Agenda item

To receive an update including and overview of the Integrated Care System, as well as an update on the local Primary Care Network and proposals for a new medical practice.

Fiona Slevin-Brown, Place Director for Wiltshire at the Integrated Care Board and Jo Cullen, Director of Primary Care, from the Integrated Care Board delivered a wide-ranging presentation about health provision in the local area. They gave a brief overview of the Integrated Care System, explaining that it was established to better join up health and care services. 

During the discussion, points included:

·       The Area Board thanked the directors for their update.

·       They were informed that a Primary Care Network was a group of GP practices working together with other health and social care organisations to provide integrated services to the local population.

·       In response to queries about the impact of an increasing population on service provision, the directors explained that GP surgeries were funded according to their registered population. The role of the Integrated Care Board was to understand the views of the local population about how they accessed services and to co-ordinate service provision across the area.

·       It was noted that were economies of scale that could be achieved within a Primary Care Network by working closely together.

·       In response to reservations from Cllr O’Neill about whether Patford House Partnership joining the proposed Primary Care Network would help to improve services, given previous challenges, the directors stressed that the focus would be on patient outcomes across the network and bringing professionals together. 

·       When asked by representatives from Calne Town Council about the timeline for the proposed new medical practice in Calne, the Director of Primary Care stated that she hoped to bring some positive news soon. She noted that plans for the new centre needed to be assessed in the context of service provision across the area and were therefore related to plans for the Primary Care Network.

·       Alan Hill from Calne Town Council said he would welcome further collaboration between the Patford House Partnership and the Integrated Care Board in delivering the new medical centre.

·       The Place Director emphasised that forming a Primary Care Network would help to unlock funding from central government and support the business case for a new premises.

·       Emmy Butcher, the Managing Partner at Patford House Partnership, explained that the original business case for the proposed centre was approved before the Covid-19 pandemic and that projected costs had increased by 40 percent since then. It would be necessary for Patford House Partnership to bring a revised business case to the Integrated Care Board.

·       Huw, from Northlands Surgery Patient Participation Group, expressed concerns about the direction of the project to deliver the new medical centre. The Manging Partner at Patford House Partnership reassured the Area Board the Patford House were working closely with their builder to submit a revised business case to the Integrated Care Board and that a project manager was in place.

·       It was noted that Patford House had submitted two business cases to the Integrated Care Board, but they had not met the criteria required by NHS England. The Place Director emphasised that the business case was not being delayed pending a wider strategy and that it would need to be assessed through the District Valuer Service, a nationally run body independent of the Integrated Care Board.

·       Alison Ingham, Practice Manager at Northlands Surgery, highlighted that they were facing lots of pressure given the volume of patients at their practice and challenges caused by the pandemic. She noted that decisions about a possible extension at Northlands would have to be taken in the context of provision across the wider area, as a band new practice could impact their number of patients in the longer term.

·       Details were sought about dental services for children. It was noted that oral health was a priority for the Integrated Care Board and that schemes were being run for supervised toothbrushing. Furthermore, work was being done to ensure that Children Looked After had access to dental services.

·       Further information was sought about the support on offer for children with autism.