Lancashire Hospital Chief exec to self-certify delays

Poor results of Delayed Transfers of Care (DToC) at the hospitals in Lancashire is causing backlogs, long A&E waits, and even Ambulances being redirected to other hospitals.

So when a local Health & Wellbeing board identified Lancashire Teaching hospital NHS Trust as having the worst patient transfer delays in England you'd think an independent body would monitor and report back on the issue?

Bizarrely, Lancashire County Council's health & wellbeing board have asked the hospitals chief executive and commissioning group to self-certify that all is well or otherwise. 
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Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Board
Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday, 14th November, 2017
Hospital Delayed Transfers of Care (DToC) from hospital to home/care

This area has been recognised as the top priority for joint working by NHS and Social Care. There is significant national scrutiny that has placed Lancashire in the worse performing quartile resulting in an impending review of the use of the iBCF monies in improving DToC performance.

There was discussion about DToC performance and it was agreed that there would be a Check and Challenge Group that would meet in between Board meetings that will feed back into this group. The membership of this group was agreed as follows:

• Louise Taylor - Corporate Director Operations and Delivery (LCC)
• Karen Partington  - Chief Executive Lancashire Teaching hospitals foundation Trust
• Jayne Mellor - Head of Planning and Delivery Chorley & South Ribble CCG and Greater Preston CCG

Louise Taylor agreed to lead this group and convene the meetings.
source LCC Health & Wellbeing board minutes of meeting Nov 2017
http://council.lancashire.gov.uk/documents/
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The Lancashire Evening Post reported mid-January that hundreds of patients a week were stuck in Lancashire hospitals – even though they are well enough to be discharged – at a time when bosses are having to put on extra beds to cope with huge demand.

The Lancashire trust run two hospitals in Preston and Chorley.
Chorley hospital had its A&E closed in April 2016 causing a larger number of patients to attend the only full-time A&E in Preston adding to the capacity and patient transfer delay problems. 

Although the A&E supporting Chorley & South Ribble was re-opened part-time in January last year the problems at the neighbouring hospital in Preston persist. 

Campaigners are calling for a full-time round the clock A&E at Chorley which would alleviate the problems at Preston Hospital.

HAVE YOUR SAY!

The next Lancashire Health & Wellbeing board is Thursday , 25th January, 2018 10.00 am Committee Room 'C' - The Duke of Lancaster Room, County Hall, Preston. The above issue is on the agenda - come along and speak up!