Agenda item
Paediatric Services in Brent
This joint report produced on behalf of Brent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and London North West Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWHT) provides an overview and summary of Paediatric Services provided to Brent residents. The report summarises current paediatric provision in Brent and sets out the potential impact on Northwick Park Hospital of the changes to paediatric services at Ealing Hospital taking place on 30 June 2016.
Minutes:
Rob Larkman (Accountable Officer, Brent CCG) introduced the report submitted which had been jointly produced by the Brent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and the London North West Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWHT). The report summarised current paediatric provision in Brent and set out the potential impact on Northwick Park Hospital of the changes to paediatric services at Ealing Hospital taking place on 3 June 2016.
John Hutchins (Consultant Paediatrician, LNWHT) drew attention to the timetable for the closure of maternity and neonatal services at Ealing Hospital on 1 July 2015 and the closure of paediatric inpatient services at Ealing Hospital on 30 June 2016. The report detailed the implications these closures would have for hospital sites elsewhere in North West London. He expressed confidence in the level of provision at Northwick Park hospital (Jack’s Place) because of the detailed modelling that had been undertaken and the additional capacity of 27% built into the system.
Members of the committee questioned the CCG and LNWHT over the proposals. Mr Hutchins stated that the requirement level for high dependency units was a matter for NHS England but it was unfunded provision and therefore a cost pressure on LNWHT. Increasingly it was to treat chronic disability which was as a result of a rise in the number of successes in keeping the patient alive. It tended to consist of a relatively small number of children that needed to be seen frequently. A recent publication had recognised that that there was an increasing high dependency need. In answer to a question regarding who had the ultimate say in signing off the proposals contained in the ‘Shaping a Healthier Future’ (SaHF) programme, Mr Larkman explained that local commissioners had originally made the decisions but it was the referral of these decisions that had led to the Secretary of State’s intervention. Referring to the proposals for moving the paediatric diabetes service out of hospital care and into the community by using community nurses, Mr Hutchins explained that the nurses would be peripatetic, attending to patients at health centres, at home etc. He confirmed that this would require an increase in the number of community nurses. Models of provision from around the country were being studied and, working with the CCG, plans would be developed but he could not give a timescale for this as it was still an evolving piece of work. In response to further questions exploring this issue, Mr Hutchins re-assured the committee that there would be no cut in the provision of diabetic services. The SaHF had included a lot of analysis of the predictions in demand and this had resulted in a greater level of assurance being provided to the CCGs than had been the case at the start of the project. Going forward was contingent on Ealing CCG being assured by March 2016 that the analysis was correct. Mr Hutchins agreed to provide a copy of the data modelling that had been used to reach this point.
With reference to the transition of services agreed by Ealing CCG for June 2016, Ms Benson agreed that a report back to the committee in February 2016 could be provided in order to provide re-assurance that progress towards transition was going smoothly.
With reference to the table at paragraph 2.2 of the report, the committee asked for an explanation as to how the Treatment Function described as Paediatric could achieve the level of savings indicated in the table whilst treating virtually the same number of patients as forecast.
The Chair thanked the members of the Health Service for their attendance at the meeting.
Supporting documents: