To note any declarations of interest.

The following personal interests were declared:

·         Councillor Lloyd declared a personal interest as an employee of the Stroke Association based at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust.

·         Councillor Bruer-Morris declared a personal interest as a practice nurse at a GP practice in Manchester.

Representatives from Trafford CCG and UHSM will be in attendance to provide an update to the Joint Committee on progress. This will include

·         The impact of the New Health Deal for residents of Manchester and Trafford

·         Progress in dealing with winter pressures

·         Progress report from the Senior Management Team of UHSM on developments at the Trust

·         Progress report on the A & E capital investment

An update on the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust is attached.

The Committee welcomed Attila Vegh, CEO, University Hospital of South Manchester (UHSM) NHS Foundation Trust; Silas Nicholls, Chief Operating Officer, UHSM NHS Foundation Trust; Dr Nigel Guest, Chief Clinical Officer, Trafford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG); Gina Lawrence, Director of Commissioning and Operations, Trafford CCG and Jessica Williams, NHS England.

Mr Nicholls informed the Committee that UHSM narrowly missed the 95% Accident and Emergency (A&E) target in Quarter 3 of the 2014/2015 year, achieving 91.95%. He advised that the levels of patients from Trafford attending UHSM are in line with expectations, but admissions were higher than expected. At UHSM there has been a 20% increase in those attending in the higher illness category amongst over 75 year olds, and a 24% increase of those attending with respiratory problems. The Committee noted the information and asked if the figures are available regarding the number of readmissions. Mr Nicholls advised these figures are collated and they can be made available for members of the Committee.

Mr Nicholls further advised that the Trust had identified key areas to improve and manage patient flow; these include Internal Processes within the Trust, Increased Intermediate Care Support and increased Social Care Capacity. Mr Nicholls advised that to address the issue of Delayed Transfer of Care for those patients who are medically fit but require care packages to be in pace to allow them to safely return home, Trafford CCG and Social Services have addressed this by allocating a dedicated Social Worker in the Hospital and they have developed a more flexible approach to buying care packages.

In response to a question from a member regarding the increase in presentations of chronic respiratory problems amongst the over 75 year olds Mr Nicholls advised that work is ongoing to address this. He stated that proactive work is being undertaken with both nursing and residential care homes so that those residents who are identified as being at risk receive the correct care and management of their condition to prevent it from escalating. Ms Lawrence informed the Committee that this is one aspect of the work undertaken as part of the proactive Geriatric Outreach Service. This service had been designed so that nurses can monitor residents of both residential and care homes to identify issues and then liaise with GPs and Consultants where necessary to effectively manage their condition. Dr Guest stated that this co-ordinated approach of the Geriatric Outreach Service is very important and will include the co-operation of GP’s, Pharmacists and Physiotherapists.

Ms Lawrence advised the Committee that there is an issue regarding Nursing Homes in the Trafford area. She stated that whilst there are enough beds in Trafford they are significantly more expensive than neighbouring areas. To address this, the CCG are seeking to attract more quality providers into the area to help increase competition and offer a more competitive cost. She further advised that whilst Trafford had experienced an increase in demand for care packages, this has been compounded due to the lack of providers able  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.