Agenda item - Patient transport Services (PTS): Update

Report of the Executive Lead, Strategy, Governance & Law, on Sussex Patient Transport Services (PTS).

34.1    This item was introduced by John Child (JC), Chief Operating Officer, Brighton & Hove CCG; Alan Beasley (AB), Chief Finance Officer, High Weald Lewes Havens CCG; and Ian Thomson (IT), Business Unit Manager (Sussex), Coperforma.

34.2    In response to a question from Cllr Allen on TIAA being unable to interview all the staff they wished to in preparing their independent report on Patient Transport Services (PTS) contract mobilisation, AB told members that at the time of TIAA’s investigation some staff were unavailable because they were no longer employed by Coperforma. IT added that he had been in place in May; TIAA had not attempted to contact the previous incumbent.

34.3    In answer to a query from Cllr Allen on why CCGs had paid for external legal advice on this issue, AB told the committee that CCGs did not have the requisite specialist legal expertise in-house.

34.4    In response to Cllr Taylor’s request to see performance data broken down to locality level, AB told members that the contract was not established with this granularity of data in mind. However, data by locality has now been requested and should be imminently available. IT added that he has taken personal charge of the Brighton & Hove locality. He meets regularly with staff at the royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH), particularly with renal department nurses, to ensure that all PTS journeys are booked correctly. IT is developing contingency plans for when the 3Ts building work impacts on parking at RSCH.

34.5    In answer to a question from Cllr O’Quinn on the employment by CCGs of a PTS expert, AB confirmed that someone has been in post since August 30. IT added that this arrangement is working well for Coperforma: the new staff member has an in-depth practical knowledge of PTS and provides an effective means of liaison between Coperforma and commissioners.

34.6    In response to a query from Cllr Mac Cafferty on how the learning from the TIAA mobilisation report can be entrenched into future CCG procurement, AB told members that the learning from the TIAA report has been shared amongst all Sussex CCGs and also with specialist procurement support organisations. Procurement of the PRS contract was not supported by the regional Commissioning Support Unit (CSU), although it is unlikely that CSU involvement would have resulted in a different outcome. The TIAA report has been shared with the CSU.

34.7    Fran McCabe told members that HW has been surveying renal patients since the beginning of the current PTS contract. User satisfaction has gradually improved, but is still nowhere near the 80% quoted by the CCGs. Patients remain very worried about the future of the service. Users would also like to see some continuity of care – i.e. being regularly assigned the same driver. Whilst some aspects of the PTS service are doubtless complex because it is hard to estimate how long appointments may take, treatment times for other services (e.g. renal dialysis) are much more predictable, and it should be relatively straightforward to run a decent PTS for these patients. Ian Thomson offered to work more closely with Healthwatch to ensure that patient satisfaction was being accurately recorded.

34.8    Cllr Cattell commented that she was sceptical of the user satisfaction being claimed by the CCGs and would like to see the survey proforma being used. To be trusted it may be necessary that the wording of any survey be agreed with an independent body such as Healthwatch. It is shocking that TIAA was unable to access all the information it required to undertake its independent investigation.

34.9    Cllr Peltzer Dunn proposed an amendment to the report recommendation, suggesting that an additional resolution be inserted at 2.2: “that bi-annual updates, to include comparative patient satisfaction data, be brought to the HOSC.” The amendment was seconded by Cllr Allen and agreed by members.

34.10  RESOLVED – that the report be noted; and that bi-annual updates, to include comparative patient satisfaction data, be brought to the HOSC.