Agenda item

Matters arising from the minutes of the meeting held on the 28 July 2021:

Agenda Item 10, Page 8 of the Minutes of the meeting held on 19 May 2021 – NHS Trust Quality Accounts 2021/21 RFL NHS Foundation Trust Quality Account. The Dementia Care plans requested by Councillor Rutter at the meeting held on 19 May 2021 had been circulated to the Committee on 15 September 2021. Members were also sent a contact name and an email address for any further queries they might have.

Agenda Item 10, Page 8 of the Minutes of the meeting held on 28 July 2021 – Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) Cricklewood Update. Four questions had been raised at the last meeting:

1.Who are the other shareholders apart from Sree Agarwal?

2.How many services do Penceat Medical Ltd run?

3.How long had they been running these services?

4.What type of questions were asked during the procurement process?

The answers to these questions had been circulated to Members on 12 October 2021 and hard copies were available at the Meeting. The Chairman raised concerns in relation to the answer to Question 3: ‘The Service was registered with the CQC in June 2020’. The Chairman enquired as to whether the services could have been running before Penceat Medical registered with the CQC and, if they were not, she was concerned that the services had been running for a very short amount of time which did not allow for much long-term reassurance on the ability of the company to provide the medical care required.

Members reiterated the concerns of the Chairman and commented that parts of the local Community already had a distrust of health services. Members advised that any company taking over this contract would need to be able to deal confidently with significant challenges to regain the confidence of the Community. Members expressed their concern that the company did not have a proven long-term track record of being able to provide quality services.

Colette Wood, Director of Integration, North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group (NCL, CCG), explained that the procurement had been undertaken in-line with the relevant laws and procedures. She also updated Members that her team had met with Penceat Medical around 4 to 5 weeks ago to confirm what plans the Company had around working with the Community. Colette Wood commented that the responses the CCG received had been very reassuring, that the company demonstrated they had conducted due diligence of the area and that the group of GPs working there had significant experience. She also assured Members that, as with all GP Practices in Barnet, Penceat would be subject to stringent contractual arrangements.

Members asked what the handover procedure would be. Colette Wood explained that the CCG recognised that the Practice had gone through a difficult time over the last few years with a high turnover of staff. Therefore, the CCG had held a number of meetings with Penceat and the GP Federation, who would continue to be the care takers for the next couple of months. She reiterated that assurances had been provided on the ability of Penceat to take on this Practice and they had been very clear about their plans and how they would meet the needs of the various population groups.

RESOLVED that the Committee approved the Minutes of the Meeting held on 28 July as an accurate record.