Governance, service re-design and commissioning
Accountabililty for effective engagement
Overall accountability for effective engagement is retained by our Herts Valleys board; a lay member, together with our Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Committee providing assurance that good involvement is considered and demonstrated at all stages and levels of our work.
We have a patient representative, with the lay member with responsibility for public engagement, on our board together with independent patient champion, Healthwatch Hertfordshire. Our board meetings are open to the public as are other key decision-making meetings, such as our primary care commissioning committee which also has a patient member. The patient representative is also fully involved in board development sessions.
Reviewing recruitment and support of patient representatives
To hear first hand patient representatives experience of being involved in our procurements, service re-design, committees, reader panels and other activities we held a joint session on Tuesday 28 January for representatives and staff.
The aim of the session was to, as a group, learn from everyone’s experience of how we recruit, support and develop patient representatives, agree what could be improved and take the necessary action.
The slides from the session are here
The notes and actions here
Patient representatives on CCG committees, projects and activities
Our patient representatives are local carers, patients or members of the public – who are actively, involved in local health services. They may be representing a group, a community or alternatively just involved as an individual, offering their views, experiences and bringing a patient perspective to all discussions.
Patient representatives are asked to contribute to discussions by offering their opinions in a constructive and informed way.
We have patient representatives on the following board decision making committees:
| Board committees | Name |
| Commissioning Executive | Jill Ainsworth-Beardmore |
| Quality Committee | Jill Ainsworth-Beardmore |
| Primary Care Commissioning Committee | John Wigley |
| Finance and Performance | John Wigley |
| Patient and Public Involvement | Madeleine Donohue, Kevin Minier, Alex Hickinbotham, John Wigley, Gavin Ross, Jill Ainsworth-Beardmore, Penny Allum, Colin Barry, Robert Hillyard, Janice Neal |
We also have patient members at the following meetings and groups:
| Meeting and group title | Name |
|
Serious Incident Panel |
Stephanie Cooper, Virginia Kirri-Songhurst |
| Quality Assurance visits |
Diane Eaton, John Wigley, Jill Ainsworth-Beardmore, Victor Boulter, Colin Stodel, Brenda Kember, David Roberts |
| Service re-design projects | Various |
|
Quality meeting with West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust |
David Roberts, Brenda Kember |
| Primary Care Contracting Panel | Barry Dixon, Tim Sims, Sue Bloch, Diane Chick |
| Procurement of GP consultations | George Edwards |
| Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) stakeholder panel | Kevin Minier, Madeleine Donohue, John Wigley |
| Urgent Care Strategy Group |
Jill Ainsworth-Beardmore |
| Urgent Treatment Centres Working Group |
John Wigley |
| Non Emergency Patient Transport Service contract review meetings | Madeleine Donohue |
| Herts Medicines Management Committee | Brenda Hall |
| Medicines Optimisation Clinical Leads | Brenda Hall, Jyoti Hadani |
| Care Home Project Group | Jeff Solomons, Kumar Sundera-Moorthy, Virginia Kirri-Songhurst, Fikile Mkoyana, Sandy Palmer |
| Primary Care Commissioning Panel | Barry Dixon, Tim Sims, Sue Bloch, Diane Chick, Helen Clothier |
| Falls Task and Finish Group | Diana Wilson, Christine Hyde |
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Click here to find out how to get involved
We always ask colleagues to communicate in a way that is easy to understand but we know that sometimes acronyms slip in to conversations so we have created this guide most frequently used acronyms here
Patient Involvement in locality commissioning groups
Dacorum
Two patient members attend the monthly Dacorum Commissioning Committee. The insight from the patient representatives is invaluable in terms of providing feedback to the board. In addition members are also significantly involved in projects, such as the Hemel Hempstead Hospital service redesign project and implementing changes to Hemel Hempstead urgent treatment centre.
The locality were also recently involved in an event with shoppers in The Marlowes Shopping Centre in Hemel Hempstead when the ‘Care Bear’ handing out information about support for carers. A range of professionals from across health and social care were also there to talk to people who look after a friend or family member unpaid, and to give out leaflets and advice about the support available to them.
Over 50 people were given advice or information and many others were told what a carer is. Information was given about Carers in Herts, mental health services, Herts Help, Community Navigators, Adult Care Services, Age UK Dacorum, benefits, housing, adult learning, local pharmacy services, care homes and falls. Similar events are planned throughout Dacorum during 2019.
St Albans and Harpenden
The St Albans and Harpenden Patient Group (SAPG) is a very active group on behalf of the patients for St Albans and Harpenden both at local and individual level. Representatives from SAPG regularly attend monthly Locality Commissioning Committees (LCC) to ensure that the committee considers the patient journey and perspective during their discussions. The group also ensures strategic overviews and service redesigns and planning are brought into the public domain. For example, recent meetings discussions have included urgent care, mental health services and hospital sites. The group works with the locality to support participation.
Recently the Lodge GP group held a patient engagement event which was open to all Redbourn Health Centre (RHC) patients. This event was to discuss the merger of The Lodge and Highfield surgeries and Redbourn Health Centre, to discuss the changes taking place and to answer questions from RHC patients.
Watford and Three Rivers
The locality is focussing on developing their GP practice patient groups (PPG) by encouraging all practices to be part of our PPG network and organised an event in March 2019 to share good practice, broaden participation and develop partnership working. The report of this meeting is available here
Recently patient representatives have spoken about active patient groups to a practice manager meeting and offered support to individual practices to develop their patient groups.
Hertsmere
The Hertsmere patient participation group (PPG) is a sub-committee of Hertsmere locality committee with two representatives invited to attend. The patient group is chaired by a patient, includes representatives from Hertsmere GP practice patient groups and facilitated and supported by the locality team.
Members of the group were recently involved in a second health event in Potters Bar which was arranged by practice patient groups but with significant support from practice managers and GPs. It is planned this very well attended meeting will be an annual event