To receive a presentation on the above.
Minutes:
The Committee received a presentation on the University Hospitals Dorset merger update by the Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer of the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.
The presentation included information on the rationale for the merger, the new organisational structure, the strategic goals, the Shadow Interim Board, the merger related benefits, layouts of hospital sites and the Trust Sustainable Travel Plan.
Members heard that:
• The merger will award greater resilience to the NHS across Dorset, in order to deal with the variety of challenges it faces, with COVID19 as a single example.
• The new organisation is built around a one culture, one team ethos that will allow a smooth transition from day one with 9000 staff transferring to the new organisation on 1 October 2020
• Organisational turnover will stand at £630m, comparable to other hospital organisations of this size.
• The University Hospitals Dorset’s vision is to positively transform the health and care services along with providing excellent healthcare to patients and the wider community, as well as being a great place to work.
• The Shadow Interim Boards has a Joint Chair and Chief Executive with all other members being made up of existing boards.
• The merger related benefits were fundamentally about improving the quality of care under a single structure, with additional non-clinical and financial benefits.
• University Hospital Status allows stimulus for research and innovation, education and training as well as improvement in recruitment and retention of staff. Furthermore, relationships across Bournemouth University would be built, with a future ambition to create a Dorset Medical School.
• The outline planning application for the Royal Bournemouth Hospital had been granted and the Poole Hospital site application was currently under officer consideration.
• Each of the estate plans had been assessed with COVID-proofing in mind, with extremely high levels of infection control and isolation measures in place.
• The Christchurch Hospital site, following a public consultation, will include a Macmillan Unit new build, with a mix of senior living accommodation on site.
• Poole Hospital will see a large, new theatre block. Internally a refurbishment will take place.
• The Trust Sustainable Travel Plan involves many healthy travel options with a view to cutting congestion around the Royal Bournemouth Site, reducing carbon levels and making the hospital more accessible to all.
Following the presentation, members of the Committee were able to ask questions of the Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer of the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.
A member asked a question on the travel plan. The Committee heard that the travel assessment was part of the planning application that was assessed by planning officers and highways officers. A further question was posed on the provision of travel for staff that had to travel across sites, to which members heard that the aim is to reduce travel, with the help of technology, by improving transport timetabling and planning for both staff and patients. Members were informed that a Shuttle bus between sites would be part of the travel plan and that demand would be assessed from the start, with specific consideration to peak times. Work could be done alongside the University following their successful implementation of shuttle buses. The Committee were reassured that the travel plan would continue to evolve and would take a pragmatic approach with the key aim of improving patient access in mind.
A member enquired as to whether patients and the public could be involved in the merger to which the Committee heard that throughout the process plans had been published in public spaces, that the University Dorset Trust would look to their colleagues such as Healthwatch, volunteers, consultations and a structured approach to future events for comments to be received from all areas. The Committee also heard, following a question on user experience and public/patient involvement, that the design and layouts of the hospitals would incorporate the views from people with a disability or physical limitations in order to make the facilities easy to navigate and use. It was also heard that an aim in the development plans was to achieve BREEAM excellence through high quality sustainability and building standards.
A question was posed on accommodation for staff and key worker housing. The Committee were told that there were 200 units of key worker housing on the Bournemouth Hospital site and that additional units were being considered for the adjacent Wessex Fields site. Longer term, the Poole Local Plan had the St Mary’s maternity site zoned for key worker housing development.
A final question was posed on maternity in Poole and whether any facilities would be retained in Poole. The Committee heard that all maternity and anti-natal facilities would be moved in Bournemouth however this would not negatively impact on access to maternity services in the conurbation.
RESOLVED that:-
(a) Members noted the contents of the presentation and update.