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Delivering quality health care for Hertfordshire

A presentation for the Hertfordshire Health Scrutiny Committee

12 June 2007

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Introduction

Stuart BloomChair, West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust

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Context and consultation proposals

Anne WalkerChief Executive

East & North and West Hertfordshire PCTs

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Investing in your Health Key principles agreed in consultation (2003)

• No change was not an option• Support for two acute

hospitals in Hertfordshire (from four)

• Support for local care, more investment

• Support for concentration of specialist services

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IIYH decisions not being revisited

IIYH decisions being revisited

IIYH decisions being clarified

Shift of services to primary care

Location of an acute hospital in east and north

Hertfordshire

Location of urgent care centres in Hertfordshire

Watford as an acute siteLong-term location of a

Surgicentre in west Hertfordshire

The nature of the services to be provided on the

non-acute sitesHemel Hempstead as a non-acute site Provision of acute

children’s services in west Hertfordshire

Surgicentre at Lister

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Consultation proposals – acute hospitals

For East and North Hertfordshire NHS TrustThe centralisation of acute services at either the QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City or the Lister Hospital in Stevenage. The NHS preferred option is consolidation at the Lister Hospital.

For West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust• The long-term location of an NHS Surgicentre at either St Albans City Hospital or Hemel Hempstead General Hospital. The NHS preferred option is St Albans.

• The centralisation of paediatric emergency services and paediatric day surgery services at Watford General Hospital.

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Consultation proposals –primary care

For East and North Hertfordshire & West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trusts

• The commissioning of two local general hospitals to provide substantial centres of care for local communities in Hemel Hempstead and either Welwyn Garden City or Stevenage.

• The establishment of urgent care centres to provide emergency care access for about two thirds of patients who currently attend an A&E department.

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The consultation process

Lynda DentPublic Engagement Lead

East & North and West Hertfordshire PCTs

Sarah BrierleyDeputy Director -Strategic DevelopmentEast & North Hertfordshire NHS Trust

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Consultation has been designed in line with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on consultation

1. Consult widely throughout the process, allowing a minimum of 12 weeks for written consultation at least once during the development of the policy

2. Be clear about what your proposals are, who may be affected, what questions are being asked and the timescale for responses

3. Ensure that your consultation is clear, concise and widely accessible

4. Give feedback regarding the responses received and how the consultation process influenced the policy

5. Monitor your organisation’s effectiveness at consultation, including the use of a designated consultation co-coordinator

6. Ensure your consultation follows better regulation best practice, including carrying out a Regulatory Impact Assessment if appropriate

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1. Consult widely throughout the process, allowing a minimum of 12 weeks for written consultation at least once during the development of the policy

• Pre-consultation engagement (November 2006 to January 2007)• Consideration of feedback and development of consultation options• Consultation over 16 weeks ( 12 June to 1 October 2007)• Allowance made for August – but engagement activities will continue throughout• Wide-ranging consultation activities planned• Highly inclusive – range of locations, communities and stakeholders• Variety of engagement methods to raise awareness, inform and encourage involvement

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Examples of engagement groups and activities planned

• Children and young people• Travellers• People with long term conditions• Carers• Elderly people• Young mothers/families• People from minority ethnic communities• People with sensory impairment• Youth MPs

• PPI Forum Panel Hearing• Transport Summit• Best of Hertfordshire event• Community lunches• Stands at community locations & gatherings eg leisure centres, Kaleidoscope Festival• Support/Interest Groups• Schools• Voluntary sector • Public meetings

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2. Be clear about what your proposals are, who may be affected, what questions are being asked

and the timescale for responses

• Explicit proposals and timescales• Proposals are clinically led and supported• Dedicated consultation questionnaire – on line and paper form• Clarity about relationship with previous IIYH decisions• Information about potential impact gleaned from pre-engagement phase – influenced the consultation stakeholder plan • Deadline for responses (1 October 2007)

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3. Ensure that your consultation is clear, concise and widely accessible

• Consultation materials include Summary Leaflet and a full consultation document with Executive Summary available in different formats• Range of supporting material available including presentations and technical papers• Easy read leaflet, door to door leaflet drop, website, consultation activities, podcasts, consultation helpline

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4. Give feedback regarding the responses received and how the consultation process influenced the policy

• Summary of responses will be available on website and in paper form• Quantitative and qualitative analysis of questionnaire• Feedback on themes not covered by questionnaire will also be included• Identified respondents will be informed of the outcome of consultation• Website will be updated to provide answers to frequently asked questions

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5. Monitor your organisation’s effectiveness at consultation, including the use of a designated

consultation co-coordinator

• Responsive and flexible consultation• Monitoring of engagement and feedback on ongoing basis to evaluate effectiveness• Designated consultation co-ordinator• Both the consultation process and responses will be independently analysed • An independent consultation report will be produced for consideration by boards and OSC

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“ When analysing responses remember that consultation is not a public vote: you should afford most weight to the most cogent ideas and arguments.”

Cabinet Office consultation guidance

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6.    Ensure your consultation follows better regulation best practice, including carrying out a

Regulatory Impact Assessment if appropriate

• Our aim is to do the very best we can

• Intend to make use of the consultation expertise of colleagues in local authorities particularly in respect of new consortium established for market and social research

• Welcome ideas and suggestions from the Committee

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Key tasks Date

Consultation period start 12 June 2007

Consultation period end 1 October 2007

Analysis and consideration of responses October/November 2007

Decision making period November/December 2007

Presentation of consultation process and outcome to Health Scrutiny Committee

November/December 2007

Outline timetable

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Areas for further guidance from the committee

• Adequacy of consultation process

• Identification of particular stakeholders that the committee would wish to engaged

• Confirmation of scrutiny process