Agenda item

Tom Lawlor, Associate Director of Commissioning at NHS Surrey Heath CCG, gave a presentation in respect of the strategic changes to the Health and Care system in Surrey Heath.

Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care system covered three Clinical Commissioning Groups; East Berkshire, North East Hampshire and Farnham and Surrey Heath and aimed to project one commissioning voice. The care system was towards the end of a five year forward plan, which began in 2014/15 and focussed on partnership working with the third sector and other public bodies and worked towards the establishment of a Sustainability Transformation Partnership (STP).

The NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, outlined 5 major changes to the NHS Service Model, including a focus on population health and a boost to ‘out-of-hospital’ care, with the aim to dissolve any divide between primary and community health services. In addition there was an emphasis to foster personalised care solutions and give people more control over their own health.

Changes within the Frimley Health and Care system, had meant Surrey Heath CCG had taken on the delegated commissioning work for primary care, which was previously commissioned by NHS England. Furthermore changes to General Practices had aimed to make better use of non-doctor roles in GP surgeries, thus allowing patients to make their first point of contact with a physiotherapist or a paramedic practitioner.

Frimley Health and Care Trust continued to expand personalised care and social prescription services in collaboration with Voluntary Support North Surrey (VSNS), Citizens Advice and the Council. There was a continued effort to realign conversations to ask patients “what matters to you”, rather than “what’s the matter with you”, and to signpost in order to improve patients’ mental health and wellbeing.

Arising from Members’ questions the following points were noted:

·         Frimley Health and Care Trust were regularly exploring modern, alternative ways to make their services and internal networks more efficient. Forward thinking practises aimed to promote reforms such as calculating funding levels on outcomes rather than activity levels.

·         Growing demand for NHS services meant greater need for closer and more partnership working.

·         There were plans for VSNS to greater engage with GP surgeries, with the possibility of recruiting volunteers at surgeries.

Members thanked Tom for his informative presentation.