Issue - meetings

The Panel considered and noted the report providing an overview of the recovery and restoration activity underway in the Southampton and South West Hampshire system following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Stephanie Ramsey - Director of Quality and Integration, Integrated Commissioning Unit (ICU); David Noyes - Chief Operating Officer, Solent NHS Trust; Joe Teape – Chief Operating Officer, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust; Dr Adam Cox - Divisional Clinical Director, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and Jane Hayward – Hampshire and Isle of Wight Care System were in attendance and, with the consent of the Chair, addressed the meeting.

The Panel discussed a number of points including:

·  How the health care providers are recovering from the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the risks, pressures on their services;

·  Workforce resilience;

·  The effect of the pandemic on numbers of patients: 

o  awaiting routine appointments;

o  needing early help and assistance to prevent the need for more intensive care;

o  public willingness to attend medical settings.  The Panel sought to understand whether reluctance to attend clinical settings during the pandemic had led to an increase in urgent / crisis referrals;

·  Sustainability of funding;

·  How Covid-19 appears to have been a catalyst to deliver changes that were already identified as being required such as:

o  the increased co-operation with service providers;

o  a greater emphasis on treatment outside of the emergency department, in community settings; and

o  the better use of technology. 

The Panel questioned the extent to which the system would revert back to the previous operating methods once the pandemic is over as individual Trust’s focus on their priorities.

·  System resilience with regards to the expected Wave 2 Covid-19 and winter pressures, given workforce concerns; and

·  The long term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the local health system.