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April news

Final evidence from NHS Trusts on Fit for the Future

Health care NHS Trusts had their final chance to give evidence and make representations to the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee last week.

The Joint Committee met on April 2 at County Hall, Chichester. Its job is to examine the NHS Fit for the Future proposals by West Sussex and Brighton and Hove Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).

The meeting was a final chance for representations to be made by NHS organisations before the Joint Committee concentrates on producing its final report on the proposals.

Evidence was heard from Andrew Tyrie MP, Chief Executive of the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA) Candy Morris and Chief Executives of West Sussex PCT and Brighton and Hove City PCT John Wilderspin and Darren Grayson.

Representatives from the South East Coast and South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trusts, the Royal West Sussex and Worthing and Southlands Hospital NHS Trusts, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust,  Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust also gave evidence.

Some of the points raised were:

  • Key evidence requested by the Committee has still not been provided, such as a detailed definition from the PCT as to what A&E services will look like under the revised LGH+ model. As the Joint Committee is beginning to finalise its report to the PCT, Members stressed this information was needed as soon as possible.
  • Concerns were raised by Andrew Tyrie MP at the impact on rural areas and the Manhood Peninsula if services at St Richard's Hospital were downgraded.

  • Candy Morris explained that finances of the NHS in West Sussex were much more healthy and therefore that financial constraints were no longer a key driver for the proposed changes. The SHA intends to ensure that the process for deciding how and where services are provided is properly managed.

  • The Joint Committee asked the South East Coast Ambulance Service to provide its current performance figures, as there were concerns about how well target times in rural areas were being met.

  • All the hospital trusts reaffirmed that any change can only be made through joint working between hospitals. It was also stated that changes need to made relatively quickly as the current situation is not sustainable.

  • There was concern among the Joint Committee over when and how changes will be implemented. For example Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust said it would not be ready to take on any additional visitors to A&E if St Richard's was downgraded, until 2011 at the earliest.

Joint Committee Chairman Peter Griffiths said: "Our work will now focus on preparing our final report to the PCT on the Fit for the Future process.

"We would expect this report to be fully taken into account by the West Sussex PCT when they take their key decisions on 7 May and 4 June, to determine the future model and location of hospital services."

The next meeting of the Joint Committee takes place on Wednesday 16 April, at County Hall, Chichester, starting at 10am. This will include an update on the West Sussex PCT review of services in the north east of the county. The Committee will also receive any outstanding information requested and consider its draft final report to the PCTs.

Date : 08 April 2008