Item 10.5 Patient Focus and Public Involvement of 20 August

NHS GRAMPIAN

Minute of Meeting of the Patient Focus Public Involvement Committee held on Wednesday 20 August 2008

in the Conference Room, Summerfield House at 10.30am

PRESENT

Mrs Elizabeth McDade, Non-Executive Board Member (Chair)

Mrs Jane Adam, Lay Member

Mrs Rosemary Chesson, Acting Chair, Partnership for Carers Research

Dr Roelf Dijkhuizen, Medical Director, NHS Grampian

Mrs Maggie Emslie, Senior Communications Officer (Public Involvement)

Mrs Laura Gray, Director of Corporate Communications

Mrs Heather Kelman, General Manager, Aberdeen City CHP

Mr Charles Muir, Non-Executive Board Member

Ms Liz Tait, Clinical Governance Co-ordinator and Team Leader (videoconference)

Joanne Riach – Public Health representative

ATTENDING

Ms Josie Giffney, Local Officer, Scottish Health Council

Mr Christopher Third, Local Officer, Scottish Health Council

Mr Steve Graham, Local Advisory Council Member, Scottish Health Council

Item /

Issue

Action

1 /

WELCOME AND APOLOGIES

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Apologies were noted from Elaine Brown, Nigel Firth, Wilma Forrest, Anne Inglis, Bill Howatson, Gordon Stephen, Celia Gardiner, Eleanor Murray, Jane Ormerod, Jack Stuart, Anne Brockman and Rosie Gauld, Judith Hendry
2 / MINUTE OF MEETING HELD ON 23 JANUARY 2008
The Minute of Meeting held on 23 April 2008 was approved.
3 / MATTERS ARISING
3.1 PwC PFPI Committee Evaluation Workshop
The audit report has drawn the Committee’s attention to nine consideration points. The Committee accepted the audit report and noted progress made to date. A revised remit will be brought to the next meeting with a further progress report on action points.
4 / PFPI ACTION PLAN 2008 – 09
Final revised version approved.
5 / PATIENT EXPERIENCE
5.1 Patients Rights Bill consultation update
An announcement about the proposed Patients Rights Bill has been delayed by the Scottish Government Health Directorate. It is anticipated the Bill will introduce proposals for a new patient’s charter and requirements for Boards to produce ownership reports. A programme of public consultation on the draft Bill will be needed.
5.2Independent Advice and Support Service – annual report and national review
The first annual report covering the first year of IASS Service had been prepared by the CAB Consortium. IASS provides walk-in services at its Bureaux in Peterhead, Elgin and Aberdeen with telephone access through a single telephone number. The report was endorsed subject to a request for further information from the IASS about access for different client groups, in particular for people from inequalities groups. An independent external evaluation is being conducted nation-wide with Grampian one of the Board areas selected to run a focus group for NHS Managers and staff with an interest in information and advice services.
5.3NHS Event
Six posters from NHS Grampian had been entered and accepted for the NHS Scotland Conference. These celebrated work on:

GP booklet for ethnic minority groups

Stop, Gel Go

NHS News

Religions and cultures information booklet

Breast screening for Orkney patients

Lay Involvement in cleaning standards audits

This latter poster won an award. All posters will be displayed at the Annual Review and ARI concourse.
6 / PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND CONSULTATION
6.1 Consultation Template
An updated table listing all current national and local public consultation topics was circulated. Two projects were highlighted:

Creating the shape of Primary Care in Aberdeen City - This is a 3 year programme to address issues with GP recruitment, the skill mix of primary care staff and issues relating to the location and fabric of GP surgeries. There is a need to address the future needs of population growth and patterns of new housing developments. Funding for a dedicated PFPI worker to support this programme has been agreed reflecting the importance of ensuring the public are consulted and involved in the redesign programme.
Emergency Care Centre – This development has received Scottish Government approval to proceed to Full Business Case stage. There has been ongoing public involvement in this project. An Open Day is planned for Tuesday 30 September at Satrosphere Centre in Aberdeen. This will be an opportunity to present the overall master plan for Foresterhill and gather views and feedback on the plans for the Emergency Care Centre.

6.2 Identifying Major Service Change – criteria to consider
The Scottish Health Council has developed a draft set of criteria which aims to assist discussion and decision-making about whether a planned redesign project should be deemed “major service change” and if so, whether a formal public consultation and ministerial approval would be required. Views on the draft criteria developed in consultation with Health Boards and public/voluntary sector groups are sought.

The Committee agreed in principle that the checklist questions are a good idea which will provide an auditable route to record and justify decisions about service change proposals. There is a concern that introducing another stage to a development proposal could led to delays but the checklist has the potential to be helpful. It is not possible to produce a definitive set of criteria that would satisfy all potential variations in service change, therefore all decisions are likely to be subjective. It is essential to ensure full dialogue with Scottish Health Council and Scottish Government about NHS Grampian’s change proposals. Members of the Committee are concerned about “consultation fatigue”, particularly for groups like Community Councils.

