a FULL TEXT OF NEW PROPOSAL
b ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT OF THE DECISION
Minutes:
The Committee considered an update on the Orthopaedic Clinical Network which
was being developed with the aim of providing elective orthopaedic services on
fewer sites across the South East London Region to support the implementation of
the Getting it Right First Time recommendations.
Following an extensive assessment and consultation process, it had become clear
that it would not be possible for a consensus to be reached on the best model to
adopt within the South East London Region, and it was therefore proposed to
move forward with creating an Orthopaedic Clinical Network across the existing
three providers. Terms of Reference had now been formulated for the
Orthopaedic Clinical Leadership Group and it had been recommended to the
South East London Sustainability and Transformation Partnership that the Network
be established and that a Clinical Lead be appointed. From 2018/19, orthopaedic
services would be commissioned against the standards and performance metrics
set out in the Getting it Right First Time report, and the Network’s progress in
delivering quality and efficiency benefits would be independently assured by the
London Clinical Senate. Commissioners would review the findings of the Clinical
Senate on embedding the Getting it Right First Time recommendations over the
three sites after 12 to 18 months, at which time a decision would be made on
whether quality and efficiency benefits had been met and could be sustained
across three sites.
In response to a question from the Chairman, the Programme Director, "Our
Healthier South East London" Programme confirmed that patients within the South
East London region would not be compelled to use services within the
Orthopaedic Clinical Network and could continue to use other orthopaedic
services, such as those offered by Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.
Members discussed the recent announcement that Guy's and St Thomas' NHS
Foundation Trust and Johnson & Johnson Managed Services would be working
together to deliver an Orthopaedics Centre of Excellence at Guy’s Hospital. This
would include the construction of three new operating theatres which would
increase the total number of operating theatres to eight. The Consultant
Orthopaedic Surgeon and Clinical Director of Surgery, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS
Foundation Trust advised Members that it had been projected that demand for
Orthopaedic services would continue to increase as a result of the ageing
population, and that the Centre of Excellence would deliver sufficient additional
capacity to meet this increasing demand as well as supporting innovation and
research in the area of orthopaedic surgery. The partnership did not represent a
privatisation of the service as Guy’s Hospital already used Johnson & Johnson
Managed Services within its existing supply chain, and one of the key aims within
the proposed new arrangement was to streamline processes to procure devices,
surgical instruments and implants required for orthopaedic surgery to reduce
costs. To support this, work had been undertaken with individual surgeons over
the past two years to identify best practice in orthopaedic surgery, supporting
surgeons to work more efficiently. In response to a question regarding the total
project value, the Director, Commercial Directorate, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS
Foundation Trust confirmed that the total project cost had been projected as being
£300M over the planned 15 year partnership, £50M of which was linked to capital
build. The partnership with Johnson & Johnson Managed Services had been
subject to a full procurement process and was evaluated on the premise of
providing an ‘as is’ or better service to patients.
In discussing the Orthopaedics Centre of Excellence, Members were concerned
that they had not been made aware of the plans for an Orthopaedics Centre of
Excellence during the process to develop the Orthopaedic Clinical Network, which
would necessitate the expansion of the three orthopaedic centres within the South
East London region. The Clinical Chairman, Bromley Clinical Commissioning
Group highlighted that orthopaedic services also included community-based
services, and that it was important to ensure there was a joined-up approach to
the delivery of all orthopaedic services across the South East London region.
RESOLVED that the update be noted.
Supporting documents: