To appoint a Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee for 2021/2022

The Committee considered appointing its Chair and Vice Chair for 2021/2022.

Resolved:

1. Councillor McLaren (Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council) be appointed Chair of the Joint Scrutiny Committee for Pennine Care Mental Health) Trust, for the 2021/2022 Municipal Year.
2. Councillor Hamblett (Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council) be appointed Vice-Chair of the Joint Scrutiny Committee for Pennine Care Mental Health) Trust, for the 2021/2022 Municipal Year.

Councillor McLaren in the Chair.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Grimshaw, Whitby (Bury MBC), Cosgrove (Oldham MBC), Dale (Rochdale Borough Council), Davies, Foster-Grime, Wright (Stockport MBC), Teresa Smith and Homer (Tameside MBC).

Members are required to declare any disclosable pecuniary, personal or personal and prejudicial interests they may have and the nature of those interests relating to items on this agenda and/or indicate if S106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.   

There were no declarations of interests.

To consider the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held 18^th March 2021.

Resolved:
That the Minutes of the meeting of the Joint Scrutiny Committee for Pennine Care, held 18^th March 2021, be approved, as a correct record.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust to report

The Trust’s Deputy Chief Executive reported that all of the Pennine Care staff had been offered Covid-19 vaccinations. As at 8^th September 2021 87.2% of their staff had had a first dose, whilst 83.3% had had a second dose. Preparations were underway to offer ‘booster jabs’ to staff in the coming months.

Due to ongoing risks associated with Covid-19 many staff, wherever possible, continued to work from home. During the course of the pandemic many staff had been ill due to Covid-19 and there had been one fatality. Ongoing challenges were being reviewed with respect to the appointment and retention of qualified nursing staff.

It was reported, that as at 16^th September 2021, there were nine cases of Covid-19, on the Trust’s wards, which represented an increase from six that was the reported figure in June 2021. Since March 2020 there had been 113 patient deaths, across the Trust’s footprint, attributable to Covid-19.

Resolved:

That the update be noted.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust to report

The Trust’s Deputy Director of Finance updated the meeting on Pennine Care’s current and projected financial position.

The Committee was informed that the funding arrangements for the first half of 2021/22 (April – September 2021), included a nationwide system funds of approximately £336m that had been allocated to all providers to help to support a break-even? position; PCFT’s share of this funding equated to £8.6m of system funding. Nationally, an efficiency target had been set at 0.28%, PCFT’s efficiency target had been set at £3.3m, which w around 3% of total income.

For the second half of 201/22 (October 2021 – March 2022), currently no guidance or systemfinancial envelopes had been issued, negotiations with the Treasury were ongoing but guidance was expected to be published by the end of September 2021. Systems had been advised to plan for efficiencies of 3%.

In terms of mental health funding the Trust was expecting to receive additional income of approximately £10m, from local commissioners and nationally funded programmes. The additional investment was intended to support a range of programmes across Children’s and Young Peoples services as well as across Adult and Older People’s Community and Crisis.

The Trust’s Capital Plan 2021/22 had been approved at £10.2m, £5.9m being financed through the Trust’s own internal resources and £4.3m from central funding (public dividend capital). Central funds were mainly supporting the creation of a Female PICU unit, not currently available to residents within the Trusts footprint.  Internal Funds will be spent replacing ageing estates and ICT infrastructure, phase 2 of implementing the electronic patient record, new accommodation for children and young people’s services in Stockport and completing the single gender accommodation works following the completion of the eradication of dormitories in 2020/21.

The Committee was advised that the Trust’s financial performance was slightly ahead of projections, as at the end of July 2021, with a small surplus of £386k mainly driven by one off service credits against the Trust’s PFI scheme in Tameside. The Trust was on course to deliver a breakeven position by 30^th September 2021, the halfway stage of 2021/2022.

At the end of July 2021 £2.1m has been spent delivering the trust’s ‘Capital Plans’:  £1.4m on the female PICU scheme, £0.25m on the EPR digital schemes and £0.45m on estates schemes. 

The Trust’s efficiency programme was higher than the national requirement which reflected the Trust’s Value Improvement Strategy which incorporated the need to remove legacy costs in corporate functions following the transfer of Community Services.   

In considering the report, a Member requested that a report be submitted to a future meeting updating the Committee on electronic patient records.

Resolved:

1.    That the Trust’s financial update be noted.

2.    That a report be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee, by the Trust’s Deputy Chief Executive, updating Members on progress with regard to the roll-out of electronic patient records across the Trust’s various hospital sites.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust to report

The Deputy Chief Executive updated the Committee on key events and activities which underpinned the performance, generally, of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust. Further to a key recommendation in the Care Quality Commission’s Inspection report the management structure of the Trust was in the process of being refined, meaning that there would be a three person senior leadership team. The Trust had also commenced the redesign of its Corporate Services, with the aim of developing a modern ‘fit for purpose’ corporate services offer. 

Other key issues included:

•      Mobilisation of a Covid-19 vaccination hospital hub for patients and staff, in particular for their vulnerable patient groups;

•      All adult acute wards were now single gender and all dormitory accommodation had been eradicated.

•      Mobilisation of new services such as the neuro-modulation service in Oldham

•      Joining the North West alliance for the mobilisation of the Military Veterans service

•      Established a Learning Disability Research Hub

•      Increased medicines management offer/extension pharmacy opening

•      Recognition for being a diversity champion - Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender + (LGBT+) and achievement of ‘Level 2 Employer Status’ in the Disability Confident scheme. The Trust was working towards becoming a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader.

The Committee considered the presentation in some detail noting and acknowledging the progress the Trust had made, thus far, in respect of the above mentioned issues. The Committee requested that reports be presented to future meetings regarding:

a.    Progress being made in terms of ‘getting to good’ further to the earlier CQC inspection of Trust services

b.    Information relating in further detail to the Trust’s current organisation restructuring operations

c.    The Trust’s proposed Capital Programme

d.    2022/2023 budgets

e.    Covid-19 updates.

Resolved:

1. That the report be noted.

2. That reports in respect of the above items (listed a – e) be submitted to future meetings of the Committee.

To determine dates for future meetings

Resolved:

It was agreed that the next meeting of the Joint Scrutiny Committee for Pennine Care (Mental Health) Trust will be held on Tuesday, 23^rd November 2021, starting at 2.00pm at the Council Offices, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale.