Agenda item

27.       

28.       

29.       

29.1.      The Committee considered a report on the HOSC Review Board’s draft report on NHS proposals for the future of the Eastbourne Station Health Centre.

29.2.      The Committee asked why health provision should be changed during the pandemic and whether it was possible to conduct an effective public consultation during the pandemic, particularly in reaching vulnerable groups.

29.3.      Jessica Britton said it was appropriate for the consultation to be paused in the initial response to the pandemic, but the CCG did not want to curtail the length of it and was keen to restart when it was appropriate to do so. Jessica Britton said that the CCG gave considerable thought to whether it was appropriate to restart the public consultation over the summer and took the view that Covid-19 restrictions are likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future. This meant it was necessary to try and restart normal activities where safe to do so, rather than wait for an undetermined amount of time for things to return to normal. Ahead of restarting, the CCG considered how best it could engage with those vulnerable groups identified in the Equality and Health Impact Assessment who had not already been engaged during the initial consultation period. The CCG also asked the Consultation Institute to review the consultation proposals and identify any gaps in the plan. Jessica Britton confirmed the public consultation outcomes would be independently reviewed and provided to the HOSC (via the Review Board).

29.4.      The Committee asked whether there would be sufficient GP practice capacity in the town centre if the Eastbourne Station Health Centre closed and whether this included the capacity in the new Old Town surgery due to become available in the near future.

29.5.      Jessica Britton said that the CCG has reviewed GP provision in Eastbourne and had determined that there was a higher proportion of GPs per patient in the town than the national average. She explained that the Clinical Director of the Victoria Primary Care Network (PCN), which covers some of the town centre GP practices, had advised they had managed to recently recruit additional GPs. She added that the Eastbourne Station Health Centre had a small registered patient list and the CCG hoped to be able to provide them with access to the wider integrated primary care services offered at other GP practices.

29.6.      Hugo Luck, Deputy Director of Primary and Community Care, East Sussex CCG, added that the Primary Care Networks (PCNs) established in Eastbourne are funded to provide new roles such as pharmacists, paramedics and physiotherapists to whom patients can be referred rather than always going to the GP, where clinically appropriate. This will free up GP time to see patients who need to see them. Dr Paul Deffley, Local Medical Director, East Sussex CCG, said that this new skill mix in primary care is important to meet the growing demand in the sector. There were also national campaigns to recruit new GPs and entice retired GPs out of retirement. He said his GP practice had recently recruited a first contact physiotherapist who is able to directly see patients with back pain, which frees up the GP to deal with more complex, frail patients. This is an advantage of bigger practices as they are better able to recruit these staff.

29.7.      Jessica Britton confirmed that the new surgery under construction in the Old Town involves the merger at the end of October of three town centre practices that have a current registered list of 24,000. The new surgery will have the capacity for up to 30,000 patients and has recruited additional GPs in recent weeks. The new surgery is also planning to open a branch surgery in the town centre and patient choice must play a part. Eastbourne  practices are due to receive around £1 million in additional funding for additional healthcare roles under the PCN contract.

29.8.      The Committee asked about the support available to patients on the Eastbourne Station Health Centre list should a decision be taken to close it.

29.9.      Jessica Britton said that the patients registered at the Eastbourne Station Health Centre were from throughout Eastbourne and the wider area, although a proportion of the patients are town centre residents, meaning there could be a wide range of reasons why people chose to register with that practice. Hugo Luck explained that if the decision is taken to close the Eastbourne Station Health Centre, the CCG has a tried and tested means of engaging with the patients on the registered list. The CCG will ask patients whether they have a preference for a GP practice and will facilitate a transfer to it, if request, including transferring their patient record. He added that if a GP practice has closed their list to new registrations, the CCG will work with the patient and the practice to get the patient into that practice.

29.10.   The Committee asked whether any other kind of walk-in provision would be made available in the town centre.

29.11.   Jessica Britton said that the new integrated urgent care model is based around people calling a new enhanced NHS 111 service that can book them in to the most appropriate service to meet their need, including a GP practice or the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at the EDGH. Patients are also able to walk-in to the UTC. She added that the Eastbourne Station Health Centre does not currently provided a walk-in facility due to Covid-19 and the need to protect staff and patients. People currently access services there in the first instance by telephone or video triage.

29.12.   Jessica Britton said she understood people’s anxiety about the proposed closure of a physical building, however, she reiterated that there would be no less GP capacity in Eastbourne. The difference would be a change in how some people access healthcare.

29.13.   The Committee asked whether the CCG had produced a Primary Care Needs Assessment

29.14.   Jessica Britton explained that the Primary Care Commissioning Committee of the CCG regularly reviews the capacity and performance of the GP practices in East Sussex, including the number of GPs and other health professionals.

29.15.   Cllr Alan Shuttleworth said that he did not support the Review Board’s recommendations and asked that it to be noted in the minute.

29.16.   The Committee RESOLVED to:

1) endorse the draft report and recommendations of the HOSC Review Board;

2) agree that the Review Board finalises the report after considering the outcome of the public consultation; and

3) agree to refer the final report to East Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group for consideration as part of their decision-making process.