Agenda item

The Panel considered the report of the Chairman of Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust providing the Panel with the requested update on Southern Health's progress implementing the improvement plan and feedback from regulators.

Tim Smart, Interim Chair, and Dr Lesley Stevens, Medical Director, of the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust were in attendance and, with the consent of the chair, addressed the meeting.

It was noted that the Trust had, earlier that day, released a media statement that day that detailed the Interim Chair’s intended course of actions.  It was explained that the Board as a whole were currently undergoing a capability review and that the Interim Chair expected that there would be further changes in the near future.  It was also explained that the role of the Chief Executive would be shifting toward focusing on the future strategy of the Trust and away from operational matters.

The Interim Chair outlined plans for the learning disability services within Oxfordshire to be transferred to the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. In addition it was noted that, with the development of the multi-speciality community provider vanguard, the future form of Southern Health would significantly change.

The Panel questioned the Interim Chair on how these plans would align with the action plan set by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and questioned how it was progressing against the targets set.  It was explained that the Trust had so far matched the targets and timescales set out within the Action Plan.

The Chair noted correspondence from Councillor Pope seeking the support of the Panel to a motion of no confidence he had circulated. The Panel continued to echo his concerns over the Trust’s performance.  However, the Panel also noted that measures to improve the performance of the Board, and the Trust overall, were on going and chose not to support the motion at this time, noting instead that the Panel would continue to monitor and challenge the performance of the Trust.

Professor Kingdon, Clinical Services Director for Mental Health in Southampton detailed an urgent briefing that had been circulated to the Panel setting out the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust’s proposed course of action for Antelope House and the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).  It was explained that due to severe staffing shortages Southern Health intended to close the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) based in Antelope House for a period of 8 months.  It is anticipated that this decision will enable the remaining services operated at Antelope House, and elsewhere in Southampton, to continue to operate safely and allow for recruitment processes to deliver the required level of staffing.  The Panel were appraised of the efforts the Trust had taken to work with patients and their families to mitigate the effect of the temporary closure.  It was explained that because the Trust had taken to decision to close down the PICU as the temporary measure, the closure would not count as a substantial change in NHS provision. 

RESOLVED

(i)  That the Panel would continue to monitor the Trust’s progress against the Mazars and Care Quality Commission recommendations;

(ii)  That the Panel noted the temporary closure of the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Antelope House and requested to be kept informed on the progression of plans to reopen the facilities at Antelope House.