Chief Officer Report
Argyll and Bute Council · 27 November 2024
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 27 November 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Integration Joint Board Agenda item: Date of Meeting: 27 November 2024 Title of Report: Chief Officer Report Presented by: Evan Beswick, Chief Officer The Integration Joint Board is asked to: • Note the following report from the Chief Officer Introduction I would like to start by paying tribute to our Integration Joint Board colleague Betty Rhodick who passed away recently. Betty was a valued IJB member and had been the Service User Representative since 2016. In this role she served as the spokesperson for service users, effectively shaping and promoting the IJB’s policies, strategies, decisions, and achievements to service users across Argyll and Bute. On behalf of the HSCP I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. I would like to update you about some of the things that are happening across our organisation. We are continuing to face significant financial challenges across our health and social care services and a recent Audit Scotland report into IJB finances and performance demonstrated that Argyll and Bute is among many HSCPs in Scotland having to meet this challenge. We have introduced a number of measures across the HSCP to help us try and mitigate some of these complex financial challenges and we will continue with our service transformation approach. This will help make us more efficient and productive as an organisation so that we can continue to deliver a high standard of health and social care service to the people of Argyll and Bute within the staffing and financial resources available to us. I also wrote to staff recently about culture and that, when times are tough, it is more important than ever that we treat each other with respect and foster an environment where the rigorous challenge and prioritisation we require can be done in a safe and constructive way. The way we treat each other has a direct impact on the way we treat patients and service users.
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2 In this communication to staff I also highlighted the recent anti-racism statement from Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, where he emphasised that the Scottish Government has been working closely with NHS Boards, experts, patients and staff to develop targeted and meaningful changes to make sure that everyone receives the treatment they deserve. As an HSCP we also have a role to play and it is important that we are all working within a culture of transparency and also meeting our core values. I emphasised to staff that we would listen to them if they had any issues or concerns and that both employing organisations have mechanisms in place where staff can seek further assistance and support. My own personal reflection, having been in the Chief Officer role for nearly eight months now, is that there is nothing I’ve done that is as complex, challenging and rewarding. The current context presents us with the most difficult set of revenue and capital financial circumstances most of us will have seen; complex workforce issues which disproportionately impact rural settings and rising demand across all services. These are all challenges that we need to meet for the benefit of the people of Argyll and Bute and I am constantly impressed by the way our teams are tackling them. We are also continuing to work to reduce the number of people spending a night in our hospitals when they could be at home – often referred to as delayed discharge. This has been achieved through rigorous focus on a whole system discharge planning approach that puts our strategic principles of independence and reablement at its heart. I am really grateful for the work of our community, social work, social care and hospital teams in this regard. I’m also able to report on the implementation of our new commissioning approach for home care services, a huge £12m project, which has been delivered via collaboration and listening to our vital independent sector. Over the coming weeks my team will be working together to refine a challenging programme of savings and efficiency and also to define an operating model for us that recognises the constraints of the context we are working in. This will mean that some of our services over the months to come may look different for the people who use them. We will define a clear strategic focus based on the learning and work from the nearly three years of the current joint strategic plan. I can also give confidence that our decision making around this places patients and service users at the forefront. Our formal governance is key to providing the assurance that this is the case. It is important that we retain a focus on some of the successes our teams are driving across the system. I would like to firstly highlight the good news regarding the significant level of investment that has been secured to upgrade Thomson Court Care Home on Bute. This is a great facility and the funding of £980,000 which has been provided by the HSCP, Argyll and Bute Council and the Scottish Government will allow us to increase capacity at the facility and will enable more residents on Bute to stay on the island. Earlier this month (7 November) we had the Awards Ceremony for this year’s Scotland’s Health Awards and I was really delighted that the Argyll and Bute Alcohol and Drug Partnership Team was shortlisted for the Top Team Award and the Mid Argyll Virtual Award Team shortlisted for the Integrated Care Award. The teams
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3 from Argyll and Bute just missed out on winning an award on the night however I would like to congratulate them on making it to the finals. We are also continuing our work with Meridian Productivity on an efficiency and productivity project across the HSCP, which is part of an overall NHS Highland piece of work. We are now more than halfway through and my thanks go to all the staff, who have been working with Meridian, for their engagement and commitment to what is a really important initiative. I have also highlighted in my report the recent consultation with our island communities, colleagues and partners to find out their views to help us develop our Draft Island Strategy. We provide health and social care services to our 23 inhabited islands and this Strategy is a really important element to help us in the delivery of services for our island communities. Just this month two senior colleagues from my team, Kristin Gillies (Head of Strategic Planning, Performance and Technology) and Linda Currie (Associate AHP Director), have been successful in other appointments. This is testament to the environment that Argyll and Bute provides in enabling