Agenda item

Local Health Care Provision in Maidstone

Minutes:

The Chief Executive presented her report on Local Health Care Provision in Maidstone.

 

The Chief Executive also introduced NHS Representatives, Dr Tony Jones and Ruth Wells, both of whom were in attendance to provide further details and answer questions from Members in response to this report.

 

The Chief Executive also highlighted the two concerns raised by Members, the general healthcare workforce and infrastructure available in providing healthcare services within Maidstone.

 

The Committee noted the ratio of patients to healthcare professionals:

 

·  Across West-Kent, there is an average of 2057 patients per GP; Across Maidstone the average is 2372 patients per GP.

·  Across West-Kent, there is an average of 1122 patients per healthcare professional; Across Maidstone the average is 1026 patients per staff member

The Chief Executive emphasised that the interactions between patient(s) and healthcare professionals was changing and it should be recognised when facilitating discussions on the provision of appropriate healthcare within the area. 

 

The Committee were made aware of the following points:

 

·  The CCG was currently reviewing the contents of the Local Plan, to assess where future housing developments would be located in order that GP and Local Healthcare demands could be assessed

·  The need for a new GP Practice in Maidstone had been identified

·  The proposal to create a Local Care Hub – which would not include GP services, to enable different healthcare professionals to work alongside one another, facilitating improved healthcare provision. Services could include diagnostic services, x-rays and minor injuries treatment.

·  That the CCG concluded that there should be three hubs and potentially two mini hubs

·  Phase 2 of this review had been completed, with conclusions to be released in March 2020

·  Locations for these hubs have been shortlisted, although not made public knowledge at this current time

In response to questions from members the Chief Executive responded as follows:

 

·  In regard to a further surgery at Allington it was envisaged that the Stage 2 process would go through Central Government in February 2020

·  In regard to the issues in Marden, the details will be circulated by email to Members

·  Population growth is a significant issue for GP surgeries, key to improving the situation is significant infrastructure to adapt to the increasing demands of population growth

The link between housing and healthcare was discussed, as increasing population growth and the number of housing developments affect demand on local healthcare services. It was noted that a pilot scheme with the public health observatory was being conducted to analyse the relationship between where a person lives and what healthcare needs they have, to enable targeted case management to areas of concern in the future. The Chief Executive also advised of a pro-active approach to healthcare provision within the borough, to reduce the complexities of issues and costs to the individual and the authority.

 

In response to questions from Members, the Chief Executive confirmed that there was ongoing work on the recruitment and retention of healthcare staff, with the new Kent Medical School accepting students from September 2020.

 

The Chairman thanked the Chief Executive for her report and the NHS Representatives for their contribution.

 

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

 

Supporting documents: