Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 2^nd February, 2022 were agreed as a true record. There were no matters arising.

Presentation from Andy Hardy, UHCW, who have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with Justine Richards

The Board received a presentation from Andy Hardy, Chief Executive, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire on the new organisational strategy for the hospitals for 2022-2030 ‘More than a Hospital’, as part of the consultation process. Dame Stella Manzie, Chair of the Hospitals Trust also attended the meeting for the consideration of this item and spoke in support of the new strategy.

The presentation commenced with a short video highlighting the employees and the good work they carried out whilst caring for local residents at the hospital, along with the innovation and research that was currently taking place.

Covid was now a springboard for transformation with a collective approach to the response including businesses, communities and individuals. It has enabled agility in making big changes. There was now a focus on building community resilience with a focus on prevention and proactive interventions moving away from a “care and repair” model. The Board were reminded that Healthcare was changing, with a new environment brought about by the Health and Care Act with more opportunities being created by greater integration. There would be a focus on reducing health inequalities by focussing on the wider determinants of health – the economy, employment, education, housing, leisure and the environment, with the hospital’s role being that of an anchor organisation 

The presentation highlighted the current strategic triangle which put the patient at the top of everything. The current mission, values and objectives were set out. The Board were informed of the refreshed strategic triangle which once again put the patient at the top of everything. The hospital’s new vision was ‘To be a national and international leader in healthcare rooted in our communities’. The new purpose was ‘Local integrated care. Being a regional centre of excellence. Research Innovation and Training’. The following were the values for the new organisational strategy:

Compassion; Openness; Improve; Respect; Partnership; Pride and Learn. 

The new strategy contained the following purpose:

‘Our fundamental purpose is to deliver the best possible care for our local communities. We will achieve this by leading in all that we do, with our three interconnected purposes enabling us to continually improve local care’.

The three interconnecting purposes were:

i) Local integrated Care – Collaborating with partners to integrate services, improve population health and tackle health inequalities.

ii) Research, innovation and training – developing the next generation of health and care professionals and leading research and innovation to improve patient outcomes.

iii) Being a regional centre of excellence – developing the strongest specialities to meet the needs of a broader population.

Additional information was provided on these three purposes and what they meant for patients, people and the organisation.

Reference was made to supporting strategies – the ability to deliver outstanding care was dependent on how the hospital improved quality, supported employees, invested in digital technology and data insights and promoted sustainability. These cross-cutting enabling strategies related to the three purpose elements of local integrated care; being a regional centre of excellence; and research; training and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

Report of Councillor Clifford, Chair of the Task and Finish Group

Members of the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with  Councillors P Seaman and B Gittins, Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and Councillor K Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills

The Board considered a report back of the Autism Task and Finish Group informing the Board of their recommendations arising from their consideration of the issues around the assessment process and support for children and young people who were referred for an autism assessment, and their families. As the task and finish group had progressed, their remit had expanded to include transition into adult services, inclusion and other aspects of neurodiversity. As the Task and Finish Group comprised members of this Board along with Members of the Education and Childrens’ Services Scrutiny Board (2), Scrutiny Board (2) were invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item. Councillor P Seaman, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and Councillor Heaven, a Member of the Task and Finish Group, also attended.

The report set out the background to the establishment of the Task and Finish Group which had their had their first meeting on 11th October 2021 and met 5 times. The membership comprised Councillor Clifford (Chair), Councillors Innes and Heaven and the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) Co-opted Members, Sybil Hanson and Kellie Jones. Councillor Brown and Sarah McGarry also attended the meetings as Experts by Experience. Officers from a range of Council Services, officers from Warwickshire County Council and representatives from Coventry and Warwickshire CCG Joint Commissioning Team and Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust also attended meetings.

The Task and Finish Group members also attended a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) Briefing. There were representatives of around 80 schools present who shared their views from an educational perspective about the support to autistic children and young people and their families including those awaiting assessment.

The report provided a definition of Autism and Neurodiversity and included a link to a video from the National Autistic Society which provided further information about Autism.

Reference was made to the Coventry and Warwickshire All Age Autism Strategy that was being developed and finalised during the period that the task and finish group met. The Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board had scrutinised the draft strategy at their meeting on 2nd December, 2021 which was approved at Cabinet on 15th February, 2022. The aims of this strategy were detailed. Members appreciated that the strategy would help to address some of the issues raised throughout the task and finish group but were concerned that funding had only been identified for the first year of the delivery plan.

The report also referred to the National Autism Strategy for 2021-2026 with the six national priorities being set out. The local strategy was designed to complement this national strategy.

Information was provided on the Coventry context which included that there was no register of autistic people nationally or locally and so the true level of occurrence of autism in Coventry was unknown. Evidence suggested that the city had a higher proportion of Special Educational Needs (SEN) support for autism across all state-funded school settings compared to England, the West Midlands, Warwickshire and Derby. Potential reasons  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Board noted their final work programme for the 2021/22 municipal year.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved

The Board placed on record their thanks to David Spurgeon Co-opted Member, who was attending his last Scrutiny Board meeting, having been a member for the previous ten years. The Chair, Councillor Clifford, thanked him for his valuable contribution to the work of the Board during this time. He referred to Ed DeVane who was attending the meeting as an observer and was to be the replacement Co-opted member from Healthwatch from the start of the new municipal year.

The Board also thanked Councillor Lucas for her time as a Member of the Board and wished her well for the future.