Notes from Northern Local Advisory Committee held on Monday 27 September 2010 at 7.00pm in Northern Office, Patient and Client Council

Present: Trevor Wilson (Chair) Janet Montgomery

Maurice Falls Edna Walmsley

Stanley Henderson Gail Workman

Jackie McNeill (Area Manager)

Apologies: John Moore and Errol Hutchinson

ITEM / ACTION
Notes of Meeting 26/4/10 / Approved
It was agreed that from here on, notes taken at LAC meetings would be distributed to all members within 10 days of the meeting for comment. After which, they would be shared with Head Office for display on the PCC web site.
Matters Arising
Mixed Sex Wards
Appointments System
Infection Control Strategy
Road shows
Community Safety Partnerships (presentations)
Complaints (MLAs)
NICE Guidelines / Following this issue raised by Maurice the matter was taken to Board level. LAC members were informed:
-  Sean is contacting the Northern Trust to establish how many wards are currently ‘mixed’
-  The DHSSPS have issued a protocol stating that any new hospital builds will have individual bays for each patient
-  At the October Board Workshop Martin Bradley (Chief Nursing Officer for the DHSSPS) will be in attendance. LAC members were encouraged to forward questions to Trevor to raise.
Enquiries to establish if the Integrated Elective Access Protocol (issued by DHSSPS), is available for public consultation remain on going. Jackie to progress.
Nothing to report.
This matter was raised at Board level. It was acknowledged that LAC members should have been given more recognition at this event.
LAC members were informed that all ‘Partnerships’ in the Northern area had been wrote to. To date, no organisation has taken us up on the offer to come along and do a presentation on the work of the PCC. Staff are to follow up the reason(s) why no one has availed of this offer.
MLA enquiries are not captured as complaints at Trust level – Jackie to pursue further with the Trust.
Following on from the issue raised by Gail re NICE guidelines on information to be given to patients with a brain injury departing from A&E. Trevor raised this matter with the Board.
Gail provided Trevor with further information pertaining to this matter to take to the Board again.
Concern was also noted re information given to long term patients before they are discharged – they are not always informed to contact the DVLA department.
As the matter relates to a patient safety issue it may fall under RQIAs remit to pursue.
Jackie to contact Kevin Keenan to discuss best way forward. / Sean
LAC members
Jackie
J
ackie
Jackie
PCC Board Update / Due to prior discussion within matters arising – no further update was given.
To promote communication between the PCC Board and the LAC, it was agreed minutes would be issued to Maurice, Stanley and Gail. Everyone else would like to receive e mail notification when minutes are available on the PCC web site.
Local Office Update / Jackie briefed everyone on activity within the Area Office for August 2010 – see attachment.
Membership: Innovative ideas for staff to explore were discussed to increase membership numbers:
-  Contact local Education Welfare Officers to link in with local schools
-  In an effort to increase the number of male representatives, the concept of doing something with taxi drivers was tabled
LAC Workshop (9 September) / LAC members shared their views on the recent workshop. Putting aside the venue, on the whole comments were positive, viewing it as a good opportunity to meet other LAC members and to contribute to the forthcoming guidance on the role of LACs.
Jackie referred to a meeting with Chairs/Vice Chairs and Area Managers taking place the next morning. The aim of such meeting was to further develop the guidance for LAC members. Jackie agreed to update members after this event. / Jackie
Nursing Support - Parkinson’s Disease / Stanley shared with everyone the shortage of Parkinson’s Disease Nurse Specialists in our area. Currently the Northern area only have one PDNS (Causeway area) and this is funded by NI Hospice. A meeting with Northern Board representatives is to take place later next month in an effort to gain funding for a full-time PDNS. Stanley to keep us informed of progress. / Stanley
Any Other Business
Name for PCC Newsletter
PCC Literature
Regional Tuberculosis Group
Date of future meetings
Pritorities for Action Workshop
Meetings now ‘Open’
Area of Interest Forms
Press Article / LAC members had been asked to think of names for the new PCC Newsletter:
§  Your Voice – in health and social care
§  The Patient’s Voice
§  Working with U
Were put forward. Jackie to share these with Fiona.
Leaflets: ‘Working with you’ and ‘Helping you to complain’ were distributed. Members were also notified of posters for their use.
Maurice updated the meeting after representing the PCC on this group. This is a newly established group, set up as the number of TB cases are increasing year on year. Maurice to update the LAC as appropriate.
Apologies were offered after asking members to bring along their diaries as it was felt dates should not be ‘planted’ until after the LAC meeting (being held the next morning). After guidance from Head Office is finalised it was agreed further dates could be scheduled.
Jackie distributed letters to LAC members, highlighting a forthcoming PFA workshop and encouraging attendance.
It was agreed that future meetings would continue to be held in the Northern Office and Cookstown Borough Council office, unless they are not appropriate to accommodate numbers. Members were again asked to consider other facilities that we could avail of.
Outstanding Area of Interest forms were requested from Lyn, Stanley and Maurice. Lyn and Stanley had submitted these forms and Jackie agreed to try and source them. A new form is to be re issued to Maurice.
In an effort to promote the work of the LAC a press article focusing on one issue raised at the meeting is to be released. It was agreed that the article should be based on the need for a Parkinson’s Disease Nurse Specialist in our area. / Jackie
Maurice
LAC Members
Jackie
Jackie
Date of Next Meeting / To be set.