Issue - meetings

To follow

Report ACH21-039

The Committee considered a report providing a summary impact review of the Winter Plans for 2020/21 and details of the priorities and emerging plans for the Winter Plan 2021/2022. The report also included proposals on making the ONE Bromley Discharge Partnership (previously known as the Single Point of Access or SPA) a permanent service.

The Assistant Director for Integrated Commissioning advised that it had been intended for the consultation draft of the Winter Plan 2021/22 to be brought to the meeting, however the NHS funding for the second half of the financial year had only been announced the previous day and Bromley’s allocation would not be known until the following week. The final version would be presented at the October 2021 meeting of the Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee for Members’ comments.

The One Bromley System Winter Plan brought together a single view of how the local health and social care system would proactively manage additional demands felt throughout winter. This year, in addition to the usual winter pressures, the Plan also provided a response to the likely continuing impact of COVID-19 on the local community and health and care arrangements. The Plan and its associated actions were important as there were likely to be further challenging times ahead for the health and social care system in Bromley.

The 2021/22 Winter Plan aimed to deliver on the successful elements of the previous year’s plan, building on specific areas to further strengthen the offer and respond to new emerging needs and system changes. The Plan was being built on five pillars as follows:

1.  Increasing System Capacity

2.  Data Sharing and Escalation

3.  Single Point of Access and Discharge Arrangements

4.  Admissions Avoidance

5.  Communication and Engagement

In response to questions, the Assistant Director for Integrated Commissioning emphasised that pillar number 4 – Admissions Avoidance would be key part of the Plan. The 284 additional GP hours would be provided over the Christmas and New Year period to maintain full capacity throughout this time and avoid admissions wherever possible. With regards to increasing the system capacity, it was noted that unfilled staff posts were a national issue – the system had coped well last year, although the demands on it were expected to be greater this year which again highlighted the importance of admissions avoidance.

A Member asked for clarification regarding the statement made in the report that there had been “a reduction in readmissions month on month, up to as much as 50%”. The Associate Director – Discharge Commissioning, Urgent Care and Transfer of Care Bureau advised that this was a national KPI which monitored whether a patient was readmitted to hospital within 28 days of discharge and compared it to the same month the previous year. The Member suggested that the actual numbers of readmissions should be stated to provide context, and it was agreed that the would be looked at following the meeting.

Members thanked the Assistant Director for Integrated Commissioning for the excellent report provided to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25