Issue - meetings

The Chair welcomed Karen Partington, Chief Executive, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals; Dr Gerry Skailes, Medical Director, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals; Denis Gizzi, Chief Officer, Greater Preston and Chorley and South Ribble CCGs; Helen Curtis, Director of Nursing and Quality for the CCGs, Jayne Mellor, Director of Transformation for the CCGs, Dr. Sumantra Mukerji, Chair of Greater Preston CCG and Jason Pawluk, Our Health Our Care Programme Director, NHS Transformation Unit.

Jason Pawluk presented a report which provided an update from the Our Health Our Care programme on the future of acute services in Central Lancashire. This update described the progress made relating to the formal assurance process required by NHS England with regard to proposals for significant service change (stage 2).

The 13 options for service change for emergency care services for the residents of Chorley and South Ribble and Greater Preston CCGs being considered were distributed and are attached to these minutes.

Jenny Hurley, representing Protect Chorley and South Ribble Hospital from Cuts and Privatisation campaign group made deputations to the committee in response to the report. Jenny stated that the report didn't address downgraded services in other areas of Lancashire and didn’t take into account growing populations in the area. A question was also raised as to why other Hospital Trusts (Blackburn and Wigan) were getting new staff for their A&E departments and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals was not. The deputation requested a full analysis of the impact that a reduction of services would have and full public engagement at all stages of the process.

Members requested clarification on the areas detailed below:

·  In response to a question it was confirmed that the first 'do nothing option' would leave services as they were now; the second option would leave services as they were in conjunction with a transformation of the acute services to improve efficiencies and the third option would increase accident and emergency provision at Chorley and South Ribble hospital to the requirements of a type 1 facility.

·  Members requested assurance that the Our Health Our Care Programme would assimilate with the Integrated Care System (ICS) five year strategy. It was confirmed that the strategy was a set of proposals coming from the Integrated Care System and not a decision from it. However, the Committee was informed that Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were GP membership organisations and any constitutional proposals or request for change (including proposals to merge CGGs) would have to be endorsed by members. It was noted that a proposal to merge the two CCGs (Greater Preston and Chorley and South Ribble) in the central Lancashire area had been recently rejected by the respective CCG boards.

·  Members asked what work was underway to engage with neighbouring health care services and hospitals, outside the central Lancashire area. It was confirmed that the Our Health Our Care Programme maintained a close working relationship with neighbouring CCGs and hospitals and were keen to work closely with them as with all the statutory consultees. NHS  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6