Report from April meeting of the NHSGGC Board
The Board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde met yesterday (Tuesday 26 April). All the papers are available here.
Chairman John Brown and Chief Executive Jane Grant’s Reports : Professor John Brown CBE welcomed Professor Angela Wallace to her first meeting as the newly appointed Executive Director of Nursing, and also Dr Emilia Crighton, who has been appointed as Interim Director of Public Health following the retirement of Dr Linda de Caestecker. He also paid tribute to Mark White who is to leave the Board after seven years for a post with the University of Aberdeen. Under his financial leadership, the Board has delivered a balanced budget every year in very challenging circumstances. The Chairman thanked Mark for the personal support he had given to him over the past seven years.
The Chairman reported on the Annual Review which had taken place with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf, and Chief Operating Officer for NHSScotland, John Burns. Professor Brown fed back on the positive dialogue which had taken place with the Board being recognised for its response to the pandemic and in addressing issues relating to the QEUH/RHC, together with the support given to COP26 and the establishment of the NHS Louisa Jordan.
Finally, the Chairman also advised of a meeting that had taken place with Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, to discuss issues raised in parliament about the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Children. Dr Gulhane had welcomed the briefing and agreed that it was important for politicians to be given accurate briefings.
Mrs Jane Grant announced some recent appointments, including the appointment of Kate Rocks to the post of Chief Officer for Inverclyde HSCP and Christine Laverty to the position of Chief Officer of Renfrewshire HSCP. She also announced the appointment of Sandra Devine to the new post of Director of Infection Prevention and Control. She also highlighted a number of meetings that had taken place with Scottish Government representatives, including a meeting of the Advice, Assurance and Review Group on issues relating to the QEUH and RHC.
Finally, Mrs Grant reported on the good news that staff and managers working within corporate services, including Estates and Facilities, have successfully achieved the Investors in People standard, following accreditation being achieved within the Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
Patient Story: Every Board meeting starts with a patient story to focus on the people we are here to serve. This patient story describes the action being taken within our Pharmacy services to deliver person-centred care. Click here to watch the video.
COVID-19 update:
Dr Emilia Crighton, Interim Director of Public Health, updated the Board on the overall position on our response to managing COVID-19.
The Board heard that, whilst cases in NHSGGC have begun to fall, this drop in case numbers follows the highest community and hospital prevalence during any stage of the pandemic.
Staff absence has also been impacted significantly. Dr Crighton advised that a dedicated HR Support and Advice Unit has been established to ensure managers and employees are supported in dealing with COVID related absences.
In particular, guidance has been developed to assist in managing the previously unknown condition of Long COVID. Work has been undertaken in conjunction with Occupational Health Services to ensure there is an appropriate and detailed management referral process for any employee absent due to Long COVID. A specialist team of occupational therapists, physiotherapy, psychology and occupational health nursing has been established within the Occupational Health service.
Board members asked about visiting restrictions, which continue, and about the plans for the premises occupied by the Community Assessment Centres, which had previously been decommissioned. Questions were also asked about the future of the Lighthouse Laboratory and the vaccination centres as the country emerges from the pandemic and transitions to learn to live with COVID.
The Board thanked Dr Crighton and her public health team for their continued leadership and advice in responding to the pandemic.
Click here to read the Board Paper.
QEUH/RHC Update
Jane Grant, Chief Executive, updated the Board on the position regarding a number of issues related to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) and the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC).
Mrs Grant highlighted the very significant work that continues to support the Public Inquiry. Dates have now been fixed for the next diet of oral hearings relating to the QEUH and RHC as part of the Public Inquiry, which have been scheduled to take place from 31 October until 9 December 2022. It is then anticipated that further hearings will be set into 2023 and potentially into 2024.
The investigation by Police Scotland continues, as does the legal claim against Multiplex, Capita and Currie & Brown. A further summons has been served to Multiplex and their Parent Company in March 2022, in relation to some internal wall linings. With court action paused to allow for adjudication, there is a regular exchange of information ahead of this.
