Agenda item - Meet the new senior team at South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb)

Presentation from SECAmb (copy attached).

8.1       Jon Amos (Director of Strategy, SECAmb) introduced the presentation outlining that since the last update in October there have been significant changes for the trust. Bi-monthly meetings with HOSC chairs from across the patch take place to provide detail on CQC actions and improvements.

8.2       The report from the CQC inspection is expected around September. Some immediate actions came as a result of the inspection which had already been identified. The key areas of focus are around consistent management of medicines and better quality of records moving to electronic. The quality of call recordings also needed improvement which has been addressed and 99.4% are now fully recorded but still aiming for 100%.

8.3       SECAmb has been in a period of recovery over the last year, and a new five year strategy is about to be published. This should be published in July 2017. The strategy is about how to move on from the recovery and recognising that there are still further improvements to be made.

8.4       There has been improved engagement with staff and a better management structure of support. Engagement from staff has been significant and they feel they are getting a response to the questionnaires.

8.5       The financial position is challenging in terms of demand growing more than contract income. There was a significant deficit at end of 2016/17 and a target to decrease to £1m by the end of this year.

8.6       SECAmb is performing well against targets in Brighton & Hove in terms of responding to Red 1 (immediately life threatening) and Red 2 (potentially life threatening) calls. This is regularly reviewed and there is an ongoing process to see if there are any adverse health outcomes as a consequence of potential delays.

8.7       There have been positive changes in the relationship with Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH). There is more work to do but both in a better place for working together.

8.8       There have been positive results from defibrillators that have been installed around the city.

8.9       Advanced preparations are happening for Brighton Pride and the trust is also planning ahead for the winter.

8.10    In response to questions asked, the following was confirmed:

·         Jon Amos advised that the presentation today covered a broad remit but he would be happy to return with specific information and to answer more specific questions.

·         There is a significant piece of ongoing work looking at how ambulance services are measured. Currently the measurement is very time focussed with little clinical base but the aim is to move toward a more clinical and metrics-focused way of measuring performance. SECAMB expects to receive national pilot recommendations in the next few weeks which should provide new metrics.

·         Working with colleagues across the NHS and social care to deal with repeat callers. Using this multi-agency, coordinated approach has enabled the frequency of the top 10 callers to be dramatically reduced to almost 0.

·         Using alternative response vehicles is being looked at with the aim to focus on ensuring the correct resource is sent to the call initially.

·         The move to stroke centres is a positive and powerful change and a great example of improved patient care. In a proper stroke unit the patient is treated by experts and given the best possible care. Time has been spent with stroke nurses and there has been a recognisable impact on response times.

8.11    It was requested that the report on bullying and harassment is brought back to the board when it has been finalised.