Agenda item

8.1

The Committee received a report outlining the plans being explored by the Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (SCCG) and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (SHSC) to improve access to memory services for the people of Sheffield.  The report summarised the current position and outlined the areas being explored to inform future service development planning within the City.  The development was being progressed jointly by the SCCG and SHSC and together, both organisations had delivered a range of improvements over previous years, and remained committed to ensuring future improvement remained a priority, and were delivered upon.

8.2

In attendance for this item were Jason Rowlands, Director of Planning, Performance and Governance and Michelle Fearon, Service Director, Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust, and Sarah Burt, Senior Commissioning Manager, Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group.

8.3

Jason Rowlands stated that the purpose of the report was to provide the Committee with an update on the progress made in terms of the steps taken to further reduce waiting times for memory management services, as requested by the Committee at its last meeting.  Mr Rowlands reported that over the last three-year period, the number of people assessed, and who had received diagnosis support, had increased by 22.5%, and that Sheffield had estimated to have had 63.6% of people diagnosed with dementia, which had resulted in the City being ranked second in England and Wales in terms of diagnosis rates in 2012.  Whilst the waiting time from referral to assessment had been reduced from 40 weeks to between 16 and 18 weeks, this was still not considered reasonable.  He referred to the work undertaken, as well as the planned work, in order to help reduce such waiting times, which included, by way of shifting resources, to build capacity in the community with regard to primary care.

8.4

Members of the Committee raised questions and the following responses were provided:-

·                     The resource implications of the proposed model were still being considered and evaluated.  The work undertaken as part of the proposed model would be funded through a shift in resources and a key area of focus had been how to improve capacity within primary care services to enable them to provide ongoing re-assessment support.  Achieving this was expected to deliver the benefits of care closer to home and free up resources within the City-wide specialist services for them to see more people, and to see them within more acceptable timescales.  The preferred approach to achieving this was based upon a ‘hub and spoke’ model of care, which would comprise initial assessment through a City-wide specialist service, and ongoing support and monitoring of progress being provided in primary care.

·                     The expected increased numbers of people with dementia in the future was mainly due to the increased number of elderly people and the fact that medical staff were getting better at recognising and diagnosing those who already have dementia. 

·                     Whilst dementia was predominantly age-related, and that the National Model was based mainly on an age-profile, there were a number of other factors taken into consideration. 

·                     There has been a major shift in the views of GPs in terms of dementia. 

·                     Efforts were being made to look at how and where the process could be speeded up in terms of contacting patients, following their first assessment appointments.  In connection with this, it had been identified that there was a need to look at producing an information pack for patients and their families in terms of action they could be taking whilst waiting for treatment.

·                     It was accepted that the current waiting times were unreasonable.

·                     By continuing to work together on a number of tasks required to reduce waiting times in terms of referral to assessment, it was deemed possible that the current waiting time of between 18 and 22 weeks could be reduced to between six and eight weeks within a period of 12 to 24 months. The feasibility of this was the focus of the final stages of the current development work. 

·                     There would be problems in terms of capacity, but efforts would be made to look at how resources could be re-directed to address this issue. It was accepted that the current waiting times were unreasonable. The main challenge with regard to reducing the timescales for delivery down to 12 months would be capacity, and so efforts would need to be made to look at how resources could be redirected to address this.

·                     If possible, Michelle Fearon would provide a link to the modelling system used to compile the data in the report, which could then be shared with Councillor Lawton.

8.5

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)       notes the contents of the report now submitted, the additional information now reported and the responses to the questions raised;

(b)       thanks Jason Rowlands, Michelle Fearon and Sarah Burt for attending the meeting and responding to the questions raised; and

(c)        requests that:-

(i)         further consideration be given to the information/resources available to people whilst they are on the waiting list for the service, such as what is available through the Voluntary and Community Sector;

(ii)        Sarah Burt, as lead for Early Diagnosis and Intervention, ensures that information on memory management services is displayed in GP surgeries; and

(iii)       with regard to the proposed reduction in waiting times, to around six to eight weeks, the Chair writes to Ian Atkinson, Chief Officer of the Clinical Commissioning Group, requesting that consideration be given to whether the planned improvements can be introduced within 12 months, as opposed to the current 12-24 month timescale.