Issue - meetings

The Panel considered the report of the Director of Quality and Integration providing an update on the Hampshire Wheelchair Service.

Stephanie Ramsey (Director of Quality and Integration – Integrated Commissioning Unit (ICU)), Donna Chapman (Associate Director System Redesign - ICU), Annette Cairns (Clinical and Quality Director – Millbrook Healthcare Ltd), Lydia Rice (Regional Manager – Millbrook Healthcare Ltd), Steve Trembath (Commissioner - West Hampshire CCG), Georgia Cunningham (Commissioner - Southampton CCG) and Joe Hannigan were in attendance and, with the consent of the Chair, addressed the meeting.

The Panel discussed a number of points including:

·  The performance of the service.  The Panel noted that the figures had shown little improvement since the Panel considered the performance of the service in April 2019.  The Panel explored the reasoning why the introduction of the proposed new measures in April had yet to address the delays in receiving a suitable wheelchair;

·  The complexity of patient pathways through the service.  It was explained that a number of different consultations and appointments would be involved in the provision of a wheelchair that matched a client’s clinical need.

·  Workforce issues where explored and it was explained there was a national shortage of specialist rehabilitation engineers and that opportunities to train existing members of staff were limited;

·  The service redesign to try to reduce the level of bureaucracy. Changes to processes that were being developed to enable specialist staff to focus on service delivery rather than administration.

RESOLVED that:

1)  The Panel are provided with performance data that enables comparisons to be made between the performance of the Hampshire Wheelchair Service and other wheelchair services in England;

2)  Given the shortage of specialist rehabilitation engineers, consideration is given to whether there is the potential for regional, sub-regional or STP led NHS commissioning of training programmes to increase the number of trained specialists in this area; and

3)  NHS Southampton City CCG, and partner commissioners, ensure that the contractual model and specifications for the post March 2021 wheelchair service are flexible enough to enable creative solutions to be developed and appropriate collaboration with other service providers to grow.