Agenda item

Considered – a report by Gary Young, Victoria Binks and Nigel Wells from the Vale of York CCG.

The key points from the presentation are as summarised below:

·         The Vale of York CCG area has been divided into three distinct places for the purposes of this review.  These places were identified following in-depth public consultation

·         There is a national focus on helping patients get the right care, in the right place and at the right time

·         Urgent care services are for those who need medical advice or treatment for a health condition on the same day

·         Patients have said that there are too many confusing options, and that getting urgent care help needs to be made easier

·         In most cases people will access urgent care via their GP or by using the 111 service

·         The pathways into urgent care vary across the three places: a fully integrated Urgent Treatment Centre serving York and the surrounding area; closer working between hospitals and GPs in and around Selby; primary care hubs in Hambleton and Ryedale

·         In December 2020, existing contracts with current urgent care providers were extended to allow a safe transformation during the pandemic

·         There are no fundamental changes to services.  Instead, it is using what there is more effectively.  As such, there is no need to undertake formal public consultation.

County Councillor Chris Pearson asked how the Urgent Treatment Centres and Accident and Emergency services would work together.

Gary Young said that the ambulance crews would assess the patient and decide where the most appropriate care could be given.

County Councillor Liz Colling asked whether it would be possible or desirable to have one contractor delivering all of the urgent care services in the CCG area.

In response, Nigel Wells said that the care provision in the area had been built up in different layers at different points in time.  The changes to care pathways that were being introduced would help make sure that patients access the right care at the right place and at the right time.  This can be achieved without the need for a wholesale recommissioning exercise.

Borough Councillor Sue Tucker expressed her concerns that Vocare, which is commissioned by the CCG to deliver some urgent care services, is a profit making organisation.

Nigel Wells said that Vocare had been a key partner for a number of years and had continued to deliver high quality services.  The focus should be upon the quality of care and not who delivers it.

County Councillor Liz Colling said that large parts of the NHS had been delivered by profit making organisations since its inception. She said that the model of ownership is not the issue.  Instead, it is the outcomes for patients.

Resolved –

1)    Victoria Binks, Gary Young and Nigel Wells to attend a future meeting of the committee and update on the new urgent care pathways and provision, with focus on understanding whether people have changed their behaviour in response to the changes made and any patient feedback.