Date of meeting: 25 August 2016

From: Jo Finn, Lay Member responsible for leading on Patient and Public Engagement

Report Title: Community Engagement Group - Lay Member Report

  1. Financial position

The CCGs opened the public debate about proposed changes to health services in Suffolk with a joint press release on 18 July. The public were notified that we want to ask their views on two proposals:

  • Reducing access to In Vitro fertilisation. Currently the CCGs fund up to two cycles of treatment and the proposal is to restrict it to one cycle or no cycles
  • To focus the Marginalised and Vulnerable Adults (MVA) services in the Ipswich area, where most of those who use the service are located.

Views are invited to be made to the CCG online, in writing, or face-to-face at a series of engagement events in the patch over the period 19 July to 7 September. 2 focus groups are being held specifically to discuss the MVA service, on:

  • 12 August from 14:00 – 16:00 at the Burton Centre Haverhill
  • 7 September from 10:00 – 12:00 in Bury St Edmunds.

CEG members are recommended to attend at least one of the engagement events if possible

  1. Practice Participation Groups

By the time of the CEG meeting two further PPGs will have been visited, bringing our total met as part of this initiative to four. The Woolpit surgery was visited on 13 Julyand the Haverhill Family Practice will be visited on 17 August. There appears to be good potential to develop constructive relationships with the public through the meetings. Practice websites are quite helpful.

  1. Patient Revolution Events

Jonathan Ford will report on the themes identified from the fourth Patient Revolution events on 29 June 2016

  1. Meeting with IESCCG Community Engagement Partnership

The Chairman and I joined the Community EngagementPartnership meeting, the equivalent to the CEG inour neighbouring CCG on 8 August. Isabel Cockayne had suggested that there were a number of items of business on their agenda which were applicable also to West Suffolk. Little notice was possible so unfortunately other CEG members who were invited could not attend.

Issues of common interest were:

  • Update on CCGs
  • Discussion on swapping SIP feeds (fortified drinks for those who struggle to heat proper food) with home cooked and fortified foods in Care Homes
  • Sustainability and Transformation Plans across the public sector – the financial model has to be submitted by 16 September 2016 and the final plan 21 October 2016. The STP for our area is slightly more challenging than many because it must include North East Essex which is relatively new territory to be included. Richard Watson, who presented to the meeting about the Sustainability and Transformation Plan will likewise address the CEG in the near future.
  1. Clinical Oversight Group

The Clinical Oversight Group is looking for active community engagement on clinical policy development and is suggesting a briefing/seminar on the roles of the Clinical Oversight Group and the Individual Funding Request Panel. This has received a positive response and dates will be proposed shortly. Members who would like to join the team of trained reps from West Suffolk or just find out how they fit into the system please notify Jonathan Ford.

  1. Annual reporting on patient and public participation

Guidance has been received from NHS England about the legal duty to involve patients and the public in Commissioning. It has been the intention of the West Suffolk CCG to integrate PPE in all that we do, and our reporting mechanism of choice has been through the CCG’s Annual Report and the report given at the Patient Revolution event. We will review our approach in the light of the guidance to determine how to further improve our reporting to the public.

  1. Equality Impact Assessment/Quality Impact Assessment

The CCGs for West and Ipswich and the East Suffolk have established a temporary mechanism for assessing the impact of proposed changes on the quality and equality issues for the services concerned. Draft terms of reference are in development.

Jo Finn

Lay Member Patient and Public Engagement

11 August 2016

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