Agenda item

(A period not exceeding 15 minutes for questions from members of the public.)

While there were no questions from members of the public, the Chair asked whether any elected Members in attendance had any questions/statements. The Board received and responded to a statement by Cllr Glynis Smith, as summarised below:-

Councillor Glynis Smith spoke of the difficulties experienced by a close family member in obtaining a timely diagnosis and treatment for a benign growth on his pituitary gland which had been bleeding and had caused pressure on his optic nerve.  He had been suffering for a period of time with severe headaches and light sensitivity and initial visits to GPs and to the A&E department had only resulted in the patient being given pain relief.  Cllr Smith had accompanied him to a further visit to a GP when the symptoms had worsened and suggested that he needed an urgent referral to a neurologist and that an MRI scan with contrast was needed.  This was duly arranged by the GP, along with a referral to Endocrinology to investigate why the patient’s hormone levels were skewed.  Cllr Smith also pointed out that, during this time, the drive through Phlebotomy service at the Eco-power stadium in Doncaster had been very useful when her family member had needed to obtain a blood test. 

Cllr Smith stressed that this was not a complaint about the NHS and she appreciated the pressures that the service was currently facing, but she did wish to point out that her family member had been made to feel like he was a nuisance when he had made the initial visits to GPs and to A&E and was sent home with pain relief.  She was also concerned over how other more vulnerable and less articulate patients were being looked after in situations such as this and felt it was important to not lose sight of the need to treat all patients with compassion.

During discussion on the points raised by Cllr Smith, Richard Parker agreed that, irrespective of the current pressures, the primary role of the NHS should always be to treat people with care and compassion.  This included listening to patients so that their needs could be identified and a timely diagnosis and referral to services ensured.  He stated that he would be happy to look in more detail at any aspects of the case described by Cllr Smith and provide a full response if Cllr Smith so wished.

Anthony Fitzgerald confirmed that the temporary Phlebotomy service at the Eco-power stadium was due to close on 24 November, due to the need to prioritise service provision, however he stressed that patient accessibility to all NHS services and facilities was always a key consideration and in the light of Cllr Smith’s comments today, he would seek assurances from colleagues that there were no accessibility issues in relation to Phlebotomy services at the DRI and Montagu sites together with GP practices across Doncaster.

Richard Parker added that difficult conversations would be needed with partners and the wider community in the future as regards how services would need to adapt in the face of workforce and resource challenges, while maintaining high standards of care and patient accessibility to services and ensuring that the NHS continued to provide the services that people needed.  In response, the Chair asked that an item on this subject be placed on the agenda for the Board’s meeting in January 2024, which she suggested could also focus on equity and fairness which would tie in with the Board’s consideration of the Fairness and Wellbeing Commission’s recommendations which were also due to be discussed at the January meeting.

The Chair also stated that partners, including Healthwatch and the joint communications team that worked across the NHS and the Council, could play an important role in making people aware of the patient support and advocacy services that were available to them, and signposting people to the right service.  On this point, she suggested that Healthwatch work with Louise Robson who supports the Health and Wellbeing Board to produce information about support and advocacy available and send it out before Christmas.

Richard Parker cited an example of good practice in terms of improving accessibility to health services which had, in turn, brought wider benefits to the community.  This was the Community Diagnostic Centre set up at the Glassworks shopping centre in Barnsley.  This facility had resulted in a 50% reduction in DNAs (people not attending appointments) and a 30% increase in people from particularly deprived areas accessing screening services.  He felt that this was a great example of a multi-agency solution which ticked lots of boxes in terms of improving patient accessibility to health services and also helping the local economy, as it had also resulted in increased footfall and spending in the shopping centre.  He felt that initiatives such as this were important in terms of looking at how NHS services might be delivered in the future.

            RESOLVED that:

1.         Healthwatch be requested to work with Louise Robson who supports the Health and Wellbeing Board to produce information about support and advocacy available and send it out before Christmas; and

2.         An item on the subject of future service provision, focussing on patient accessibility and equity and fairness, be placed on the agenda for the Board’s meeting in January 2024.