Agenda item

The Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care System is developing a joint all age strategy for Palliative and End of Life Care, on which the Committee’s formal support and endorsement is sought.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care System (C&WICS) was developing a joint all age strategy for Palliative and End of Life Care, on which the Committee’s formal support and endorsement was sought. At its meeting on 27 September, the Committee received a comprehensive presentation and report on this matter. Kathryn Drysdale from the C&WIC Board was in attendance to respond to any further questions from the Committee.

The Committee was asked to approve the recommendations shown in the document pack, specifically to give its support to the final version of the five-year strategy and associated two-year delivery plan for the strategy.

The following questions and comments were submitted, with responses provided as indicated:

• Several members raised concerns about the shortage of care staff to fulfil the aims of the strategy. This was a significant project requiring considerable investment. Kathryn Drysdale acknowledged the concerns. A system approach would be taken to look at the workforce requirements, planning and having clear pathways to make the most efficient use of staff. There was not yet an identified funding stream. She touched on some of the ways the system might work differently, with a needs analysis, assessing the costs of someone going into hospital against using a community care option. It was not yet possible to give a clear answer on the two key questions of staff and budget, but examining individual aspects and then designing a system approach would show how this could work more effectively. An example was provided of the palliative and end of life care options being implemented in the north of the County.
• Members questioned how this could be taken forward without the resources or staffing to achieve the strategy aims. Staff were already stretched, and it was anticipated that the shortage of carers would place even more pressure on them.
• Members acknowledged the aspirational but challenging proposals without the allocation of additional funding. As well as needing frontline staff, additional resources would be needed to undertake a data gap analysis. A concern was frontline resources being redeployed to do this work, impacting on service delivery. The concerns raised at the previous meeting remained.
• Clarification was provided on the reasons why this item had been resubmitted, to assess whether the Committee was supportive of the strategy and associated delivery plan.
• Members had found the documents easy to read and informative. The services provided currently were very good and it was questioned what would be changed as a result of the strategy. Kathryn Drysdale agreed that the services provided were excellent. There was no intention to change service levels, but to work more effectively in shaping the pathway of care and provide a range of options for palliative and end of life care. The current arrangements worked for many people, but there were some underserved communities.
• A point about choice and preference at the end of life. Some people did not have close family. In the north of Warwickshire, there was no bedded end of life care provision. Kathryn Drysdale noted this point, and this was part of the work being explored to seek to address such gaps.

Resolved

That the Committee supports the final version of the Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy 2023-2028 and the associated two-year delivery plan for the strategy.