Agenda item

Report and presentation of Pete Fahy, Director of Adult Services and Housing

The Board received a progress report and presentation from Pete Fahy, Director of Adult Services, on Improving Lives for Older People through the system transformation programme across health and care.

The report noted the first phase of the programme work was aimed at improving outcomes for older people.  Expressed in activity terms, the levels of acute attendances, emergency admissions and emergency re-admission for adults over 65 in Coventry were considerably higher than those of comparator organisations.  This had been the position for a number of years and although improvement programmes and initiatives had been deployed to improve the position overall performance had not changed significantly. 

In order to tackle these issues an in-depth diagnostic of urgent and emergency pathways for older people in Coventry had been undertaken by operational improvement specialists Newton.  The diagnostic work had identified a range of opportunities to reduce emergency department attendances, which in turn had the potential to reduce the number of non-elective beds required through reduced admissions and shortened length of stay, leading to improved outcomes for older people in Coventry.  Outside of the hospital setting opportunities to improve the approach to admission avoidance and supported discharges (people that needed care and support immediately following a hospital stay) had also been identified.  A summary of the work completed in the diagnostic phase was attached as an appendix to the report. 

Although the key metrics the work was aimed at improving, were in relation to acute activity, it was very much a system issue across all aspects of primary, community, acute and social care for which the diagnostic had clearly shown that there was an opportunity to bring about improvements to the existing pathways.

The four key organisations involved – University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW), Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT), Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CWCCG) and the City Council had committed to entering into a design phase which was currently underway.  The purpose of the design phase was to co-design and test with operational leads and front line staff, a set of sustainable solutions to the opportunities identified in the diagnostic.  The design approach would ensure the buy-in and commitment of the staff that was fundamental to making change happen should the programme proceed to implementation. 

Progressing the programme of work was a key priority area for the Coventry Care Collaborative and provided one example of how organisations were working together to find new ways of improving outcomes for the people of Coventry.  Although the focus of the work was people aged 65+ any improvements in pathways should also have an impact on people of different ages that use those pathways.

The opportunities presented through the diagnostic phase were such that all four organisations committed beyond the diagnostic to the current ‘design’ phase.  Nothing had been committed to beyond the design phase at this point, which was expected to conclude in May 2022.

There were no specific recommendations or decisions for Coventry Health and Well Being Board at this point.  However, the Board was requested to support the programme of work as a key initiative that brought organisations working closer together to support the people of Coventry. 

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board note and support the contents of the report and the attached Programme Update.