To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting. 

12.1           Members received an update from Councillor Mrs J E Day, the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee, on matters discussed at the last meeting held on 17 May 2016.

12.2           Councillor Day advised that workforce challenges cut across all services and organisations and were impacting on health and social care providers’ ability to meet their targets.  It was therefore important for the Committee to gain a better understanding of this matter and what plans were in place to mitigate the issue.  The Committee would revisit this area to see what progress had been made, particularly with regard to the development of the nursing associate and apprenticeship courses at the University of Gloucestershire. 

12.3           In terms of the 12 month review of the Out of Hours service, Members had been advised that most of the challenges that had been identified at the six month review remained and the service continued to struggle to meet both national and local targets.  Workforce issues again impacted on the delivery of the service and had necessitated the closure of the Primary Care Centres, particularly those in rural areas.  There had been a significant increase in the number of walk-ins to the service which had to be managed alongside those that had come via the NHS111 route; this was a particular issue in Gloucester. It was noted that many of those cases were not urgent and the Committee would continue to closely monitor the service.

12.4           The Committee had also been made aware that there were issues relating to the availability of the Minor Illness and Injuries Unit overnight at Stroud Community Hospital and there had been occasions when it had had to close.  The Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust and the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group had advised that proposals were being developed to address this and would be presented to the Committee at its meeting in July 2016.

12.5           The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee indicated that he also sat on the Gloucestershire Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and he echoed the concerns which had been raised about recruitment and retention to the NHS.  Given the potential growth within the County he had suggested that the NHS Trust and care providers contact developers in order to come up with a strategy for key workers.

12.6           A Member indicated that she had recently visited the Ambulatory Emergency Care department of Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and she had been pleasantly surprised with the efficiency in which she had been dealt with having been assessed and diagnosed on the same day without the need for an overnight stay.  This was a fantastic initiative in her opinion as she felt it would take a lot of pressure off the wards.

12.7           The Chair thanked the Council’s representative for her presentation and indicated that the update would be circulated to Members via email following the meeting.  It was

RESOLVED          That the feedback from the last meeting of the Gloucestershire Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee be NOTED.