TRUST BOARD TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SPRING 2020

Some comparisons

This note compares the current practice of a number of NHS trusts in relation to transparency and accountability.*¹ It looks first at the situation in six trusts given the go- ahead in September 2019 to build or refurbish major hospital facilities – the HIP 1 trusts. These bodies, which include West Herts, are currently making important decisions on how to spend very large sums of public money within a few years. The note then goes on to summarise the situation in some other NHS trusts in Hertfordshire and nearby counties.

The meetings of NHS Trusts are governed by the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, which gives trusts and other bodies wide discretion. The Act says that ‘any meeting of a local authority or other body exercising public functions … shall be open to the public.’ But the Act also says that a public body can resolve to ‘exclude the public from a meeting (whether during the whole or part of the proceedings) whenever publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted or for other special reasons stated in the resolution and arising from the nature of that business or of the proceedings’ .

There is a wide variety of practice in the current situation, but some trusts, having held meetings in private at the beginning of the COVID crisis, are now opening up. This is the case with Barts Trust (whose Whipps Cross site was one of the ‘September six’ projects like West Herts.). The trust cancelled its 6 May board meeting ‘following guidance from Public Health England on social distancing’. But its 5 June board meeting is to be held virtually via videoconferencing. Joining instructions are included on the website for the general public.

Other ‘September Six’ trusts have held virtual meetings or at least provided board papers online in advance to the public. Leicester trust held a meeting in public on 6 May, Epsom and St Helier Trust held its virtual 1 May meeting in public, and Princess Alexandra, Harlow will hold its 4 June board meeting in public via Microsoft Teams. Leeds’ 21 May board meeting was not open to the public, but papers were made available on the website.

So West Herts is alone among the HIP 1 trusts in holding no board meetings in public since the pandemic began and providing no information to the general public on its website about the current proceedings of its board. On the other hand, one member of the public who recently contacted the trust to ask about topics being discussed at West Herts board meetings was sent the agendas for the meetings held in April, May and June 2020.

*¹ The information set out here was provided on trust websites accessed on 31 May 2020.

Accountability and transparency practice also vary in other trusts close to West Herts. For example the following trusts in neighbouring counties are either allowing full or partial public access to virtual meetings or making available recordings of meetings held during the pandemic:

East London Milton Keynes

Mid and South Essex

London North West University Hospitals East of England Ambulance Service Trust Hillingdon Hospitals Trust

Royal Berkshire, Reading

Oxford University Hospitals Trust

Luton and Dunstable Hospital (now Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust) continues to put full current board papers on its website.

Other trusts in the area are currently less forthcoming with information about their Board’s activities, although they do make statements of intent to provide some material. East and North Herts Trust website says that ‘In line with the national guidance, we will not be holding meetings in public during this time [of COVID].’ However, the Trust says it "will endeavour to publish the Integrated Performance Report on our website during this period", although it was not possible to locate the Report on the website on 31 May.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, have stopped board meetings in public, citing ‘current government guidance regarding social distancing’. The trust website says that;

"board papers are being published, but current papers were not available on the site on 31 May 2020."

THIS ARTICLE CAN BE DOWNLOADED IN PDF FORMAT HERE.

by leeh

DHAG SURVEY LAUNCHED

We’re asking residents to provide feedback on their satisfaction regarding new health care services which are now being manged by private contractors.

The services covered in this survey are:

Dermatology
Physiotherapy / Muscular-Skeletal
Ultrasound
Ophthalmology
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)

As well as understanding how these services are performing according, this is an opportunity for people to have their say.

Click here to participate

UPDATE - 19th February 2020

Hemel Today features an article on the DHAG survey. Click here to read!

by leeh

WATFORD HOSPITAL LOW FOOD HYGIENE RATING

Watford General Hospital was given a shockingly low score of 1 out of 5 at a recent environmental health inspection of it’s catering facilities.  Considering that the hospital is feeding very vulnerable people it is particularly disturbing and could be putting patients particularly at risk.

We should expect hospitals, Care Homes and schools to get a rating of 5.  This is not acceptable.  Many eating places routinely achieve a 5 rating.  The report dates back to November and is available here.

