Agenda item

The Sub-Committee is provided with an update on the ongoing integration journey for its information.

The Sub-Committee considered a report which provided an update on the ongoing health integration programme in the borough. The report was introduced by the Joint Croydon Health Services Chief Executive and Place-Based Leader for Health, Matthew Kershaw, during which it was confirmed that the next phase of the integration programme would commence from 1 April 2020.

From April the newly merged South West London Clinical Commissioning Group (SWCCG) would go live, along with the introduction of the Committee in Common between SWCCG and the Croydon Health Services NHS Trust (CHS) which would be chaired by Mike Bell and Agnelo Fernandes. There would also be a shadow Health and Care Board established, which would include representation from the care sector, prior to the launch of a full board in 2021. The introduction of the Health and Care Board would follow a phased approach with representatives from the Adults service involved in the first instance before expanding to include representation from Children services.

Reassurance was given to the Sub-Committee that GPs were on board with the proposals and were working closely with others to develop the integration programme as it progressed, building on the work of the One Croydon Alliance. It was also highlighted that approximately 80% of GP’s in the borough had voted in support of the SWCCG proposals.

Regarding the ongoing consultation over the Improving Healthcare Together proposals that would affect acute care provision at Epsom, St Helier and Sutton Hospitals, it was highlighted that Healthwatch were planning to hold a community meeting later in March to discuss the potential impact upon people in Croydon.

The CHS response to the consultation had been based upon modelling of the three proposed options, which had indicated that should the acute site be located at St Helier the impact would be largely neutral, if it went to Sutton it would slightly reduce demand, with the biggest impact arising if the service was located at Epsom, which would require additional resources to build capacity at the Croydon University Hospital.

It was confirmed that the Vice-Chair was due to attend a meeting of the South West London & Surrey Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Sub-Committee on Improving Healthcare Together and would be able to report back at the Sub-Committee’s next meeting on 21 April 2020.

It was advised that the three aims of the Integration Programme were to deliver effective services that delivered outcomes for residents, efficient services that made the most of existing resources across health and care including the possibility of transferring resource between organisation, and ethical services that placed the NHS as an anchor institution influencing regeneration and tackling health inequalities in the borough.

In summarising the item the Chair noted that given the importance of the integration programme to the provision of both health and care in the borough, it was agreed that the Sub-Committee would need to continue to monitor its implementation throughout 2020-21 to ensure that the new governance arrangements were working and that improved outcomes for residents were being delivered.

Conclusion

At the close of the discussion of this item the Sub-Committee reached the conclusion that given the importance of the Integration Programme to the provision of both health and care in the borough, it would be important to have a standing item at each meeting in 2020-21 to provide an update on the latest position on the implementation of the programme.