- verbal update
Minutes:
Michael Morgan, Interim Chief Executive, Rotherham Foundation Trust, gave a verbal update on the Trust as follows:-
- The Trust had received notification from Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts, that it was in significant breach for both finance and Board governance. It had until 18th March, 2013, to provide a plan to Monitor. The proposed plan was to be considered by the Trust’s Board on 28th February
- The plan would provide initial short term, 1 year, financial turnaround for the organisation. It would also include a 2 and 3 year financial turnaround
- There would then be a period between 18th March and 15th September, 2013, to provide Monitor with a 3 year strategic plan including the 2 and 3 year financial turnaround in much more detail as would be available for the 18th March deadline
- It was anticipated that the team would be in for 8-12 months. There not only needed to be a financial turnaround but also a cultural change that the team specialised in
- There were 2 ways to turn an organisation around – slash and burn or management style that provided for interaction between the various groups i.e. physicians, consultants, nurses etc. The latter enabled a real perspective of the organisational structure and found to provide a much longer term structure
- Outside independent specialists had been brought in to look at the Patient Record Information System. In the short time they had been there, reassurance had been given that they would probably be able to get the system to a point where there was much more functionality for the specialists and clinics where the majority of the problems were located
- The Ward closures had been put on hold for the present time as it had not been seen as an immediate priority. The new Clinical Director for Medicine had met with approximately 20 of the specialist consultants and unanimously arrived at a new work plan scheme for the organisation. The new scheme would become operational as from 18th March. This was a fundamental building block for the Trust and whereby it may be possible to close a Ward in the future
- If it could be helped areas of staffing that affected patients were never the first starting point. The proposed plan would start in the Executive Suite and Corporate overheads. It did not include Estates and certainly did not include Nursing. The 90 day consultation document issued on 14th December, which finished on 15th March, proposed some rebanding of Nursing and it may be that that would continue.
- The Board had approved the hiring of additional nurses – 50 nurses had signed a commitment to start at the Hospital
- There need to be synergy between the Community aspects of the Trust and the Acute Care side
Michael was thanked for his report.
Resolved:- That the Equality Impact Assessments carried out by the Trust be submitted to future Board meetings.