Mrs Grant ended with some positive news that the newly refurbished Schiehallion Unit, previously known as wards 2A and 2B, reopened on 9 March, 2022, with extremely positive feedback from both staff and patients since the move. The opening of the unit has also brought into use the new SMaRT (Scottish Paediatric Molecular Radiotherapy Service) unit, providing specialist therapy for children across Scotland.
Click here to read the Board Paper.
Transformation of Specialist Neurosciences, OMFS and Spinal Injuries Services in the West of Scotland
Dr Jennifer Armstrong, Medical Director, and Professor Tom Steele, Director of Estates and Facilities, presented the draft Initial Agreement on a proposal to improve the facilities of the Institute of Neurological Sciences at the QEUH.
The Institute of Neurological Sciences (INS) is the largest neurosciences unit in the UK, caring annually for 11,500 inpatients and 50,000 outpatients, alongside 4,500 day cases. It was initially built in 1972 as part of the Southern General Hospital, and it was retained when the QEUH and Royal Hospital for Children were built. It provides a range of regional and national services.
However, in recent years it has become clear that the facilities of the INS are not meeting the needs of the services it provides, and so proposals have been developed through the Initial Agreement to improve facilities so that they are fit for person-centred care in the 21st century, whilst retaining a close proximity to A&E and the West of Scotland Major Trauma Centre at the QEUH.
NHSGGC has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders while developing the Initial Agreement, including clinicians, patient groups and the third sector, and the Board welcomed the inclusive approach to the project so far.
It was recognised by the Board that there is a compelling clinical case for this ambitious project which will now go to the Scottish Government for consideration. If approved, work will then begin on the next stage of the process.
Click here to read the Board Paper.
Department of Research and Innovation: Board Report 2021 – Recovery, Resilience and Growth
Medical Director, Dr Jennifer Armstrong, introduced Professor Julie Brittenden, Director of Research and Innovation, to present the annual report on the Board’s research and innovation programme.
Throughout the pandemic, NHSGGC has played a crucial role in recruiting suitable patients for various COVID-19 vaccine and treatment studies, including the RECOVERY and REMAP CAP studies, which specifically look at improving mortality rates and severe sickness rates from COVID-19. While COVID-19 recovery continues, the Health Board has also been able to restart 1,100 of its paused research studies while starting 300 new studies, involving 499 principal investigators and with over 8,000 recruited patients which is on par with pre-pandemic activity.
The wide range of studies and projects supported by NHSGGC’s Research and Innovation teams are helping to improve the experiences of patients, while reducing waiting times and time spent in hospital.
The West of Scotland Innovation Hub, which is hosted by the health board, is collaborating with academia and industry on a further 57 innovation projects, with a cumulative value of £93 million. These collaborative projects examine the impact of AI and new technology on improving diagnosis, enhancing the patient experience and transforming the delivery of health and social care by driving forward the early adoption of novel devices, products and services.
Thanking Professor Brittenden and her R&I teams, Professor Brown said: “NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s research and innovation teams were able to adapt rapidly to the challenges of the pandemic and the rate in which they have been able to remobilise and recover is nothing short of remarkable. I continue to be impressed by the scale of research and innovation, the range of projects and high numbers of patients involved.
“Most impressively, this important research is helping to improve the experiences of patients while reducing waiting times and the amount of time spent in hospital for those receiving treatment. This is what research and innovation is all about.”
Click here to read the Board Paper.
Finance Report
Mark White, Finance Director, reported on the Month 11 financial position. Current projections indicate that the organisation is set to meet its three financial targets for 21/22. COVID expenditure for the organisation has been fully funded by the Scottish Government. In addition, the Financial Improvement Programme has delivered £35 million of savings, a significant achievement within the context of the pandemic. In the course of the year, approximately £100 million has been spent on capital schemes.
Looking ahead to 2022/23, the financial challenge for the year includes £120m of a recurring brought forward deficit from 2021/22. Factoring in recurring savings of £50m and non-recurring funding this can be reduced to £81.5m. Whilst this is a significant challenge, and one that reflects the position across the whole of Scotland, the Board has faced similar challenges previously. Work is being taken forward with budget holders to finalise the financial plan to identify the required savings, including a review of COVID spend as we transition to a new phase of living with COVID.
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