Meeting documents

The purpose of this item is for Committee Members to explore the challenges facing South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS), the recent contract to provide the 111 non-emergency service for the Thames Valley region and to examine the current performance against targets.

Attendees:

Mark Begley, Head of Operations (Aylesbury Vale and Milton Keynes)

Andy Battye, Head of Operations (South Bucks and East Berkshire)

Papers attached:

Report

Power point presentation

Outcome:

For Members to have gained a greater understanding of the work of SCAS and its partnership working with other health organisations and to have examined the current performance of the service against its key performance indicators.

The Chairman welcomed Mr M Begley, Head of Operations (Aylesbury Vale and Milton Keynes), Mr A Battye, Head of Operations (South Bucks and East Berkshire) and Ms L Patten, Chief Officer (Aylesbury Vale & Chiltern Clinical Commissioning Groups).

The following main points were made during the presentation:

·         South Central Ambulance Service operates as a fully integrated organisation with over 3,600 staff, 608 vehicles with a population of around 7 million.

·         All Ambulance Trusts were facing increased pressure.

·         SCAS received a "Good" CQC rating but recognised areas to improve and focus which included – shift patterns, shift over-runs, late meal breaks and the ability to stand staff down to complete face-to-face training.

·         There were a number of alternative care pathways in Buckinghamshire, including MuDAS (Multi-Disciplinary Assessment Service), Mental Health, GP surgeries (including Out of Hours GPs) and the Falls team.

During the discussion the following questions and issues were raised:

·         In response to a question about increased traffic, particularly in light of HS2 development, SCAS confirmed that they continue to engage with those responsible for HS2 to ensure their concerns are heard about increased traffic and the effects this would have on SCAS response times.

·         In response to a question about the changes to how the response targets would be measured in future, SCAS explained that it was looking at how best to model the service to meet these changes.  SCAS were regularly rated as a top performer and those presenting felt confident that this would continue under the new target response measures.

·         The national shortage of paramedics was acknowledged.  There had been a 52% vacancy rate which had been reduced to around 20%.  SCAS were also working innovatively on ways to retain staff as this was also recognised as a challenge.

·         The National Fire Brigade Union had stopped fire crews attending cardiac situations but in Bucks, there were some fire crews who were providing this.

·         Concern was expressed about the amount of hours lost by SCAS due to handover delays but Members heard that SCAS was working closely with the Hospital Trust to reduce these delays.  It was noted that Wexham Park Hospital had introduced a new system whereby the ambulance crew would be met by a nurse.  It was acknowledged that reducing handover delays relied on partnership working and that the whole system needed to work seamlessly.  The A&E Delivery Board, of which SCAS was a member, looked at the handover delays on a regular basis.

·         In response to a question about key performance indicators, one of SCAS’s measures was around the number of calls answered within a specific time.  All calls were recorded and monitored as part of quality assurance measures.

·         In response to a Member comment about SCAS having 608 vehicles for population of 7 million, the presenters confirmed that there could be no downtime of fleet and there were plans to procure more vehicles with possibly less cars and more ambulances.

·         There were plans and discussions around developing a Blue Light hub to maximise available space around the county for all emergency services.  In Wycombe, it was noted that the ambulance service needed a bigger and newer space as soon as possible.

·         A smart App had been developed entitled "Save a Life" which detailed where the nearest defibulator was situated and instructions on how to save a life through CPR.  Members were encouraged to sign up to the App and to promote it within their local communities.

The Chairman thanked Mr Begley and Mr Battye for their presentation.  He asked that the outstanding questions be submitted to SCAS after the meeting for a written response which would then be circulated to the Committee.

Action: Committee & Governance Adviser

Full details of the discussion can be found on the webcast.