Agenda item

Report from the Assistant Chief Executive.

Recommendations:

1.    Cabinet approves the submission of the following recommendations to NHS South Yorkshire / Rotherham Place Board for their consideration andrequests a written response to the Director of Public Health for reporting to a future Cabinet meeting.

a)    That the principle be agreed that responsibility for patient access to primary care is shared between the primary care practices and their patients.

b)    That consideration be given to how all Place Partners demonstrate responsibility to communicate honest wait times, where this information is available, for all health and care services system-wide.

c)    That any trend connecting a practice or GP with excessive delays or Urgent and Emergency Care Centre attendances be analysed, and appropriate action taken.

d)    That consideration be given to how to increase general understanding of how to recognise symptoms as needing medical attention, where to seek help, and within what timeframe.

e)    That Place partners, including the Primary Care Networks (PCNs), consider how to expand general understanding of the wider options when seeking medical advice, with a view to expediting consultation with the most appropriate professional or service to be able to address their need.

f)      That NHS South Yorkshire/Rotherham Place Board give due consideration to enhanced safety-netting to mitigate risks associated with an increasingly patient-led model of care initiation and follow up.

g)    That NHS South Yorkshire/Rotherham Place Board consider how messaging and communications will figure in managing patient expectations around waits in the evolving model of care.

h)    That consideration be given to how Councillors may play an expanded role in signposting and managing expectations among Rotherham residents, as the sector works toward a new model of care which takes account of ongoing resource pressures on health services.

i)      Whereas recruitment remains a limiting factor for expansion of social prescribing, that recruitment to social prescribing roles be prioritised, and consideration given to how to make participation in social prescribing in Rotherham more attractive to professionals.

Consideration was given to the report submitted that summarised the findings and recommendations of the Health Select Commission spotlight review into access to primary care. The review was prompted by insight provided by Healthwatch Rotherham, regarding continued enquiries from residents who were having difficulty accessing GP appointments. 

The report sought approval for the recommendations to be submitted to NHS South Yorkshire / Rotherham Place Board for consideration and response.

Although it wasn’t a large study, Scrutiny took feedback from partners and residents seriously, access to services were a priority of the Health Select Commission and the review took a closer look at the availability of GP appointments.

The review found after speaking to GP representatives and primary care commissioners, that in the recovery from the pandemic, Rotherham’s numbers of appointment rebounded the fastest in South Yorkshire and at the time of the review, there were approximately 5000 GP appointments available across Rotherham every day. There was more work that can be done to address the delays and improve understanding around accessing GP appointments and the report sought the approval for the recommendations to be submitted to South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, in particular Rotherham Place Board.

The recommendations were then proposed

Resolved: That Cabinet

1.    Approved the submission of the following recommendations to NHS South Yorkshire / Rotherham Place Board for their consideration and requested a written response to the Director of Public Health for reporting to a future Cabinet meeting:

a.    That the principle should be agreed that responsibility for patient access to primary care would be shared between the primary care practices and their patients.

b.    That consideration was given to how all Place Partners demonstrated responsibility to communicate honest wait times, where this information was available, for all health and care services system-wide.

c.     That any trend connecting a practice or GP with excessive delays or Urgent and Emergency Care Centre attendances should be analysed, and appropriate action taken.

d.    That consideration was given to how to increase general understanding of how to recognise symptoms as needing medical attention, where to seek help, and within what timeframe.

e.    That Place partners, including the Primary Care Networks (PCNs), considered how to expand general understanding of the wider options when seeking medical advice, with a view to expediting consultation with the most appropriate professional or service to be able to address their need.

f.      That NHS South Yorkshire/Rotherham Place Board gave due consideration to enhanced safety-netting to mitigate risks associated with an increasingly patient-led model of care initiation and follow up.

g.    That NHS South Yorkshire/Rotherham Place Board considered how messaging and communications would figure in managing patient expectations around waits in the evolving model of care.

h.    That consideration was given to how Councillors may play an expanded role in signposting and managing expectations among Rotherham residents, as the sector worked toward a new model of care which takes account of ongoing resource pressures on health services.

i.      Whereas recruitment remained a limiting factor for expansion of social prescribing, that recruitment to social prescribing roles be prioritised, and consideration given to how to make participation in social prescribing in Rotherham more attractive to professionals.