Agenda item

To consider a report from Leeds City Council’s Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support, introducing NHS England’s consultation on its proposals to implement standards for congenital heart disease (CHD) for children and adults in England, alongside other relevant information. 

The Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support (Leeds City Council) submitted a report that introduced details of NHS England’s consultation on its proposals to implement standards for congenital heart disease (CHD) services for children and adults in England.

The following details were appended to the report:

·  The new review of Congenital Heart Disease in England – the Joint Committee’s consultation response (December 2014);

·  Proposals to implement standards for congenital heart disease services for children and adults in England – an NHS England consultation document (February 2017);

·  Draft response to consultation on Congenital Heart Disease Services – Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (July 2017)

A consultation response from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was also submitted to the meeting (Minute 36 refers).

The following representatives were in attendance for consideration of the item:

·  Robert Cornall – Regional Director Specialised Commissioning (North), NHS England

·  Ben Parker – Project Development Manager?, CHD Programme, NHS England

·  Debra Wheeler – General Manager, Yorkshire and Humber Congenital Heart Disease Network

·  Dr Elspeth Brown – Consultant Cardiologist, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

·  Dr John Thompson – Consultant Cardiologist, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

The Principal Scrutiny Adviser gave a briefing introduction and highlighted the information presented to the Joint Committee for consideration. 

Representatives from NHS England were then invited to introduce the proposals in more detail, and proceeded to deliver a presentation covering the following areas:

·  Aims of the discussion;

·  Background to congenital heart disease and the agreed model of care;

·  The rationale and case for change;

·  An outline of the agreed service standards and associated implications;

·  The process of assessment of current providers against the agreed service standards, and associated outcomes;

·  Applying the agreed standards, the current proposals and associated impacts; and,

·  Details of the consultation process, including confirmation that the deadline for consultation responses was midnight, Monday 17 July 2017.

The Joint Committee welcomed the range of information provided as part of the agenda papers and presented at the meeting. 

The Joint Committee also confirmed its primary focus was on the potential impacts and implications of any proposals on the children, adults and their families across Yorkshire and the Humber; particularly in relation to the main questions being posed by NHS England around the proposed decommissioning of (level 1) surgical services from:

·  Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (adult service);

·  Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust (services for adults and children); and,

·  University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (services for adults and children)

In considering these specific proposals, the Joint Committee did not feel it appropriate to comment on the impact of the proposals for the children, adults and their families from those areas most directly impacted by the proposed decommissioning of services.

In considering all the remaining information presented to the meeting, members of the Joint Committee raised and discussed a number of areas, including:

·  Assurance about Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust progress towards meeting the agreed standards.

·  Assurance about the implications of NHS England’s proposals for children, adults and their families across Yorkshire and the Humber. 

·  Concerns around the current ‘…fragility of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) service in Manchester’ and the specific implications for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and its patient population. 

·  Support the call from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for a ‘rapid co-ordinated response’ to ensure contingency plans can be put in place ahead of the planned transition of services to Liverpool. 

·  NHS England’s position around services delivered in Newcastle not currently meeting the agreed service standards in terms of activity levels or co-location of specific services – with no robust plans to do so within the required timeframe. 

·  Newcastle’s unique position in relation to delivering services and caring for patients with advanced heart failure (including heart transplantation and bridge to transplant). 

·  Concern that the future delivery of the highly specialised services currently delivered at Newcastle continued to be unresolved some 4 years after the original Safe and Sustainable review was halted.

Members of the Joint Committee also expressed a desire to be kept informed of the outcome of the consultation; its conclusions and NHSE’s future decision-making arrangements and timescales regarding the future delivery of congenital heart disease services in England.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That a response on behalf of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Yorkshire and the Humber) be drafted, setting out the main observations made at the meeting and reflecting the comments previously submitted during the development of the standards and subsequent consultation in 2014.

(b)  That the response on behalf of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Yorkshire and the Humber) be submitted to NHS England by the revised consultation deadline of midnight on 17 July 2017.