SOUTH TYNESIDE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Governors held on Tuesday 21 st April 2009 2008 in the Charles Palmer Conference Centre, Palmer Community Hospital PRESENT: IN ATTENDANCE: APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Mr. P. Davidson (in the Chair) Mrs. P. Anthony Dr. R. Bolton Mr. W. Brady Mrs. M. Carruthers Mr. T. Defty Ms. E. Kilgannon Mrs. J. Lawrence Mr. R. McIntosh Mrs. H. McLoughlin Dr. B. Malik Ms. A. Stewart Ms. H. Watson Mr. M. White Mr. L. Whitfield Mrs. M. Winship Mrs. L.B. Lambert Mr. A. Brewster Mrs. V. Elsy Mr. D. Fleetwood Mr. I.H. Frame Mrs. M. Hamilton Mrs. C.A. Morgan Mrs. H. Ray Mr. M.P. Robson Dr. A. Rodgers Mr. D. Shilton Ms. R. Slater Mr. D. Watts Ms. K. Wilson Mr. M. Blacklock Mr. S. Clark Ms. M. Evans Mr. T. Hanson Mrs. R. Hedley Prof. C. Mahoney Ms. C. Prince Mr. V.A.C. Reece Mr. G. Waddle 1
G020/2009 DECLARATION OF INTERESTS ACTION There were no Declarations of Interest. G021/2009 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING The Minutes of the meeting held on 26 th February 2009 were agreed as a correct record. G022/2009 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES G009/2009 Developing the Annual Plan 2009/10 Mr. Robson informed members that, following discussion at the last meeting of the Board, four Governors had volunteered to work with Executive Directors on a reference group established to seek feedback from Governors on the Annual Plan as it developed. These were as follows:- Mrs. P. Anthony Mrs. M. Carruthers Mrs. C. Prince Ms. E. Kilgannon Mr. Robson thanked these Governors for agreeing to assist in this process. IT WAS AGREED: that members would be kept informed of progress on the development of the Annual Plan 2009/10 MPR G012/2009 Appointment of Non Executive Director Mr. Frame informed members that 30 applications had been received for the vacant Non Executive Director post. It was noted that three of these applications had been rejected because the candidates did not live in South Tyneside. The Nominations Committee would consist of:- Mr P Davidson Chairman, South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust Professor C. Mahoney Appointed Governor Mr K Smith Chairman, Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust (External Assessor) Ms E Kilgannon Staff Governor Mrs H McLoughlin Public Governor Members were informed that an interview date was being finalised. 2
IT WAS AGREED: that members would be kept informed of progress. G023/2009 CHAIRMAN S REPORT a) The Chairman was delighted to announce that the Trust s Maternity service had been awarded CNST Level 3 under the new pilot standards and was one of only 15 Trusts in the country to have achieved this. The Trust s score had been a remarkable 39 out of a possible 40. Members were informed that this was evidence of excellent risk management in this service. Members were informed that CNST (Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts) was a type of insurance against the risk of medical negligence claims b) Members were informed that Carolyn Davison, Nurse Consultant, had been appointed to the National Leadership Council (NLC) which was a sub-committee of the NHS Management Board and would champion the transformation of leadership across the NHS. The NLC would be chaired by the NHS Chief Executive, David Nicholson, and would work to ensure that world-class leadership talent and leadership development existed at every level of the NHS. Members were pleased to note this accolade for Ms. Davison and for the Trust. c) Members were pleased to note that the newly refurbished main entrance to the Ingham Wing had been opened and positive feedback had been received on the completed work. d) Members were informed that Ms. Karen Allen, the prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate for South Shields, had undertaken a tour of the hospital on 17 th April, escorted by the Chairman. e) The Chairman briefed members on a visit to the District Hospital site by Mr. Stephen Clark, Chair of the South of Tyne commissioning arm of the Primary Care Trust. It was noted that Mr. Clark, escorted by Mr. Davidson, had visited areas including the Emergency Admissions Unit and the Stroke Unit. G024/2009 FEEDBACK FROM MEMBERS Nil. 3
