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Matters arising
HSJ Awards –
This
Consortium has been shortlisted for an award with the Health Service
Journal. We are one of six in the country to be nominated for
Commissioning Organisation of the Year, which is a fantastic achievement
and one for which we would like to thank our members and stakeholders.
The application was based on our commitment to engagement with our
patients and practice members. A judging panel will be coming to meet us
before the awards ceremony in November, and we would very much
appreciate the involvement from our patient council members.
Meeting Dates –
Since the
last meeting, several comments had been received around the frequency of
meetings. It was approved by the Patient Council Executive Board that
meetings will be held on a bi-monthly, rather than a quarterly, basis,
with immediate effect. A revised schedule of dates has been drawn up
and will be issued to members.
Action:
Christine to circulate meeting schedule.
Safety of
Surgical Implements –
The Patient Council
Executive Board had written to Wirral Hospital Trust to seek reassurance
around the safety of surgical implements, following a BBC Panorama
programme raising concerns on this issue. No written response had been
received, but a representative from the Trust had rang the Consortium
earlier that day to ask if the Council would like a representative to
attend a future meeting. It was agreed that a written report providing
details of the safety measures in place would suffice, and that any
further queries would be channelled back to the Trust through Christine.
Action:
Christine to ask Trust to provide letter of reassurance around safety of
surgical implements.
Physiotherapy and
Podiatry
Dr Mantgani
explained that currently physiotherapy and podiatry are paid for through
a block contract, mainly with Wirral Community Trust, but also with
Wirral Hospital Trust. There have been some concerns around waiting
times and whether block contracts provide value for money. This has led
to the Consortium commissioning services from another local provider to
ensure that patients are not disadvantaged by access difficulties. This
is not viable in the long-term, and something needs to be done to
address access issues as soon as possible. Service specifications need
reviewing to ensure that there are tighter controls around waiting
times, and it is possible to monitor providers more robustly. Latest
guidance from the Department of Health suggests that these services can
be provided on a cost-per-case basis, so that the money follows the
patient. This is called an Any Qualified Provider (AQP) process. It
means that, as long as a provider meets a set of standards set by the
commissioners, and work to a standard service specification, they will
be able to provide services to our patients. Patients will have the
choice at the point of referral as to which provider they would like to
see. Each provider will work to an agreed service specification and
will charge the same tariff. This will enable the commissioners to
achieve better value for money, for patients to have more choice, and
for new providers to enter the marketplace, at their own risk.
The following
questions were raised:
Q:
will staff working for the providers have to meet particular standards?
A:
yes, we’ll specify the staff competencies in our service specification –
ie providers cannot just use lower grade staff in order to save money.
In many cases there are national standards dictating the core
competencies of particular staff members, and those that are required to
undertaken particular procedures, and we would ensure that providers and
their staff comply with these. The Care Quality Commission also
requires providers to meet minimum standards in terms of their
buildings, policies, procedures etc.
Q:
is this being done just to save money?
A:
this is being done to spend money in a better, more cost-effective way.
That is, by not committing to block contracts, we are not paying for
overheads and the provider takes all the risk in offering the service.
By paying for individual patients/ sessions, rather than a block
contract, we can be assured that we are getting value for money.
Q:
who will administrate all of these contract changes, as surely the GPs
won’t have time / expertise?
A:
the Consortium itself comprises a very small team who, along with the
Executive Board and GP Practices, set the direction for the Consortium.
The remaining PCT staff provide the ‘back office’ support to enable us
to take our plans forward – this includes support such as Finance, HR,
Governance, Contracting etc
It was agreed that a
diagram would be useful to show how the Consortium core team fits into
the wider picture with the health economy.
Action:
Christine to provide organisational chart for next Patient Council
meeting
The service
specifications for physiotherapy and podiatry still aren’t complete, and
it would be very useful to gain the insight from any patients with
experience in these fields, or who may like to provide input.
Action:
Patients to contact Christine should they wish to get involved in
designing these service specifications.
It was confirmed
that the Patient Council is in favour of this direction of travel for
Physiotherapy and Podiatry.
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