Tom Abell confirmed that this data was not to hand at this time; this would depend on the work undertaken by the clinicians on the pathways which would be best suited and would deliver benefits to patients.

Ian Evans asked if the Joint Committee consisted of any service user or lay members. Tom Abell stated that no lay member or HealthWatch were on the committee and that decisions would be currently made by Chairs of the CCGs and Accountable Officers of the CCGs which made up the Joint Committee membership.

Councillor Pothecary questioned the centralisation of certain services for example the stroke services at Southend Hospital and asked what the plans would be to assist residents getting to these locations. Tom Abell stated that it was the intention to keep residents at these specific hospitals for a shorter time as possible and then rehabilitation would be undertaken closer to home. That work was currently underway with the Clinical Commissioning Group to identify what transport was available. Tom Abell stated that with the right conditions these services should run alongside general practitioners and managed locally which in turn would prevent the 999 service being required.

Roger Harris stated that it was fair to say that the pace of the Success Regime had been frustrating with a lot of work being done on different models of care. The focus seemed to be on acute services rather than out of hospital models. The aim should be to get the right primary care services and identify when early intervention was required. Roger Harris noted his concern that the Joint Committee’s functions would be extended too far and would undermine the local Clinical Commissioning Group and local services such as HealthWatch.

Councillor Gerrish asked how advanced was the thinking in terms of the offer with regards to the size and shape of future hospital configuration and would the extension include the expansion of services at Basildon Hospital.

Tom Abell replied that work had to be done to refine the offer to a define set of clinical services and work through the numbers and would present these findings at a future Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Tom Abell stated that extra buildings would be required to cope with the demand.

Councillor Snell stated that as predicted this would take away the services and undermine work already done locally.

RESOLVED

That the Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the update and gave views on the emerging thinking, the importance of local issues and the future plans for public consultation.