Ted Wilson, Group Director, and Dr John Pettit, GP Executive Member for Malmesbury from Wiltshire’s North and West (NEW) Clinical Commissioning Group will be in attendance to discuss how they will be commissioning health care in order to meet local needs. There will be an opportunity to ask questions.
Minutes:
Ted Wilson, Group Director, and Dr John Pettit, GP Executive Member for Malmesbury (and Malmesbury GP) were both in attendance from the North and West Area of the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Ted outlined the role of the CCG as the clinically lead commissioning service for healthcare, with decisions made by representatives of the local area, focussing on local service requirements. Ted discussed the CCG’s objectives and priorities, with primary focus on developing a service that provides more care to people at home. This would allow for specialist services and treatments to be more effectively managed through hospitals.
Ted discussed the key priorities of the CCG, making reference to the support afforded to partnership agencies and arrangements. The reform of service delivery was said to be built around the CCG’s community transformation programme, designed to provide a better standard of healthcare.
Dr Pettit talked about the improvement in access to mental health support. They had inherited a service which included 11 month wait times, but by looking at their approach differently and using other health workers patients were now only having to wait 4 weeks.
More funding had also been put into urgent care at both Royal United Hospital and Great Western Hospital
Dr Pettit discussed his role as a voluntary representative on the CCG, and assured the Area Board that his role would not be detrimental to his primary role as a GP. Dr Pettit represents GP colleagues and patients in the area, and stated that GP’s would have a say in decision making, and would directly reflect the needs of their patients. Dr Pettit mentioned that one of the biggest challenges for the CCG would be to tackle the complex care arrangements for elderly patients, and stated that the community transformation project would help to reform this system. They recognised that there was a need to manage patients in a more holistic manner. Dr Pettit also talked about plans to introduce a single point of access for all healthcare professionals which would assist complex care arrangements.
John asked about how the CCG would engage with information sharing in future and Ted stated that the CCG would be open to presenting or providing information to the Area Board in future. Kim Power, Malmesbury Town Council asked how the CCG would develop local services in future, and questioned the possibility of a minor injury unit returning to Malmesbury. The future of the Minor Injuries Unit was confirmed as being a topic for consideration by the CCG and that Orthopaedic and Dermatology clinics were also being considered. It was confirmed that grass roots issues would drive the clinical commissioning process.
John then asked how the CCG would be involved with the Area Board as part of the Joint Strategic Assessment process. Ted and John stated that the CCG would be keen to liaise with the Area Board as part of the JSA Event in 2014.
A brief discussion was had relating to emergency appointments with GP’s, which resulted in Dr Pettit confirming that around 50% of all emergency appointments at GP clinics are made on the day.