Agenda item

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Communities, which outlined Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust five years Strategy, ‘Creating Tomorrow’s Heathcare Today’.  The Chief Executive of the Trust attended the meeting to present the report and a presentation.

 

The Board was advised that over the last five years massive changes had been made to NHS services at Warrington and Halton Hospitals - modernising hospitals, investing in staff and, most importantly, delivering quality and safety improvements for our local population.  Creating tomorrow’s healthcare today was a way of setting out the strategy for the next five years. It set out the overall vision for the hospitals. It detailed the plans that would be delivered and other improvements in line with the local and national picture and changes taking place in the wider NHS.

 

It was reported that it was the result of work with NHS governors, Members and the public over the last few months as well as being informed by commissioning intentions and national mapping work across the health and social care sector.

 

The presentation Creating tomorrow’s healthcare today:-

 

·              outlined the national and local forces affecting healthcare and the commissioner response;

 

·              set out the Vision;

 

·              detailed the route to sustainability over five years;

 

·              gave details of the transformational and modernisation programmes;

 

·               highlighted that quality would be improved today to ensure they were here tomorrow;

 

·             Explained the estate and facilities, creating a new environment for tomorrow’s healthcare needs;

 

·             Highlighted the technology was being developed to support future healthcare requirements;

 

·             Gave details of the workforce – investing in staff and skills to enable the workforce to be ready for the future; and

 

·             Set out a summary of tomorrows healthcare today in respect of quality, people and sustainability.

 

The following comments arose from the discussion:-

 

·             Members raised concern at the proposals for car parking charges at the Urgent Care Centre on the hospital site which would be used by Runcorn residents.  It was reported there was no car parking charges in Halton and Members requested that this matter be reconsidered with a view to removing the charges.  It was also suggested that if removing the charges was not an option on this particular site then alternative sites should be considered i.e Halton Lea Shopping Centre.  It was also highlighted that charges would result in cars being parked in residential areas to avoid the charges. In reply, it was reported that negotiations were taking place and a meeting had been arranged next week to find a solution to this issue;

 

·             It was noted that the Strategy would bring care closer to home for patients by supporting the local health community in providing care closer to home for the patients of Warrington, Halton and neighbouring areas by looking at different models of provision and technology enabling the capitalisation of knowledge and skills of staff;

 

·             It was noted that the vision was to develop a health delivery model which would keep people in their environment, mobilising expertise so that they would not require a stay in hospital; and

 

·             It was noted that although additional parking had been created at the Widnes Urgent Care Centre, there were still significant problems for residents in that area with cars parking outside their homes and in front of their drives.  Concern was raised that a bigger footfall also created health and safety issues for young people using the park in that area.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

(1)        the report and comments raised be noted; and

 

(2)        Mel Pickup be thanked for her informative presentation.