people who work here to flourish and I wish them well in their new endeavours. Finally, I would to thank you for reading my Chief Officer Report and please feel free to contact me if you have any suggestions or ideas for inclusion in future reports. HSCP Updates Betty Rhodick I was deeply saddened by the news that Betty Rhodick, Service User Representative on the IJB since 2016, recently passed away. She was a long- standing and valued board member and on behalf of the HSCP I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. In her role with the IJB Betty served as the spokesperson for service users, effectively shaping and promoting the IJB’s policies, strategies, decisions, and achievements to service users across Argyll and Bute. Funding Secured to Upgrade Thomson Court Care Home Investment from the HSCP, alongside partners, will help increase capacity at Thomson Court Care Home on Rothesay, enabling more residents on Bute to stay on the island and access health and social care. The HSCP will invest £573,000 of reserves in the project, with Argyll and Bute Council investing £250,000. Working with the Council we successfully secured £157,265 from the Scottish Government’s Islands Programme to help deliver the first phase of major renovation works at the care home to create additional spaces for residents. The total amount for the renovations now stands at £980,000. This is a real positive investment in Thomson Court and is great news for the people of Bute as it will allow us to increase the number of residents we can provide for
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4 within a much loved and needed facility on the island. We would also like to thank our partners, Argyll and Bute Council and the Scottish Government, for their support and their investment in this project. Further information is available here. Scotland’s Health Awards The Awards Ceremony for this year’s Scotland’s Health Awards was held on 7 November in Edinburgh and the winners across the various categories were announced on the night. The Argyll and Bute Alcohol and Drug Partnership Team had been shortlisted for the Top Team Award with the Mid Argyll Virtual Award Team shortlisted for the Integrated Care Award. The teams from Argyll and Bute just missed out on winning an award on the night however we would like to congratulate them on making it to the finals. Scotland’s Health Awards celebrates the extraordinary achievements of those individuals and teams who go above and beyond to deliver compassionate, high quality health and social care to the people of Scotland. Releasing Time to Care in Argyll and Bute As I mentioned in my Chief Officer in September we have been working with an external consultancy called Meridian Productivity on the ‘Releasing Time to Care’ work which is an efficiency and productivity project that is taking place across the NHS Highland Board area. We are now more than halfway through the planned schedule and I would like to thank all the HSCP staff who have been involved in the project for their engagement, dedication and commitment to what is an important initiative. Care Home Olympics Ardnahein Care Home in Dunoon recently won the Care Home Olympics Challenge Award for the best overall care home in the NHS Highland Board area. The Care Home Olympics were held during the summer to coincide with the Paris Olympics and care homes across the Board area were invited to compete in a range of activities with prizes awarded across a number of categories. Residents, families and staff at Ardnahein really got immersed in the Olympic challenge and printed their own Olympic tee shirts, decorated the home, had French themed food, held an opening and closing ceremony and had a piper to start proceedings. They also arranged activities for families (particularly children) and made all aspects of the 17 days the Olympics were on accessible for all residents regardless of ability. The HSCP’s Associate Nurse Director presented staff and residents with a trophy in recognition of their achievement.
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5 Excellence in Care Programme The Excellence in Care (EiC) national programme is expanding its scope beyond nursing and midwifery to include Allied Health Professionals (AHPs). This strategic move aims to provide comprehensive care assurance across healthcare disciplines. I am therefore pleased to announce that our own Associate AHP Director, Linda Currie, has been successfully appointed as the EiC national Clinical Lead for Allied Health Professionals. This 0.4 WTE (whole time equivalent) secondment role, based with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, will run until March 2025. Linda will provide leadership, clinical advice, and guidance to territorial boards, supporting the implementation of EiC in AHP practice. Key responsibilities include contributing to Quality of Care reviews, the Leading Excellence in Care Leadership programme, and the development of quality measures. This appointment strengthens the HSCP’s involvement in national quality improvement initiatives and reinforces our commitment to delivering excellence in care across all healthcare professions. Suitable backfill will also be arranged in due course. Colonoscopy in Lorn and Islands District General Hospital People between the ages of 50 and 74 are invited to take part in the national screening programme for bowel cancer every two years. In around 3% of people, the test is positive and they are referred for further tests. This does not necessarily mean they have cancer as there are more common and less serious causes resulting in a positive test. However a colonoscopy investigation of the bowel will be carried out to check for any abnormalities. Since the summer people are now able to have this colonoscopy done within Lorn and Islands District General Hospital (LIDGH). Appointments were previously done within hospitals in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. This change has come about as a result of changes to patient databases and how they communicate with each other. There are a range of benefits from this new way of working as people are likely to get their colonoscopy done quicker in Oban than Glasgow; having the test done in Oban also results in less travelling for hospital appointments and the theatres in LIDGH are now better utilised. Please note that people living in the east of Argyll and Bute will continue to be invited to be seen in Glasgow. Service Updates Consultation on Draft Island Strategy The HSCP provides health and social care services to our 23 inhabited islands and while each island is unique we wanted to set out a high level vision and a list of actions and recommendations which aims to ensure good health and social care outcomes across all islands.
