Issue - meetings

The Panel considered the report of the Chief Executive of University Hospital Southampton and the Service Director – Adults, Housing and Communities, providing the Panel with an update on discharges from University Hospital Southampton.

Jane Hayward (Director of Transformation, University Hospital Southampton), Gail Byrne (Director of Nursing, University Hospital Southampton) and Sharon Stewart (Service Lead - Prioritisation, Safeguarding and Initial Response) were in attendance and, with the consent of the Chair, addressed the meeting.

The Panel discussed a number of matters including:

·  The improved performance with regards to discharging Southampton residents from University Hospital Southampton;

·  The difficulties providing home care in some parts of Hampshire;

·  The appointment of domestic care assistants by the hospital to help increase the level of care support for patients who live in parts of Hampshire;

·  Staffing shortages - The Panel were briefed on the hospitals efforts to ensure that the right number of appropriately trained staff were available through a number of recruitment, training and retention practices, including the creation of a skills ladder and the use of NVQs.  It was stated that the hospital continued to value the work of carers;

·  Efforts being employed to safely reduce patients length of stay in hospital by ensuring that they kept as active as possible during their stay.  It was noted that patients tending to stay most inactive when they had visitors and it was hoped to encourage visitors where possible to use the facilities on site to encourage patients to be more active. 

·  That the hospital continued to learn from the examples of other health providers to ensure that best practice was undertaken.

RESOLVED that the Panel noted the ongoing improvements across the system but, given the challenging improvement targets set, the Panel would continue to review performance relating to discharges from University Hospital Southampton.