Agenda item

UPDATE FROM THE PENNINE ACUTE NHS TRUST

Representatives from Pennine Acute, Steve Taylor, Chief Officer and Tyronne Roberts, Director of Nursing will be in attendance.  Presentation attached.

Minutes:

Steve Taylor, Chief Officer and Tyrone Roberts, Director of Nursing attended the meeting to provide members with an update in respect of Bury and Rochdale’s organisational journey from the Care Quality Commission rating of requires improvement to good.  The presentation contained information in respect of the following areas:

·         Improvement Plan

·         New governance structure

·         Fragile services, investing in people

·         FGH attendances, Ambulance arrivals, 12 hour trolley waits, 4 hour breaches and performance

·         Accident and Emergency

·         Serious Incident Reports

 

The Chief Officer reported that A&E attendances have risen by 8.1% during January and February 2018, this equates to an additional 799 patients.  Four hour breaches have significantly reduced from 2112 to 1577 compared to the 12 months previously.

 

The Chief Officer and the Director of Nursing reported that the key factors in the improvements witnessed were as a result of the changes to the site management arrangements as well as the empowerment of staff.

 

Those present were invited to ask questions and the following issues were raised.

 

Responding to a Member’s question the Director of Nursing reported that the CQC would target areas at the highest risk during a re-inspection visit.  Good practice would be shared with other sites within the Northern Care Alliance.

 

In response to a Member’s question the Chief Officer reported that an IT strategy is being developed across the Northern Care Alliance to address the IT problems.

 

The Director of Nursing acknowledged that patient falls still remain a problem within the Northern Care Alliance.   There has been a 20% reduction in the number of falls on Fairfield General Hospital site.  All falls will be reviewed there continues to be a number of recurring factors, work is being undertaken in respect of learning from these incidents.  Falls will continue to be a primary area of focus going forward.

 

With regards to the Northern Care Alliance, the Chief Officer reported that Salford Royal Foundation Trust has a management contract to support the hospitals of the Pennine Acute Trust.  A committee in common has been established.  The issues are two fold, firstly the acquisition of the Pennine Acute Trust by Salford Royal and the disaggregation of the North Manchester General Hospital in to the City of Manchester Hospital. 

 

Responding to a concern raised in respect of zero, 12 hour trolley waits, the Chief Officer reported that the Trust do collect information in respect of patients waiting between 4 and 12 hours although this does not need to be reported to the Department of Health.  This information can be made available to the Committee.

 

The Chief Nurse reported that workforce issues still remain a pressure point for the Trust, in particular spend on agency staff.  A great deal of work is underway to address recruitment and retention issues within the Trust.

 

Vacancy rates in some areas remain high, this is a national problem and the Trust are looking at innovative ways to try and address these issues, including; recruiting from overseas and the south-east, recruiting to alternative roles to ease the pressure on nursing and middle grade doctor vacancies as well as using the recent positive CQC re-inspection to entice staff to the Trust.   

 

   It was agreed:

 

Representatives from the Northern Care Alliance be thanked for their attendance.

 

Supporting documents: