Report to:

East Sussex Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC)

 

Date of meeting:

 

12 December 2024

By:

Deputy Chief Executive

 

Title:

Changes to Paediatric Services at the Eastbourne District General Hospital (EDGH)

 

Purpose:

To consider an update report from East Sussex Health Trust (ESHT) on changes made to paediatrics services at EDGH under the new service model.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The Committee is recommended to:

1)    note and comment on ESHT’s update report at appendix 1;

2)    note Healthwatch’s report at appendix 2;

3)    consider whether it wishes to receive any future updates on this issue.

1.            Background

1.1.        On 14 December 2023 the HOSC considered a report from East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) on changes to the Paediatric service model at the Eastbourne District General Hospital (EDGH). Both NHS Sussex and ESHT did not regard the changes as a substantial variation to services which would require formal consultation with HOSC, and the changes were considered to be operational differences in the way in which the services are provided.

1.2.        Following concerns raised by the Committee and members of the public about the changes, the HOSC agreed to establish a Review Board to examine the impact of the changes to the Paediatric service model at EDGH more closely. The implementation of changes to paediatric services at the EDGH started on 8 January 2024 and the HOSC Review took place over a series of meetings held during February 2024.

1.3.        At the HOSC meeting held on 7 March 2024 the Committee considered and agreed the report of the Review Board and it’s thirteen recommendations regarding the changes to the paediatric service at EDGH. The HOSC also considered an update report on the implementation of the new service model from ESHT at this meeting. The Committee agreed to submit the review report to ESHT for consideration and a formal response to the recommendations made by the HOSC.

1.4.        The HOSC subsequently received a formal response to its recommendations on 10 April 2024, which it considered alongside an update monitoring report at its meeting on 30 July 2024. Separately to the review conducted by HOSC, ESHT also commissioned an independent clinical review of the changes which found the new service model to be safe, and urgent and emergency care to be improved and sustainable. At that meeting HOSC agreed to receive a further update on the model for assurance at this meeting.

 

2.            Supporting information

2.1.        The report attached as Appendix 1 provides an update on the new model having been in place for almost 12 months. This provides supporting data from the new model and an outline of additional actions ESHT has undertaken following the HOSC Review recommendations.

2.2.        The report from ESHT shows that since implementation of the new model there has been a steady reduction in the number of children waiting over four hours in the emergency department (ED), as well as in the average number of children per week transferred to Conquest Hospital in Hastings.

2.3.        Attached at Appendix 2 is a report produced by Healthwatch East Sussex to gain a young person’s perspective on the paediatric facilities at EDGH following the recent changes. The report was conducted using the 15 Steps Challenge toolkits which were originally developed by the NHS Institute of Innovation and Improvement, in co-production with staff and service users to support patient and carer involvement in improving health services. The 15 Steps Challenge uses a variation on mystery shopping observational approaches to understand what service users and carers experience when they first arrive in a healthcare setting.

 

3.         Conclusion and reasons for recommendations

3.1       The HOSC is recommended to consider ESHT’s report on the operation of the new service model and to note the Healthwatch report to the HOSC review recommendations. The Committee is also asked to consider whether it would like to receive any further reports on this issue at future HOSC meetings.

 

PHILIP BAKER
Deputy Chief Executive

Contact Officer: Patrick Major, Scrutiny and Policy Support Officer
Tel. No. 01273 335133
Email: patrick.major@eastsussex.gov.uk