Agenda item

The Cabinet Member will update the Select Committee on any relevant issues. Select Committee members may ask questions on the update provided.

Councillor Vic Pritchard, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Health & Wellbeing addressed the Select Committee. A copy of the update can be found on their Minute Book and as an online appendix to these minutes, a summary of the update is set out below.

Community Services : Virgin Care Update

·  Workforce

Virgin Care recognise that recent operational issues have had in some cases a significant impact on staff and the Senior Management Teams are ensuring staff are adequately supported and fully equipped to undertake their roles.

The appointment of the Virgin Care Bath and North East Somerset Managing Director post has now been appointed to and will take up post in early November 2017. 

Work is also underway to finalise arrangements for CCG and Council Commissioning Resource in relation to sub-contracted services that will transfer to Virgin Care on 1st April 2018.

·  Transformation

Transformation plans are progressing and all required contractual milestones for Quarter 1 have been met by Virgin Care.

Considering the Whole Person

Virgin Care launched the Citizens Panel in Quarter 1 against a Quarter 2 deadline, the panel aims to be representative, and open to all and focuses on the views of local people, and seeks views, insight and involvement in local health and care services. There are currently 28 members recruited to the Panel and Virgin Care will seek to ensure that year-on-year the number of members increases. The Virgin Care draft Engagement Strategy has also been shared with Commissioners and Community Champions. The launch of the Carers club will take place in Quarter 2.

Work has also commenced in developing a framework by Quarter 4 that delivers a comprehensive assessment that will enable the production of a holistic care and support plan, specific to the individual and based around their personal goals. 

Red Bag Initiative with local care homes

Ten care homes in B&NES are piloting a new initiative whereby residents who need to visit hospital are accompanied by a distinctive red bag, which contains all relevant medical information as well as their personal belongings.

The red bags will stay with the patient for the duration of a hospital visit and contain specific admission and discharge checklists for medical staff to fill out. These lists will help ensure that every member of the medical team receives exactly the same information, and nothing gets misplaced or miscommunicated on the way in or out of hospital.

The initiative is being introduced jointly by the CCG and Bath & North East Somerset Council into initially five nursing and five residential care homes in B&NES. It was first launched in 2016 by Sutton Clinical Commissioning Group and the design of the B&NES pilot has had important input from hospital matrons and palliative care nurses at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust.

Efficient communication helps build good working relationships and working practices between the care home and hospitals, which ensures that a resident’s hospital admission and discharge is also efficient.

The pilot launched in September 2017 and will be reviewed after six months to evaluate how it is working and decide whether the red bags will be introduced into all care homes in B&NES.

The Chair thanked Councillor Pritchard for his update on behalf of the Select Committee.