Presentation from Wirral CCG to provide an update on the enclosed Cheshire & Merseyside Sustainability and Transformation Plan published 15 November, 2016 (summary document and detailed report enclosed)

Mr Phil Meakin introduced a presentation entitled “Healthy Wirral - Development of Local Delivery Service Plans (LDSPs) and Sustainability & Transformational Plans (STPs)”. The presentation provided the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee with an update on the priorities, delivery and action plans for the Cheshire & Merseyside NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan, namely:

·  Support for people to live better quality lives: Alcohol, smoking, poor diet and inactivity have a negative impact on our lives and are increasing demands on the NHS. We have to change this;

·  Working together with partners in social care and the voluntary sector to provide better, more joined up care: Better care  provided in the community, enabling reduced hospital admissions; 

·  Designing hospital services to meet modern clinical standards and reducing variation in quality: people will receive consistently high standards of care wherever they live; and

·  Being more efficient by reducing duplication and using the latest technology: reducing costs in managerial and administrative areas: sharing electronic information and adopting new innovative ways of working.

MrMeakin informed that the initial phases of the Plan comprised project initiation and design, to be followed by public consultation. He confirmed that this was part of a National programme and that there had been much media and public interest – together with concerns and raised levels of anxiety surrounding the project. He re-iterated that any new proposals would be the subject of public consultation during the identified stage of the programme, and for additional clarity there were no proposals to merge hospitals within the Cheshire and Wirral Local Delivery Service (LDS) footprint (i.e. Arrowe Park and the Countess of Chester Hospitals) or to build a new hospital at Ellesmere Port, or to downgrade Accident and Emergency Services at Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH), Arrowe Park.

Members were pleased to receive such assurances, but expressed their concerns that the Council as a local NHS partner had not been involved during the early stages of the project initiation.

Members provided a number of further observations on explorative proposals for elective care provision at Clatterbridge, the continued need for meaningful consultation, assurance regarding safe staffing levels, and the travel and transport needs for patients accessing services. 

Resolved - That

•  the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee thanks Mr Phil Meakin for his attendance and presenting of the key points of the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP);

•  the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee is concerned that Elected Members have had no opportunity to feed into the development of the STP, nor given the opportunity to see the Plan prior to its publication on 23 November 2016;

•  the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee is also concerned about the lack of any meaningful consultation with the public of Wirral prior to the publication of the Plan;

•  the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee is further concerned at the high levels of anxiety and speculation over the implications for future delivery of health services in Wirral generated by the Plan - as a result of lack of engagement with Cheshire and Merseyside local authorities;

•  the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee notes that although very little detail is included, many of the proposals would represent a significant variation in service delivery and would therefore need to be presented for scrutiny by this Committee, and possibly a Pan-Merseyside and Cheshire Scrutiny Committee before the implementation of any proposals; and

•  the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee does not believe that Wirral Council can agree to the STP without absolute clarity on the proposals and a meaningful process of consultation and engagement with Elected Members and local residents.