Agenda item

To consider an update by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) on the progress of the Healthy Prestatyn and Rhuddlan Iach Primary Healthcare Project.

                                                                                     10.10 a.m. – 10.45 a.m.

Dr. Chris Stockport introduced this item and via a PowerPoint presentation he illustrated the geographical area covered by the new service. 

He explained that service provided a range of health care services to patients registered at 5 surgeries in the Rhuddlan and Prestatyn area, and delivered services to their patients some of which lived in Denbighshire and others in Flintshire.  BCUHB had been planning for the introduction of this type of holistic healthcare facility in North Wales for some time.  Nevertheless, its introduction had to be expedited following receipt of three GP contract resignations in the Prestatyn and Rhuddlan areas in late 2015, early 2016. 

As a result of these resignations the Health Board established the Healthy Prestatyn and Rhuddlan Iach project.  Due to time and practical constraints not all aspects of the project were yet fully operational, but from 1 April 2016 the core services had been available.  Dr Stockport advised that:

·                     5 of the previous GP partners had signed up to the project on a permanent basis and another 5 GPs had joined the venture.  All GPs were now salaried by the Health Board rather than partners at the practice;

·                     In addition other members of staff had either been transferred to the Project or had joined it from elsewhere, these included Team Co-ordinators (who did the administrative work and ensured the professionals were in the right place at the right time), nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, clinical pharmacists, physiotherapists and an audiologist.  Having such a range of skills available in the project had facilitated a realignment of skills and eased the pressure on GPs as they could now refer patients to other appropriately qualified healthcare professionals as and when required;

·                     Emphasised that all the answers to successful primary healthcare did not lie within the NHS, this Project had proved this and its success to date was down to the effective partnership approach adopted by all public sector and voluntary organisations that were involved with it;

·                     The model now operating in the Prestatyn and Rhuddlan area was not a medical model of primary care, it was rather a psychosocial model where patients were guaranteed an appointment on their day of initial contact with the service as long as that contact was made before 4pm.  The focus of the service was on the individual and once in the service patients would be allocated to teams who could manage and support their needs;

·                     Work was currently underway to establish an Academy with a view to developing locally staff’s professional skills.  It was anticipated that the well-being arm of the Academy would be launched in the not too distant future and the feasibility of establishing a Well-being Campus were being explored, possibly on the site of the former Prestatyn library;

·                     During July 2016  there would be some disruption to normal services as the IT system for all sites was being migrated.  Patients had been notified of this and alternative arrangements had been made to deal with enquiries etc. during this period; and

·                     The former local authority building and associated car parking facilities at Tŷ Nant had been secured as a facility for the Service.  Work was currently underway to adapt the building for the Service’s requirements, whilst there had been some slippage with this work the facility was expected to be ready in early 2017

Responding to members’ questions Health Board officials confirmed:

·                     That at present the Central Surgery site at Prestatyn operated as the Service’s ‘hub’, but all five surgeries still provided services;

·                     That the partnership approach taken with this project had worked well on the ground and had been key to the project’s success as it had help allay initial fears in the area following the announcement of the GP practices’ contract resignations;

·                     That a number of the nurse practitioners recruited already possessed the necessary qualifications which allowed them to prescribe drugs/treatments.  Those who did not hold the qualifications were currently in the process of working towards them;

·                     Due to the skill-base now available within the Service the GP to patient ratio for the service had changed;

·                     That Phlebotomy was one of the services that could be accessed as part of the project;

·                     That one of the aims of the new model of service delivery was to listen and understand the causes of patients’ illnesses and concerns and support them to access services that would improve their well-being and in due course reduce dependency on medication etc.

The Committee thanked the Health Board for engaging well with residents and the local authority with respect of this Project and for regularly briefing Prestatyn Town Council and Member Area Group (MAG) on the project’s development.  It was:

            RESOLVED – to:-

(i) congratulate the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) on the success of the Healthy Prestatyn and Rhuddlan Iach project, and

(ii) recommend that similar models of primary healthcare be rolled-out to other areas of North Wales in due course.