Decision details

The Chairman invited the following to the table:

·         Alan Gavurin, Finchley Memorial Programme Manager, Barnet CCG

·         Maria DaSilva, Director of Commissioning, Barnet CCG

·         Kay Matthews, Chief Operating Officer, Barnet CCG

Ms. Matthews introduced herself as the new Chief Operating Officer and commented that she had successfully recruited a permanent Directors’ team who will provide the HOSC with a level of continuity to address and take forward the better utilisation of Finchley Memorial Hospital (FMH) 

Ms. Matthews informed the Committee that since joining the CCG three months ago, she had met with local Councillors and Members of Parliament and was well aware of the importance of the better utilisation of the FMH site. 

Ms. Matthews advised that she had created a steering group on the matter and that Alan Gavurin had been appointed to support the CCG for the next six months.

Ms. Matthews provided an outline of the CCG’s list of priority projects which included the following points:

Adams Ward:

The CCG is currently working with Central London Community Health Services NHS Trust to open Adams Ward as a Discharge to Assess ward in December 2017. There will be 17 beds and these will be used to facilitate the discharge of patients from various acute hospitals, mainly Royal Free London.

Patients discharged to Adams ward will meet the Discharge to Assess Pathway 2 and 3 criteria and will require further assessment to support their long term care. This will reduce delayed discharges from hospitals. The alignment of the two inpatient wards at FMH will ensure that the beds are managed in the most effective way.  This development will be particularly important over the winter months.

General Practice:

The CCG is developing a specification for a GP service at FMH. This will be used in a procurement exercise for local GPs to apply to move into FMH.  The specification is expected to include some additional enhanced services beyond core primary medical services.

Historically, attempts to attract a General Practice to move to FMH had not proved financially viable.  The CCG want to make one more effort and, if this is not successful, will then consider what other opportunities there are for this space.

Breast Screening:

Despite plans for a permanent Breast Screening service at FMH being discussed for some time, they have not yet been concluded.  The main reason for this has been financial, as agreement has not been reached regarding the capital costs to convert this space. The Breast Screening service is commissioned by NHS England rather than the CCG, which also creates another level of negotiation.

In spite of all of the preparatory work, the CCG is not confident at this stage that they will be able to reach agreement to complete the capital work by the end of the financial year. 

Research project - CT Scanner:

The CCG has been working with University College Hospital to locate a CT scanner at FMH as part of an international research project. The plans for this are developed and at the stage where final agreements are due to be signed in the near future. It is expected the conversion works for this will be undertaken before the end of the financial year.

Move of CCG headquarters from the North London Business Park to FMH:

The CCG is completing a feasibility study regarding moving its headquarters to FMH. This will report by the end of October 2017 so the Governing Body can make a decision.

The Vice Chairman advised that the Committee had been made aware of the problems that people have in accessing the hospital because of transport difficulties.  The footfall currently going to the hospital is not great enough to justify more appropriate public transport provision and that the main way to significantly increase footfall is to have a GP Practice there.  He questioned what new factor could be brought into play in order to attract GPs to this site which hadn’t been offered in the past. Ms. Matthews advised the Committee that the CCG was looking for creative ideas from staff in order to make the space more attractive. 

Referring to the previous item on parking at Barnet Hospital, Ms. Matthews noted that it was interesting to hear that Barnet Hospital is being fully utilised and questioned if it would be possible for the CCG to attract any services from the Barnet Hospital site.  

A Member commented that it seemed too expensive for GPs to locate to the FMH site and questioned if it was time to abandon plans to have a GP service operating there.   The Member welcomed the idea of the CCG office being given a permanent home but advised that she felt that, at the moment, hospital space was needed for beds, particularly in the context of the forthcoming winter crisis.  The Member also noted that the Marie Foster Unit site was up for sale and questioned why the land wasn’t being used.  Ms. Matthews informed the Committee that the Marie Foster site had been surplus to requirements for a long time. 

Ms. DaSilva informed the Committee that there is not a need for more community beds (above what has been commissioned) in Barnet. She explained that a thorough analysis had been undertaken to establish the number of community beds required and that the CCG had commissioned on this basis. Ms DaSilva also confirmed that it is not just the number of beds that is important but also the length of time patients stay.  When patients are fit for discharge and a package of care is put in place in a timely fashion, then the bed base can be used more effectively.   Ms. DaSilva noted that the future aspiration would be to look at how the number of beds needed could be reduced by investing money in care at home instead. 

A Member commented that the rents that would be charged to GPs at the FMH site would be set by a private company based on the square footage and that the offer was not currently financially attractive.  Ms. Matthews informed the Committee that the GPs’ rent is reimbursed, but the Practice would have to pay the service charge for the site. 

Ms. Matthews informed the Committee that in order to open Adams Ward by December 2017, the CCG would require the cooperation of a considerable number of partners. The Committee noted the CCG’s concerns around the winter flu season and also that the CCG would be specifically targeting the care of dementia patients and patients in continuing care. 

The Chairman suggested that the full utilisation of Finchley Memorial Hospital become a standing item on the Committee’s agenda for the rest of the municipal year.  The Chairman requested that the Governance Officer provide the CCG with the Committee paper deadlines and meeting dates which were as follows:

Meeting on 4 December 2017: Deadline is 14 November 2017

Meeting on 5 February 2017:   Deadline is 16 January 2018

The Chairman commented that the update on the plans for a permanent breast screening unit was much less positive than at the Committee’s July 2017 meeting and expressed concern that the situation had still not been resolved. 

RESOLVED that:

1.    The Committee noted the report.

2.    The Committee requested to be provided with a further update on the utilisation of the Finchley Memorial Hospital site at their meetings in December 2017 and February 2018.