Minutes:
Moorfield’s Eye Hospital
Dr Angela Bhan, informed Members that Moorfield’s Eye Hospital planned to move to new premises at King’s Cross, for which a consultation had been launched. Members agreed that this was felt to be advantageous for the residents of Bromley as they would benefit from a new and improved building, and a much easier journey by public transport to get to King’s Cross than Old Street. In response to a question, the Managing Director, Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group said that between 700 and 750 patients were referred by Bromley CCG to Moorfield’s Eye Hospital each year.
Treatment Access Policy
The Managing Director, Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group advised Members that there was a revised Treatment Access Policy, which had been produced jointly by the six South East London CCG’s. It was proposed that there would not be a formal consultation on these changes, but instead a period of engagement. A few local changes had been made to the policy to reflect national evidence based interventions and NICE guidance, which included:
- Stating that micro-suction is suitable for earwax removal
- Not removing bunions for cosmetic purposes
- Adhering to the national ‘pause’ on using vaginal mesh surgery for urogenital prolapse
- Shoulder arthroscopy replaced by decompression
- Bariatric surgery was now a CCG responsibility, which was a move from being commissioned by NHS England
Meeting with King’s / PRUH
Councillor Jefferys informed members that he had attended the King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Council of Governors meeting that afternoon. There had been a change in personnel, with Ian Smith’s role as Interim Chair of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust having ended on 1st March 2019, and Sir Hugh Taylor being appointed to the post for the next two years. Simon Stevens, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NHS England had also taken over responsibility for NHS Improvement, resulting in the body that oversaw finances being under one person.
Sir Hugh Taylor had taken on the position of Interim Chair of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust alongside his existing role as Chair of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, but he had been clear that they were two separate hats, and it was not a takeover. He was aware that there were a number of issues at the PRUH, which he was keen to progress forward, and expressed the need for the closest cooperation with Bromley. With regards to the financial situation, it would be a difficult period with challenging budgets, as there was already an in-year deficit of £145m.
The Chairman noted that the PRUH needed to look at the service being provided to residents, as it was felt that changes were needed. Councillor Jefferys responded that staff surveys had highlighted that staff were feeling down beaten and dealing with incidents of bullying and harassment, which meant that morale was not good. A Member said that when talking to people about the PRUH, perception and reality were very far apart. Some services were considered to offer fantastic levels of treatment and care, but only the negative reports were heard. The Chairman agreed that the clinical care the PRUH provided was, on the whole, very good, but many felt that the people care needed to be improved.
RESOLVED that the issues raised be noted.