Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust Minutes of the Trust Board Meeting held on th Wednesday 7 February 2007 at 9.30am In the Boardroom, Southport & Formby District General Hospital
07/16
Present:
Sir R Watson (Chairman) Mr L Byrom Mr M Eastwood
Mr J Parry Mr K Clarkson Mr M Iskander Mrs L Yates Mr C Throp
In Attendance:
Mr G McGarrity Mrs M Pointon, PPI Forum Mrs S Finnegan
Mrs M Lloyd Mrs D Currie (Minutes)
Apologies:
Miss C Aitken Dr G Boocock
Mrs J Citarella Mrs M Carberry (Maternity Leave)
Minutes of the Trust Board Meeting held on Wednesday 17th January 2007 The Minutes of the Trust Board meeting held on Wednesday 17th January 2007 were formally agreed as a correct record.
07/17
Matters Arising No matters were raised.
07/18
Chief Executive’s Report Members noted the contents of the Chief Executive’s Report circulated with the Agenda. Bed Management. Members were updated on the situation surrounding bed management. Mr Parry highlighted the Trust’s position in respect of the 4-hour wait in A&E target. The Trust usually meets the 98% required target, but with current pressures it is struggling to meet this target averaging 89%. Partnership with Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). A tri-partite meeting of Executive Directors from Sefton, PCT, Central Lancashire PCT and this Trust met at the end of January. Mr Parry has written to the Chief Executives of both PCTs to express the Boards concern about the ability to sign off detailed contracts around activity and price by the deadline of 28th February 2007. The Chairman has already written to the PCT Chairs stressing the importance of this issue. Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB). NHS Trusts are waiting to hear whether the Department of Health will cancel RAB. Its effect, if retained, will be to double any outstanding debt at year end for Trusts, this could mean an additional £2.5M adding to our Recovery Plan for 2007/08 which would be catastrophic for patient services and quality. Car Parking. The Chairman and Mr Parry have submitted a question to the Southport Area Committee meeting which is being held later this evening asking why, despite numerous
discussions between Directors of this Trust and officers at Sefton MBC that the hospital has not been considered on the bus route of the Foul Lank Park and Ride Scheme. Mr Parry expects to receive a response from Councillor Mrs Fearn, Chair of the Southport Area Committee by the end of this week. Mrs Pointon and Mr Byrom will ask the Southport Area Committee to reconsider the bus route to include Southport District General Hospital. 18-Week Target – Mr Parry drew Members attention to the difficult and challenging target the Trust is required to achieve by April 2008. Mr Parry stated it would mean a complete change to the way the Trust provides its services in the future. Detailed work was taking place to ensure targets were met and reports would be produced as soon as possible.
07/19
Finance Directors Report Mr Throp spoke in detail to the Finance Directors Report, summarised thus:• The Trust has achieved and exceeded its 2006/07 target of £5.153m with an expected full year effect of £8.5m. The report, circulated with the Agenda, therefore concentrates on the proposals approved at the December Board to meet the outstanding requirement of £6.4m. These measures have to be effective from 1 April 2007 to achieve the balanced situation required by 31st March 2008, as outlined in the Corporate Financial Strategy produced by the Trust in July 2006. • The Trust has now achieved £5.3m in year compared to the target of £5.2m. The full year effect of all of these schemes is £8.2m. The Trust is continuing right up to year end to identify further savings to overachieve this target. • The financial position at the end of December is unchanged and remains £1.4m cumulatively overspent in year. The Trust is on target to achieve the year end projection of £2.5m in year overspend. Members note the content of the Finance Directors Report circulated with the Agenda.
07/20
Turnaround Directors Report Mr McGarrity spoke to the Turnaround Report, circulated with the Agenda. Members noted the current position on all amber and red schemes highlighted in the Report, in particular Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB), as highlighted by Mr Parry in his Chief Executive’s Report earlier in the Agenda and the Asset Life Review which is receiving negative interest from the Department of Health and the Auditors. Work is taking place on a number of schemes to supplement the schemes already included in the Recovery Plan. Therefore the possibility of moving the central management office is being looked at to allow the space to be used for clinical activity, which if successful, could provide circa £300k savings. Other areas are being explored throughout the Trust which are still at an early stage. The RAB situation was of very great concern and would impact significantly on the Finance Recovery Plan if change to the RAB formula were note made.
07/21
Performance Dashboard Members noted the Performance Dashboard, which provides an update on the achievement of key performance targets. Contained within the Report, circulated with the Agenda is commentary on those key performance targets marked red. As reported earlier in the Chief
Executive’s Report, Mr Clarkson is closely monitoring performance against the A&E 4-hour target.
