The Vice-Chair in-the-Chair welcomed Nikki Teesdale (Director of Delivery, Medway & Swale Health and Care Partnership) to the meeting.

The Director of Delivery introduced the report which set-out plans to develop a community diagnostic hub based at Sheppey Community Hospital and a spoke, based at Rochester Healthy Living Centre.  She said it was an exciting project and that they had been very lucky to receive funding to support the project.  She said that when applying for funding they had wanted the centres to be placed within areas of deprivation and the Isle of Sheppey was identified because of the health inequalities it faced.       

The Director of Delivery confirmed that the hub would offer all diagnostics including MRI, CT and ultrasound.  She said that there was a significant backlog for MRI scanning and it had been agreed that a mobile MRI unit would be located at the Sheppey Community Hospital from Spring 2023, whilst the hub was being built.  She reported that a feasibility study had commenced and said that within the design they were keen to target high level health inequalities.  On the Isle of Sheppey there was a high number of people showing late presentation of lung cancer and they had agreed with the Cancer Alliance that they would commence a pilot scheme for targeted lung health checks commencing from April 2023.  The scheme would offer those at risk through smoking and over a certain age a CT scan to pick-up lung cancer early which would improve outcomes.

The Director of Delivery said that construction of the hub would commence in April 2023, and they were reconfiguring the hospital to use space already available.  It was hoped that the hub would be up and running by the end of the summer in 2023 and fully operational by the end of 2023, early 2024.  The Director of Delivery said that the hub would be open seven days a week from 8 am until 8 pm.  She said that they would work closely with local GPs and pharmacists to modify certain health “pathways” for residents, and it was hoped that by 2025 one-stop clinics would be provided.

Members considered the report and asked questions and raised points which included:

·         This was fantastic news, and was there any added value the Council could get from the contract?;

·         great news but lack of consultants was a concern;

·         congratulated officers;

·         would more gynaecological one-stop clinics be provided on the Isle of Sheppey;

·         where would the diagnostic hub be situated within the hospital?;

·         would endoscopy be included within the hub?;

·         was there a time limit on the funding?;

·         congratulated Swale Borough Council (SBC) officers for their work with the Health and Care Partnership;

·         pleased that the Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had agreed to target areas of deprivation for more health support; and

·         would parking be increased at the hospital?.

In response to questions, the Director of Delivery acknowledged that workforce was the biggest challenge and risk to the project, but she was confident that through various Government initiatives and recruitment schemes and the reallocation of staff they would be able to recruit.  She spoke about apprenticeships and other employment opportunities the scheme could offer.  The Director of Delivery explained that the funding received was to support recovery and clear the backlog in particular early cancer diagnosis.  Then the Health and Care Partnership could focus on what the local area’s health needs were.  

A substitute Member read out some concerns about healthcare at The William Harvey Hospital on behalf of the Member he was substituting for.  The Director of Delivery agreed to speak to the Member outside of the meeting in order to forward the concerns to the relevant department.

The Director of Delivery advised that the diagnostic hub would not be located within the redundant ward as that was being developed into a frailty ward.  She said that endoscopy would not be included, and that the Government had granted funding for the build of the hub and staff funding for two years had been secured, and from a national perspective no further funding had been guaranteed.  The void land at the hospital would be reconfigured for car parking.  The Director of Delivery agreed to report any updates to the Committee.

The Chair thanked the Director of Delivery for attending the meeting.

Resolved:

(1)      That the report be noted.