Agenda item

Consideration was given to a report of the Place Lead, Oldham which provided an update on the progress in the recovery of Elective Care services.

The Committee was informed that in February 2022, NHSE published the Delivery Plan for Tackling the COVID-19 Backlog of Elective Care, a plan that set out a clear vision for how the NHS would recover and expand elective services over the next three years. A central aim was to maximise NHS capacity, supporting systems to deliver around 30% more elective activity by 2024-25 than before the pandemic, after accounting for the impact of an improved care offer through system transformation, and advice and guidance creating an elective care system that would be fit for the future.

Members were informed of the National plan, as was reflected in the locality plan, had a strong focus on improving patient outcomes and their experience of NHS services, delivering against the following key areas:

1.    Make progressive improvements on long waits, with a goal to eliminate waits of over one year by March 2025, and waits of over two years by July 2022.

2.    Reduce diagnostic waiting times, with the aim of least 95% of patients receiving tests within 6 weeks by March 2025.

3.    Deliver the cancer faster diagnosis standard, with at least 75% of urgent cancer referrals receiving a diagnosis within 28 days by March 2024 and return the 62-day backlog to pre-pandemic levels by March 2023.

The ambitions set out in the recovery of Elective Care were important for improving outcomes for patients, but they were still heavily dependent on maintaining low levels of COVID-19, this would enable the NHS to restore normalised operating conditions and reduce high levels of staff absence. The plan required a collective focus to:

·         Increase capacity and separate elective and urgent care provision, while freeing clinicians’ time for new patients and those with the greatest clinical need

·         Prioritise diagnosis and treatment for those with suspected cancer or an urgent condition, and offering alternative locations with shorter waiting times for those waiting a long time

·         Transform the way elective care is provided, including streamlined care and fewer cancellations, and more convenient access to surgical and diagnostic procedures, using digital tools and data to drive the delivery of services

·         Provide better information and support to patients, providing personalised, accessible support to patients whilst they wait, improving outcomes and reducing inequalities in health outcomes.

The Committee was advised that recovering elective services required huge, collective effort from systems and providers. This was not just in hospitals but across the entire health and social care system. The National ask was ambitious, however Oldham locality continued to strive to ensure

continued inroads and improvements and return to, and exceed, a pre pandemic performance position.

Members asked for and received clarification on the following:

·         Rochdale’s usage of A&E. Members were advised that 42% of A&E visits were from none residents, some services were designed to push Rochdale residents to Oldham. This was due to Oldham being the forefront of designing what works for hospitals. The average daily visitors to Oldham A&E had reduced from 400 per day to 250 post Covid. Rochdale was now being utilised for day services.

·         Was there a risk of another Covid-19 pandemic. It was noted that there was huge risks if services did not learn from previous lockdowns. Services were confident that levels would not get to where they were previously due to different thinking and working.

·         Was there a risk of staff not being available. It was noted that all newly qualified student nurses within Oldham had stayed in Oldham. There was confidence that staff levels would not drop and if there was a dip, staff could be sourced from elsewhere. 40% of theatre nurses were agency.

RESOLVED that:

1.    The update on Elective Recovery Progress be noted.

2.    A vote of thanks be passed on to Health Colleagues for all the hard work undertaken.