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6 To assist with this vision the HSCP’s Draft Island Strategy, which reflects our overall strategic ambitions, was developed over the past year and as part of the development we consulted with our island communities, colleagues and partners to find out their views. A live webinar was also held on 23 October to provide more information on the Strategy. The consultation closed on the 7 November 2024 and an updated Strategy and a report on the feedback from the consultation will be published and presented to a future IJB meeting. Screening Programmes Building upon work previously undertaken, the Public Health team have applied for national funding to continue the screening engagement work. This work focuses on certain groups who face additional barriers to accessing screening programmes, such as cervical and bowel, helping to reduce health inequalities. It improves awareness of screening programmes within these groups to support people to engage with them and improve their health outcomes. The HSCP’s Screening Engagement Officer will be offering training on the national screening programmes to organisations throughout Argyll and Bute who work with those eligible for screening in an effort to break down barriers that exist to people accessing these vital services and increase uptake. Art of Hosting Training The HSCP’s Living Well Strategy aims to enable people to live healthy and good lives and to reduce long term health conditions. Part of this work is about how the communities we live in contribute to our quality of life. This is called the Community Assets Programme. As the cost of living challenges continue to bite, it is more important than ever to consider how we all build strong, safe and vibrant communities. The HSCP has a role to play in this through the Community Assets Programme along with our Community Planning Partners. In June and October of this year, Art of Hosting training took place with Argyll and Bute Council, the Third Sector Interface and a range of third sector partners to look at big issues like health, the economy and the climate and build our collective skills to have meaningful community conversations. Investment in this programme of work has been sourced from Macmillan Cancer Support and NHS Charities Together. A film of the June event can be viewed here National Updates Improved Recording of A&E Activity A new methodology to accurately capture all emergency care activity in weekly and monthly Public Health Scotland statistical publications will be applied from 4 February 2025.
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7 The move, backed by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, means published statistics will now include ‘planned’ A&E attendances. This is where a patient is given a specific time slot to attend a minor injury unit or A&E department to receive emergency care. Further information is available here. New Scottish Benefit for Pensioners A new disability benefit for people of State Pension age opened on 21 October for new applications from people living in the following five local authority areas: Argyll & Bute, Highland, Aberdeen City, Orkney and Shetland. The payment will be available across Scotland by 22 April next year. It is not means-tested and is worth between £290 and £434 a month depending on the needs of the person who gets it. Pension Age Disability Payment is replacing Attendance Allowance in Scotland, which is delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Further information is available here. Improving Palliative Care Views are being sought by the Scottish Government on a new strategy Palliative Care Matters for All. Palliative care is holistic care that prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, assessment and management of pain and other problems – whether physical, mental, social or spiritual. An ageing population that is living longer, with more complex needs, means more people will need access to palliative care in the future. The draft strategy has been developed in collaboration with the palliative care community and people who have experience of palliative care. Further information is available here. Minimum Unit Price Rises The minimum price per unit of alcohol increased by 15 pence from 30 September. MSPs previously voted to continue the public health measure which had been scheduled to end automatically on 30 April as part of a ‘sunset clause’ when Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) legislation was introduced in 2018. They also voted to introduce a price increase, with a rise to 65p per unit chosen as the Scottish Government seeks to increase the positive effects of the policy and to take account of inflation. Further information is available here. Preparing Health and Social Care for Winter A record number of NHS 24 call handlers will support the public to access the most appropriate care this winter as services deal with increased demand. Through the Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint Winter Preparedness Plan, continued investment for NHS 24 will increase service capacity to provide clinical
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8 supervision for at least 150,000 additional calls per year and help prevent unnecessary A&E attendances. Further information is available here. News NHS Highland Annual Review NHS Highland’s 2024 annual review was held on 19 November in Lochgilphead with the public invited to attend the afternoon session either online or at Argyll and Bute Council chambers in Kilmory. Annual Reviews are an opportunity for Health Boards to reflect on their performance over a 12-month period and for the public to ask questions of the executive management and NHS Board leadership. Back Care Awareness Week The HSCP recently promoted Back Care Awareness Week (2-8 October) by highlighting Phio, a digital musculoskeletal (MSK) support app, which helps to empower individuals with MSK conditions by offering them an interactive digital tool that steers them toward the appropriate healthcare pathway. The app is part of a clinically validated trial available to residents living in Argyll and Bute and is free to use. It is available to all individuals aged 16 or over who are registered with a GP practice and have an MSK condition and it is accessible 24 hours a day on any device that has an internet connection. Further information is available here. Staffing Updates Interim Head of Strategy and Transformation for NHS Highland Following a competitive recruitment process Kristin Gillies has been appointed as Interim Head of Strategy and Transformation for NHS Highland. Kristin is currently Head of Strategic Planning, Performance and Technology for the HSCP where she has worked since 2009. Kristin has been a great asset for the HSCP and has been very passionate in serving the local communities across Argyll and Bute and I would like to congratulate her on this appointment and wish her well in her new role. Kristin commenced in her new post on 4 November, although there will be a short transition period (max 3 months) during which she will retain the role of Head of Strategic Planning, Performance and Technology for the HSCP. This will allow us to identify and recruit a suitable replacement for the vacant HSCP post.