6.3 Public Partnership Forums update
Good progress is being made across all CHPs. A development day hosted by the Scottish Health Council for PPFs is being held in Inverurie on 21 August 2008. A report will be brought to the next meeting.
6.4 PwC Public Involvement Report
The Audit Committee had commissioned an internal audit report to provide assurance that the Board’s public involvement systems were in place and working effectively. The designated Director and Public Involvement officers are taking steps to address the report’s recommendations. The Committee accepted the report and requested a further progress report for the next meeting.
7 / PATIENT, PUBLIC AND CARER INFORMATION
7.1 Carers Information Strategy Update
The Board’s Carers Information Strategy received Scottish Government approval on 11 August 2008. A number of initiatives are being rolled out including a training programme. A Carers Information Point is being developed for the ARI Concourse area.
7.2 MRSA Screening
The MRSA Screening Pilot Communication Plan had been circulated. Mrs Emslie confirmed that information leaflets had been sent to all libraries. Dr Dijkhuizen reported that screening commenced on 1 August and around 4% - 5% of patients admitted are found to be MRSA positive.
The employment of dedicated screening technicians is enabling staff to provide a patient centred screening service with screening staff able to spend time explaining MRSA screening process and answering patients’ concerns.
8 / EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
8.1 Racial Equality Action Plan 2007/078 outcomes report
The Equality and Diversity Manager, Mr Nigel Firth, gave a progress report on the Racial Equality Action Plan. NHS Grampian is making improvements in the areas highlighted by ethnic minority groups notably in the availability of translated information materials, interpretation services and communication issues. The Committee welcomed this progress report.
8.2 Racial Equality Working Group meeting note
Noted
8.3 Disability Equality Action Plan 2007-08 - Outcomes
Members of the Disability Access panels are specially trained to
carry out access audits and are assisting NHS Grampian with work
on improving wayfinding, positioning of information signs. A pilot is
underway to enable people with physical disabilities to use the
hydro-therapy pool at Woodend Hospital during the evenings and at
the weekends.
8.4 Disability Discrimination Act Working Group note of meeting
Noted
8.5 New NHS Grampian Race Equality Scheme 2008 – 2011
arrangements for involvement and consultation with local ethnic
communities
A new race equality scheme is being consulted on. An event held at
Peterhead involving NHS, Police, Local Authority and Community
Safety Groups was held for local ethnic minority groups. The event had
simultaneous translation into 5 community languages and enabled
people to have their say on a range of public and community services.
9 / ADVOCACY AND VOLUNTEERING
9.1 Grampian Independent Advocacy Group
It was noted that the Grampian Independent Advocacy Group had been reconvened and was undertaking a stock-take of the current position across Grampian as well as dialogue with the national team. Unfortunately Sharon Duncan who was to be leading on this work had been on sick leave for some weeks and the next meeting of the GIAG was likely to be postponed.
9.2 Investors in Volunteering for NHS Boards
The Committee noted that a report had been prepared for the Operational Management Team in relation to the Refreshed National Strategy on Volunteering and an NHS Grampian response to this work and the requirement to achieve Investors in Volunteers Standard by April 2011. It was noted that a working group was to be established involving the Voluntary Services Co-ordinator and chaired by Laura Gray.
10 / LEARNING, DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT
10.1 Staff Learning and Development Group
The group has met recently and has identified the need to revisit its membership to ensure greater clinical representation from all sectors. The group has an important role to focus on staff training on all aspects of PFPI. Mrs Chesson highlighted the need for good leadership and role models particularly to address issues of staff attitude. Dr Dijkhuizen reflected that several initiatives provided the opportunity to use existing mechanisms to address staff attitudes, e.g. medical staff hand washing – medical staff often question the evidence of effectiveness of hand washing in infection control measures which may be in contrast to other staff and the public’s expectations about Handwashing. Separate courses about staff attitudes are not always the answer to address attitudinal issues. The Knowledge and Skills Framework is helping to draw staff attention to PFPI issues.
10.2 Training Update
The in-house PFPI course is proving very popular with staff and will be run on 4 dates in 2009. The PI officers also run sessions for staff on request. A course is planned for Moray staff next year.
10.3 PFPI Self Assessment 2007-08
The final PFPI self assessment report, verified by the Scottish
Health Council, was noted.
10.4 Scottish Health Council Assessment 2008-09
A different process and framework for the self-assessment report for 2008-09 has been introduced.
Following consultation with Public Partnership Groups, six projects have been identified as a priority for the 2008-09 Cancer Centre, Patient Safety and Stop Gel Go, Smoking Ban, Dental Health Action Plan, MRSA Screening and Dr Gray’s Blue Print.
The Scottish Health Council is compiling a development report to support our work on these 6 projects.
A public group is meeting again in October to assist with reviewing progress with the 6 projects. The Committee noted the PFPI action plan for the 6 projects.
10.5 Management Review of Scottish Health Council
An external independent management review is being conducted to
review the Scottish Health Council’s role and function in the first 3
years since its inception. Focus groups and an online survey are
being used to gather information from NHS Boards.
11 / ITEMS FOR INFORMATION
11.1 Annual Review Meeting
Arrangements for the Annual Review on 28 August 2008 are well in
hand. A group of patients/public members are due to meet with the
Cabinet Secretary. The public has been invited to submit questions to
be answered by the Cabinet Secretary.
12 / OTHER COMPETENT BUSINESS
None
13 /

DATES FOR MEETINGS 2009

All 10.30 – 13.00 in Summerfield House
Wednesday 4 February, Conference Room
Thursday 14 May, Seminar Room
Wednesday 19 August, Seminar Room
Thursday 12 November, Seminar Room
14 / DATES OF MEETINGS FOR 2008
Wednesday 12 November 2008 at 10.30 am – Lochead Day Hospital Meeting Room, Royal Cornhill Hospital.