Agenda item

To follow

Corrections to the Minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2021:

Agenda Item 11, Page 7 of the Minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2021- Accessing GPs remotely. The Chairman wished to insert the following paragraph at the beginning of the item: ‘At the previous Committee Meeting held on 12 October 2021, the Chairman had asked Cllr Lisa Rutter if she could bring a couple of carers from Dementia Club UK to the meeting to be held on 7 December 2021 to provide an account of their experiences with accessing GPs remotely. Cllr Rutter brought two carers and also read out an account from another carer who was unable to attend’.

Matters arising from the Minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2021:

• Agenda Item 8, Page 4 of the Minutes of the meeting held on 12 October 2021 - Uptake of the ‘flu vaccination. The Chairman noted that the data was circulated on 10 February and Dr Djuretic apologised for the late circulation. A Member noted that it was pleasing to see a small uplift in uptake.

•  Agenda Item 5, Page 2 of the Minutes – Public Question Time. A question had been received from a member of the public. The Chairman reported that the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust had responded to the resident and that their response had also been circulated to the Committee as follows:

‘Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (RFL) is committed to ensuring staff and patients receive the best possible experience.  The Trust has prioritised capital investment in digital transformation and IT infrastructure. In October 2021, a new Electronic Patient Record (EPR) was launched. Staff at Barnet Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital had been using EPR since 2018. In October, we upgraded the system across all of our hospitals, and introduced it to the Royal Free Hospital.

EPR is an innovative new system that has replaced paper records at the Royal Free London. It means staff caring for patients always have access to accurate and up-to-date information to ensure patients get the best care.  With all healthcare information in one place, it means staff can access patients’ test results, and details of their care, more quickly. There are no longer paper records and our staff are now using computers and laptops to input information directly. 

The Trust also has a patient portal, (My RFL Care), with approximately 160,000 patients registered. This is web-based and enables patients to view their appointments and letters online in one place, anytime and anywhere.’ 

A Member commented that it could be difficult to get information about loved ones, as often Trusts do not have the information to hand. She hoped this would help staff to access information when relatives request it. The Chairman noted that this could be discussed when the Quality Accounts are discussed at the HOSC in May.

·         Agenda Item 8, Page 3 of the Minutes – Covid Update and Flu Vaccination Verbal Update. The Chairman reported that an apology had been received from Ms Vishram about the late response to a query on access to lateral flow tests. The Chairman read out the response:

o   ‘We escalated the issue with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and HSC and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). They confirmed clearly with us and pharmacies, that pharmacies should still give out tests even if people do not have a code.

o   We increased the number of community sites as an alternative if people do not want or cannot get a code

o   We put out social media comms

o   We changed our testing factsheet to say that you can pick up a test kit without a code and shared this with Health Champions.’

A Member reported that they had been dealing with residents who were struggling to get booster vaccines and thanked officers as this had been resolved.

Another Member noted that there appeared to be problems obtaining lateral flow tests. The Chairman suggested that the Member contact Dr Djuretic if there are problems with a particular pharmacy.

RESOLVED that the Committee approved the Minutes of the Meeting held on 7 December 2021 as an accurate record.