Issue - meetings

A presentation and discussion item on the South Warwickshire Community Hospital Review.

The Committee received a presentation from Glen Burley, Chief Executive of South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT). The presentation included slides and additional comments on:

·   Background on the strategic review involving the inpatient facilities at Ellen Badger Hospital in Shipston on Stour and the Nicol Unit at Stratford Hospital, a total of 35 beds.

·   Review to date – a timeline of the key stages from May 2021 to present. Reference to the engagement undertaken, including with the Committee. As a result, two additional options were included in the review. There were periodic briefings for the Council’s Portfolio Holder. Reference to more recent stages, including the latest NHS planning guidance which had been included in the review. The SWFT Board had considered and approved recommendations, submitting them to the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), of which he was a member.

·   Options appraisal – details of the five options appraised fully

1. Retain the community hospital bed base ‘as is’

2. Increase the number of community hospital beds

3. Change the type of services provided at community hospitals

4. Reduce beds and invest in community alternatives

5. Retain the community hospital offer but change the location

·   Options appraisal criteria, assessed in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and feasibility.

·   Mr Burley reflected that next week would be the 75^th anniversary of the NHS. Historically, bed rest was seen as part of the treatment pathway, but this was no longer the case. A ‘home first’ approach with ongoing support and care was shown to be significantly better for patients. There would always need to be some inpatient bedded services.

·   Projecting future need – the future bed requirements had been projected by combining usage data and three clinical scenarios around End of Life, Orthogeriatric and Discharge to Assess.

·   The Community Recovery Service. This was part of a national pilot programme to provide capacity and linked to discharge to assess, in the patient’s home. This was going very well and evidenced that the home first approach should drive the way that services were delivered in the future.

·   He touched on the improvements being made in patient flow, benefits for the patient and the economics of this model. The modelling had included the scenarios and the population demographics, with an increasing population and more elderly people. It showed that there was an ongoing need for 19 beds (in one ward), which was less than presently, and he was uncomfortable with that. 

·   Patient access and a postcode analysis which had recently been refreshed. It showed that patient numbers from the immediate locality was very small with only 17 patients from Shipston in the last financial year, comparing to 313 from the Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth areas. This led to the recommendation to locate the beds in the areas of biggest population.

·   Recommendation. This was to increase from 35 - 41 beds in two wards, one located at the Leamington Spa site and one at the Nicol Unit at Stratford Hospital. He considered this was an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7