Issue - meetings

The Committee has previously been advised of the current financial situation at the Primary Care Trust and has received the Sustainability Plan devised to address the financial challenges facing the PCT.  Fiona Field, Director of Governance and Strategic Planning, will verbally update the Committee on the current financial position.

Fiona Field, updated the Committee on the current position regarding the Financial Sustainability Plan on which Members had been previously briefed.  She explained that the PCT was still working to the Sustainability Plan and had engaged PriceWaterhouseCoopers who had validated the plan to the PCT Board as deliverable over an 18 month period.

All 53 GP Practices had had a visit from the Chief Executive and Chairman of the Trust to discuss getting the healthcare economy back into balance.  The levels of referrals from primary care had now flattened out and were beginning to slightly reduce.  The £30m deficit predicted previously had now reduced to a £12m deficit. 

During discussion of the item the following issues/questions were raised:

      The reduction in referrals from primary care should continue with the continuing increase in use and provision of new healthcare centres;

      Dementia – this was an increasing issue due to the ageing population and was included in the PCT Strategic Plan to improve dementia services, integrate care provision and ensure dignity and respect for all.  Work was underway with the 2 Hospital Trusts to look at lengths of stay in hospital for dementia patients.  Intermediate care services were useful and helped to address delayed discharge from hospital;

      Pharmacies were able to offer services such as flu jabs and minor ailments; if pharmacies were interested in offering any additional services this could be discussed with the PCT;

      Whether people who were not registered with a GP would use the Accident and Emergency (A and E) unit at the hospital instead - treatment received at A and E was more expensive than treatment in primary care.  The new Urgent Care Centre had recently opened at the Leighton Hospital site and to date approximately 40% of people seen there would previously have gone straight to A and E;

      The implications of the Sustainability Plan meant that Substantial Developments or Variations in Service may not be able to be raised with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee very far in advance;

      Whether the £1m cut in funding to the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust would be a one off or would the reduction in funding be maintained?  Members were advised that the PCT had had to find savings across the whole of its service areas.

RESOLVED:  That the update be noted and the impact on any future Substantial Developments or Variations in Service be discussed at the mid point meeting.