Agenda item

Presentation attached to be supported by David Latham Senior Programme Manager (Bury) NHS Greater Manchester

Members noted that the presentation had been circulated in advance of the meeting. The Chair invited David Latham, Senior Programme Manager (Bury), NHS Greater Manchester, to present the report.

David Latham provided an overview of performance across urgent care services, highlighting progress against key measures. He referred to the Board reports and outlined developments relating to hospital discharge, length of stay, and the Virtual Ward programme. Members heard that Bury continues to achieve one of the highest levels of Virtual Ward uptake, with a significant number of patients safely cared for at home. Against a target of 56 patients based on the local elderly population, performance had exceeded this figure on all days during the week commencing 15 June.

The Committee was updated on the Fairfield Improvement Plan. Four priority areas were being progressed, including improving GP access, increasing utilisation of the Virtual Ward model, reducing days of care lost within the system, and strengthening Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) pathways to avoid unnecessary admissions. Members also noted the longer-term North Care Alliance (NCA) plans for Fairfield and wider service improvements across all sites, including efforts to reduce corridor care and improve ambulance flow and capacity.

Performance data showed continued improvement, with four-hour emergency department performance increasing from 72.9% in April to 74.1% in May. Members were also advised that ambulance handover performance at Fairfield Hospital remained strong, with average waits of 19 minutes and 51 seconds, exceeding Greater Manchester’s ambition of 25 minutes.

In response to questions from Councillor Martin, David Latham explained that improvements in four-hour performance had been evident since July 2025 and had been sustained over several months rather than representing a one-off result. He acknowledged that winter pressures and additional arrangements had supported improvements but stated that the system was focused on maintaining performance. Will Blandamer added that all reported performance data was subject to validation.

Councillor Zaman welcomed the improvements and highlighted ongoing concerns from residents regarding access to NHS dentistry. In response, Will Blandamer acknowledged the issue and advised that while initiatives such as Pharmacy First were helping to reduce pressure elsewhere in primary care, a future update on dental access could be brought to the Committee. He noted that Bury compared relatively well against other areas, although challenges remained.

Responding to a question from Councillor Ryder regarding preparedness for extreme heat and summer pressures, David Latham advised that summer planning arrangements were in place. These included coordinated communications and public messaging to ensure advice and information were shared widely across partner organisations. He noted that public health messaging around issues such as open water swimming risks also formed part of summer preparedness activity.

Councillor FitzGerald sought clarification regarding the NCA reorganisation and whether performance reporting would be assessed collectively across hospital sites. David Latham explained that work was underway to align infrastructure and performance metrics. Future reporting would enable performance to be considered not only at individual hospital level but also across the wider NCA footprint, including reporting on outcomes for Bury residents treated at hospitals elsewhere.

The Committee discussed winter planning arrangements and reflected on lessons learned following pressures experienced after the Christmas period. Members requested that urgent care performance and winter planning updates be scheduled earlier in the Committee’s work programme to allow for more timely scrutiny.

It Was Agreed:

• Update be noted
• Bring back a further update to the committee
• Bring an update on access to dentistry to a future committee