07/22
Nursing Directors Report – Quarterly Patient Experience Report October to December 2006 Members noted the Patient Experience Report circulated with the Agenda which provides details of patient feedback information obtained from PALS, complaints, surveys and observations/audits. The Trust has seen a reduction in the number of contacts with PALS which can be attributed to the more detailed information provided on the PALS telephone voice mail facility which directs the caller to the correct point of contact and exact service they need. During the period from October to December 2006 there were 157 contacts made to PALS, full details of the information requested is contained within the Report. The number of complaints responded to during the last quarter within the 25 working days time frame was 62%. There are occasions when extensions to the time frame are required and this is usually associated with the multifaceted nature of the complaint which involves a more extended investigative process. As in previous months, the majority of complaints registered were as a consequence of patients and/or relatives expressing dissatisfaction with the level of medial and nursing care provided. The main issues raised were communication, medical diagnosis/procedures, discharge arrangements, standard of nursing care, cancellation of appointments. The number of informal complaints received by the Trust fell at the beginning of the quarter but has risen in subsequent months. However, the numbers of informal complaints continues to be less than the same period last year. The Trust took part in the National Patients’ survey In Patient Survey 2006 which was completed in November 2006, the results are awaited. A survey in Maternity is planned for this year. The Inpatient 2007 survey is expected to take place in the autumn of 2007. Customer feedback forms have been developed and piloted in clinical areas, the results are currently being collated. As a direct result of patient feedback, the Trust has put in place a red-tray system which ensures all meals are placed on a red tray for those patients requiring assistance with feeding.
07/23
Medical Directors Report (a)
Consultant Appraisals in 2006 Members noted the paper circulated with the Agenda which states that as at 31st January 2006, 94% of Trust Consultants have been appraised.
(b)
CHKS Benchmarking 2005/06 CHKS is an independent provider of comparative health care information and improvement services. They provide data analysis and benchmarking systems and quality assurance. Data is submitted to CHKS on a quarterly basis for analysis. A benchmarking report is provided to the Trust every six months which contains recommendations of areas for investigation where the Trust appears to have a significant variation to the peer group. Members noted the report, circulated with the Agenda, which outlines the Trusts Action Plan against recommendations.
07/24
Control of Infection – Capital Allocation During December 2006 each Acute Trust in England was invited to bid to their Strategic Health Authority against a national capital resource established to reduce the incidence of Hospital Acquired Infections. The Trust made a bid for the maximum allocation of £300k. The Trust has now been notified that it will receive an allocation of £275k with resources committed prior to 31st March 2007. Through the Control of Infection Committee and Hygiene Committee the Trust has already planned a number of developments that would generate further improvements in the Trust strategy to combat Hospital Acquired Infections. Consequently with the allocation combined with the remaining capital resource the Trust intends to:• Provide 8 additional single rooms with en-suite facilities. These rooms will be constructed in Ward 11a adjacent to recently established escalation beds. • Provide 3 additional clinical rooms adjacent to CDU. • Reconvert an area of Ward 9A for 5 bed spaces. • Provide an additional single bedroom on Ward 9A. • Introduce micro-fibre cleaning materials. • Improve hospital gel stations. Mrs Pointon was very pleased to note that the Trust has pledged its commitment to hygiene over its financial position.
07/25
Review of Draft Principal Objectives Members noted and APPROVED the draft Principal Objectives for the coming financial year circulated with the Agenda. The Principal Objectives will be cascaded throughout the organisation to form Directors and Senior Managers performance development reviews and will form the principal of papers brought to the Trust Board; they also underpin the Assurance Framework.
07/26
Approve Register of Directors Interests As part of the governance arrangements the Board is required to note the Register of Directors Interests; Members duly noted the Register brought to the Trust Board meeting. The Register is controlled and held by Miss Makinson, PA to the Director of Finance and is available for inspection by all members of the public if they wish to do so. The Hospitality Register is held by Mrs Currie, PA to the Chairman and Chief Executive and is also available for inspection by all members of the public if the so wish.
07/27
Minutes of the Sub Committees
Minutes of the Finance Committee held on 8th January 2007 The Minutes of the Finance Committee held on the 8th January 2007 were noted.
Minutes of the Risk Management Committee held on 15th November 2006 The Minutes of the Risk Management Committee held on 15th November 2006 were noted.
07/28
Any Other Business (a)
Mrs Pointon had requested and received information from the Trust which shows an increase in children attending the Accident and Emergency Department under the influence of alcohol. Mrs Pointon asked what protocols the Trust has to deal with these cases. It was agreed that Mr Iskander would ask Dr Boocock to respond to Mrs Pointon’s concern outside the meeting. Action: Mr Iskander/Dr G Boocock
(b)
Disabled Car Parking Spaces – The Chairman advised Mrs Pointon that plans have been agreed to substitute four general disability spaces for a taxi-rank providing four hackney taxis, which are wheel-chair friendly which will improve access to and from hospital premises for many disabled patients and visitors who do not have their own transport. Sir Ron Watson assured Mrs Pointon that the Trust will monitor through the complaints process, and keep under review.
Date and Time of Next Meeting THURSDAY 8th March 2007 9.30am Boardroom, Southport & Formby DGH