G025/2009 HEALTHCARE COMMISSION INVESTIGATION INTO MID STAFFORDSHIRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST MARCH 2009 Mrs. Lambert presented a summary of the above report and gave a presentation which highlighted the key points as well as implications for this Trust. Mrs. Lambert informed members that a task to finish group had been established to progress this work and report back on progress to the next meeting of the Executive Board and the Board of Directors. This group would conduct a rapid initial review of the report and make recommendations for further action. Members were informed that the summary report had been circulated to all senior clinical staff and to the Management Forum. In addition, the Chief Executive had led a presentation on the report to the Senior Clinical Forum on 30 th March 2009 and the Management Forum on 16 th April 2009. Mrs. Lambert indicated that, once the initial review had been undertaken, an overview of the report would be presented to the Board of Governors together with any local recommendations for action. Members noted that the need for the Board of Directors to have a detailed understanding of clinical outcomes was critical. It was noted that the Board at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust had been unaware of the seriousness of the situation in their organisation. Members raised the following points:- a) The Board of Directors in Mid Staffordshire had not apparently scrutinised staffing levels or established any link to mortality indicators. b) Although work was taking place in South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust to reduce the pay bill, Governors were pleased to note that this excluded clinical staff and that there were no plans to reduce nurse staffing levels. c) The importance of maintaining a corporate memory was echoed by Mr. Brady from a Local Authority viewpoint. d) Members noted the role of inspection bodies, including the Healthcare Commission for the NHS and Ofsted for Social Services. e) Difficulties in communication in Mid Staffordshire were noted as well as the reluctance of senior staff to raise their concerns with members of the Board. Governors recognised the importance of reviewing local systems to ensure that staff felt comfortable to raise concerns. 4
f) Members recognised the need to disseminate information on the action plan to all staff, including Staff Side representatives, when the working group had completed its work. g) Consideration was given to the differing roles of the Executive Board, Board of Directors and Board of Governors in addressing issues such as this report. h) Members were pleased to note that South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust had received good scores in the recent Healthcare Commission s National Staff Survey. In particular, the Trust had received positive responses from staff about patient safety. IT WAS AGREED THAT:- i. The report be noted ii. Members would be kept informed of progress at each meeting LBL G026/2009 HEALTHCARE COMMISSION CORE STANDARDS DECLARATION 2008/09 Mrs. Ray reminded members that, as discussed at the last meeting of the Board, the Trust must submit a self assessment declaration to the Healthcare Commission against published standards and targets. As part of the process, the Board of Governors would be given the opportunity to comment on the Trust s performance against those standards. Members were informed that four Governors had volunteered to work with Mrs. Ray on this issue and Mrs. M. Winship and Ms. E. Kilgannon had attended a workshop which had taken place on 15 th April 2009. Mrs. Ray thanked these Governors for agreeing to assist in this process. Mrs. Ray presented a document which had been prepared following that workshop and which provided a commentary on behalf of the Board of Governors. IT WAS AGREED: that the report be received and would form part of the Trust s overall Core Standards declaration for 2008/09. HR 5
G027/2009 MEMBERSHIP UPDATE Mrs. Morgan presented the membership report for the period from 1 st April 2008 to 31 st March 2009. Members were pleased to note that public membership had increased by 634 during the year. Mrs. Morgan noted that recruitment efforts in the coming year were to be concentrated mainly on participation in formal events such as South Tyneside Council s Public Consultation meetings and South Tyneside College s Freshers Day. IT WAS AGREED: that the Membership Report be received. G028/2009 BOARD VISIT REPORTS a) Emergency Admissions Unit b) Health & Safety c) Catering d) Physiotherapy e) Ward 7/Coronary Care Unit f) Ante Natal department IT WAS AGREED: that the reports be received. G029/2009 NHS COUNTER-FRAUD SERVICE PRESENTATION BY MS. KATHRYN WILSON Kathryn Wilson, Local Counter Fraud Specialist, was in attendance to give a presentation on the NHS Counter Fraud Service. The following issues were highlighted:- What is fraud? The implications of fraud National and local strategies Creating an anti-fraud culture Real life examples Dealing with suspicions Points to consider Discussion took place on the following:- Patients from abroad who refused to pay following receipt of treatment Staff working for one Trust while on sick leave from another Trust 6
The Chairman thanked Ms. Wilson for her interesting and informative presentation. G030/2009 DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING IT WAS AGREED: that the next meeting of the Board of Governors would be held at 4.00 p.m. on Thursday 14 th May 2009 in the Committee Room, Education Centre, South Tyneside District Hospital.. CHAIRMAN.. DATE 7