Agenda item

Shotley Bridge Hospital Update

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation from Rachel Rooney, Head of Commissioning, NHS County Durham CCG that provided an update on Shotley Bridge Community Hospital Services (for copy of presentation, see file of minutes).

 

The detailed presentation highlighted the following:-

 

·        New Hospitals Programme

·        Principles of the Project

·        Conditions of the current estate

·        Aims of the clinical model

·        Process of defining the clinical model

·        Clinical Model

·        Involvement via Engagement and Consultation

·        CCG Duties

·        OSC Duties

·        Scope of ongoing engagement

·        Proposal summary

·        Project risks

 

In conclusion the Committee was advised that proposed location of future estate was approximately 1.8 miles from current site and that the proposed clinical model determined no significant variation in service provision, and in some cases this was an enhanced offer.

 

The next steps were outlined as:-

·        Finalise Outline Business Case – Oct/Nov 21

·        Development of full business case & approvals – Summer 2022

·        Ongoing public engagement

·        Construction start Summer 2022

·        Construction completion

 

Finally, the Head of Commissioning asked the Committee a number of questions:-

·        Based on the proposals set out in the presentation did OSC felt this warranted substantial service change?

·        If OSC felt consultation was necessary, what would we actually be consulting on?

·        Recognition of engagement to date and ongoing programme of involvement?

·        Support for progressing the project at pace without the need for consultation?

 

Before opening up to questions from the Committee, the Chair invited Councillor A Shield to comment on the presentation.  Councillor Shield thanked the Chair for the opportunity to address the Committee as a former Member of the cross-party Shotley Bridge Reference Group, chaired by Councillor L Hovvels.  The Group first met in October 2017.  There had been regular meetings by the Reference Group on a monthly basis and updates had been provided for Overview and Scrutiny and the Derwent Valley AAP and ongoing public engagement.  There had been debate on some issues, such as bed provision would be 8, 16 or 24, what service would be provided and the provision of mental health services.  The initial Capital Funding was £14.7m, supplemented b Government backed finance to an indicative cost of £30m.  This was a modest budget and Councillor Shield urged all Committee Members to support the proposal.  There was no need for any further consultation as there was no substantial change, providing there would be ongoing engagement with staff, public and stakeholders.  The proposed location was accessible with a new bus depot to be located nearby which would allow the facility to serve all people in north west Durham, not solely on the Consett area.

 

Councillor Watson informed the Committee that he too had been a member of the cross-party Reference Group since it was established in 2017 and thanked Councillor Hovvels for her work in chairing the Group.  Councillor Watson considered that there was a need to let the CCG get on with their plans for the hospital.  The CCG had engaged with the public many times and to now delay the process any further may put the project in jeopardy.  Further consultation rather than engagement could cost the project dearly.

 

Councillor Hovvels informed the Committee that the Reference Group had been established because of the strong voice of local people and problems encountered of visiting the current Community Hospital and its current condition.  The consultation and engagement which had taken place had come at a difficult time because of the Covid pandemic.  There was a risk that if the project did not move forward the £30m funding could be lost and no new hospital would be provided.  Councillor Hovvels considered this risk to be too great and there was a need for the project to move on.

 

In response to a question from Dr Ciesielska on the co-creation process the Head of Commissioning, NHS County Durham CCG informed the Committee of how the CCG had run this process.

 

Councillor Martin informed the Committee that Councillor Haney had been unable to attend the meeting but had asked him to ask questions on the proposal.  The preferred site was a Project Genesis site and clarity was sought on whether there were any agreements in place on Project Genesis land around who carried out developments and whether the NHS would have the freedom to use their own developers.  Councillor Martin referred to the consultation which took place in March 2021 and asked whether it was possible to see in more detail what was said.  Thirdly, Councillor Martin asked at what stage details of the clinical offer at Shotley Bridge would be firmed up.

 

The Head of Commissioning, NHS County Durham CCG replied that within the NHS there was a strict and robust process which used a framework to commission a contractor from a list of contractors the NHS was able to use.  The outline Business Case needed to demonstrate the benefits which would be achieved, how these would be measured and how value for money would be demonstrated.  The full Business Case, which would need to be done for next year, contained huge amounts of detail around this process.  This was an open and transparent process, subject to commercial sensitivities.

 

The NHS had provided two reports around engagement which had been brought to the Committee previously in 2019 and 2020 and these reports could be recirculated to Committee Members.

 

Referring to the clinical model, the Head of Commissioning, NHS County Durham CCG invited Noel Scanlon, Executive Director of Nursing, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust to comment.  The Executive Director of Nursing informed the Committee that large parts of the current Shotley Bridge Hospital were decrepit and unserviceable.  The clinical model going forwarded had to meet the needs of the public and be sustainable clinically to the highest standards of modern healthcare.  Consequently, hundreds of staff had been involved in dozens of meetings to clarify what the clinical model should be, not just in terms of delivering the best quality service to the community but also to attract, retain and develop the best people to come to Shotley Bridge.  The Foundation had been very circumspect about not committing to delivering services which were not sustainable or might not be clinically safe going forward.  The facility to be provided would be commensurate with current need and anticipate the potential for some expansion.

 

Councillor Martin asked, while he appreciated commercial sensitivities, whether dialogue could take place with local Members on a confidential basis so that they could get reassurances on behalf of their residents.  The Head of Commissioning, NHS County Durham CCG replied that as mush as possible would be shared with local Members.

 

R Hassoon considered that a robust consultation head taken place.

 

Councillor K Robson agreed there was a need for urgency to move this project forward and asked whether the identified site had space available for future expansion should this be needed.  The Head of Commissioning, NHS County Durham CCG replied that a robust shortlisting process for potential land sites had taken place and one of the criteria was the potential for future expansion.  The identified site scored highly on this.

 

Councillor S Quinn thanked the Head of Commissioning, NHS County Durham CCG for their presentation, but expressed concern that in the future services may be reduced as they had been at Bishop Auckland Hospital.  The Head of Commissioning, NHS County Durham CCG reiterated the point made by the Executive Director of Nursing, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust that future demand was being predicted to maximise the facility.

 

Councillor Stubbs agreed with the urgency for the project and asked whether consideration had been given to future plans for the current Shotley Bridge Hospital site once the new facility was operational.  The Head of Commissioning, NHS County Durham CCG replied that the current site would be disposed of with the potential for some of the proceeds being brought into the local health system.

 

Councillor O Gunn commended the involvement of everybody in this project and asked whether, for the sake of transparency with the public, what exactly was the CCG going to say to the public.  The Head of Commissioning, NHS County Durham CCG replied that the message to the public would be that the CCG wanted to proceed with the project, a clinical model had been worked up which could be delivered, and the preferred site was the Genesis Site.

 

Councillor V Andrews considered it was critical for this project to move forwards as quickly as possible.

 

Councillor J Howey expressed concern that if the project did not proceed the identified funding could be lost.

 

S Gwillym, Principal Overview and Scrutiny Officer, informed the Committee that Councillor Earley had made representations.  Councillor Earley was under the impression that the Committee had, at its last meeting, backed the engagement route rather than a full consultation, which he had reservations about at the time.  However, Councillor Earley was pleased for this to go forward given the increasing problems in the economy which may yet produce further delays.

 

The Chair thanked the Committee for their comments and debate on the issue and sought approval of the Committee to support the progression of the project without formal public consultation, with regular updates being brough to the Committee

 

Resolved:

(i)           That progression of the project without formal public consultation be approved,

(ii)          That regular updates be brought to the Committee

Supporting documents: