Issue - meetings

The Board gave consideration to a report which provided an overview of the confirmed ‘Phase 3 Recovery’ Plan within local health and care services that had been prepared in response to the NHS National activity target expectations and targets for dealing with referrals, elective inpatients, elective outpatients, non-elective inpatients, and emergency department attendances. The Plan has been prepared and submitted as part of the Greater Manchester system and considered the actions required under each of the target strands.

Consideration was given as to the realistic ability to deliver on the national targets, and actions either underway or planned for delivery in respect of cancer services; elective activity; primary care and community services; mental health, learning disability and autism services; winter activities; workforce issues; and in addressing health inequalities and prevention were advised.  The core transformation programmes would centre around developing a new model of managing long-term conditions, a new model for urgent care as linked to the Greater Manchester model, and the redesign of local community services.

It was considered that he success of the Phase 3 Recovery Plan would be reliant on robust partnership working; strong clinical leadership and engagement; effective engagement with communities and patients; clear programmes for service redesign and transformation; and good governance, while noting that changes to Covid-19 infection rates and the need to support the management of any outbreaks, as well as potential changes to the future of commissioning, might affect delivery of the recovery plan.

The Board was advised that there was a big focus on the winter period, and that the position with regard to elective surgery was fluid.  There were issues to focus on, such as future provision of mental health services and ensuring that the joint working seen to date in response to Covid was capitalised upon.  It was acknowledged that this would not be an easy plan to implement, and some changes in tack had already been seen.  There was also a lack of clarity on future financial arrangements to consider.  Notwithstanding, the restoration of NHS services and their taking forward on a partnership basis were key tasks.

Looking ahead to Spring 2021, it was stressed that people would need to have had their flu vaccinations by this time as primary care would be required to deliver Covid vaccinations as these came on line: there would not be capacity in the system to deliver both.  Further, as new testing came on-line, it would be necessary to deliver this in order to take infective people out of the system. 

RESOLVED that the report and the Phase 3 Recovery Plan be noted.