Issue - meetings

For the Committee to provide commentary on the Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Quality Account 2022-23.

Laura Egerton, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer and Laura McVeigh, Head of Nursing, Engagement & Wellbeing attended the Committee meeting and delivered a presentation which provided an overview of the key challenges and achievements outlined within the Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Quality Account 2022-23. It was highlighted that the Coronavirus Pandemic recovery remained a key challenge for the Trust during 2022-23 however there were a number of achievements that had been celebrated and referred to within the Quality Account 2022-23.

The Committee noted that the Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership had introduced Urgent Crisis Response into the community which enabled patients to have access to care from Therapists and Advanced Clinical Practitioners 8am-8pm 7 days a week. It was reported that the impact on staff deployment and wellbeing had been minimal as a result of additional investment into the service, recruiting an additional six FTEs to ensure a 7-day service could be appropriately staffed. It was reported that the Trust was in a positive position in relation to its overall staffing levels with a significant cohort of students taking up positions in September 2023. It was noted that the Trust anticipated that it would have no vacancies from September 2023.

It was reported that during 2022-23 the Trust launched an Improvement Matters Strategy to provide a structured approach to problem-solving and a clear and consistent framework for all improvement activity. It was noted that over 600 staff and patients were engaged in the development of the vision for quality and improvement aims. The Committee queried the percentage of staff engaged versus the percentage of patients and how this was undertaken. Laura Egerton committed to providing a written response.

The Committee noted the steps taken by the Trust to demonstrate its commitment to Dementia care and the support in place for patients with Dementia who were admitted to hospital. The Committee was pleased to learn that the Trust had specialist support in place (Head of Nursing for Adult Safeguarding and a Dementia Care Specialist Nurse) and that there was a specific pathway in place for patients with Dementia which was tailored to the individual patients needs in consultation with relatives. The Committee queried how the Dementia pathway was conveyed back to GPs, carers and the wider community. Laura Egerton committed to providing a written response.

The Committee was pleased to learn of the additional steps being taken by the Trust to improve the End-of-Life Service. It was confirmed that the Trust was working closely with the End-of-Life Partnership and progressing to implement the SWAN model, used to support and guide the care of patients and their loved ones during end-of-life care, and afterwards. The Committee queried what the five priorities for End-of-Life Care were, as referred to within the Quality Account 2022-23. Laura Egerton committed to providing a written response. 

The Committee referred to the ongoing NHS backlog issues and requested that an update on waiting times be provided by the Trust. Laura Egerton committed to following this up with operational  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5