A business can be given one of these hygiene ratings:

0. urgent improvement is required
1. major improvement is necessary
2. some improvement is necessary
3. hygiene standards are generally satisfactory
4. hygiene standards are good
5. hygiene standards are very good

UPDATE - Here's an article published in the Hemel Gazette & Express dated 5th February 2020.

by leeh

SECOND FUND RAISING RAISES £818

Smiling faces after we'd totted up the incredible £818 we raised on Saturday counting the coins in the Metro's magic money machine.  Thanks to the generosity of people shopping in the Marlowes Centre and outside it has raised our total overall to £17,610 leaving us with only £2,390 to reach our target.

Thanks to everyone who helped standing out in the cold and inside, to the Marlowes Centre who made us welcome providing us with table and chair, to Dolly for delighting the children with her clever glitter tattoos.

by leeh

SIR MIKE PENNING SPEAKS UP

23rd October 2019 and Hemel Hempstead MP, Sir Mike Penning talks for thousands of constituents at the House of Commons...

by leeh

MP BACKS HOSPITAL LEGAL CHALLENGE

Sir Mike Penning, Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead, met with members of the Dacorum Hospital Action Group and the New Hospital Campaign to give his support for their legal battle with the West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust.

Following their successful day in Marlowes on Saturday, Sir Mike presented a cheque for another £500 towards the campaign.

Campaigners are raising money to fund a judicial review of the Trust’s decision to exclude the new hospital on a new site option as one of the multiple options to be considered.

Sir Mike said: “I absolutely support this legal challenge. The Trust was asked to provide a number of options and specifically excluded the new site option despite it being widely supported in the community and proven to be the best option by the New Hospital Campaign.”

I would urgently encourage local people to get behind this campaign and give the hospital campaigners full support.

by leeh

FUND RAISING 12th OCTOBER 2019

Part of the team in Hemel Hempstead town centre this 'damp' October day. With a daunting task ahead of them, New Hospital Campaign volunteers braved the British October weather, asking for residents' support to raise the £20,000 required to launch the now approved judicial review.

Councillor Jan Maddern explains; "Weather-wise it's been an awful day but so many Hemel Hempstead residents have been so supportive and generous, that I could have sworn I saw the sun!"

Pictured above with five young people, Jan said that it was very reassuring how people from all age groups and backgrounds were keen to donate to our cause. Look at those smiley happy people!

With Jan accompanied by Councillor Alexander Bhinder (behind the camera most of the time) and councillors like John Birnie (pictured left) turning up specifically to donate, there was an obvious, well, 'councillor' presence during the course of the day. Is that a cheque you're writing, John?!?!? Nash Mills Parish Councillor Alan Briggs, explains that if we all donated just one pound, we'd reach our target in no time.

At the end of the day, the group took their collections into the Metro Bank to change heavy coins into notes. Counting up while they were there, the final figure raised on the day was found to be a staggering £588. On behalf of the New Hospital Campaign, Edie would like to give a big and warm THANK YOU to everyone who donated today.

"We weren't too sure what to expect , especially with the weather but the results say it all. I'm therefore pleased to announce that today's fund raising effort will be the first of several over the next few months." explains Edie.

Ron Glatter said "People took leaflets and it was quite apparent later on in the day that many who didn't have any change on them at the time, donated on our crowd funding site, when they got home."

The total amount raised so far (12th October 2019) is £5,740 which is means that we now have more than a quarter of our £20,000 target.

THANK YOU

by leeh

LEGAL CHALLENGE APPLICATION SUCCESS

SO NOW WE NEED TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT RAISING FUNDS

The NHC’s legal challenge to the Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group (HVCCG) to consider a new A+E hospital on a clear central site in west Hertfordshire has reached a major milestone.  This week a High Court judge approved the NHC’s application for judicial review, so it can now go forward for a full hearing.  It means there is a case to answer.

We are appealing to local residents, businesses and other organisations to support the campaign to help fund the legal case.  A low costs cap has been agreed by the court because it is judged to be a matter of public interest and we have a very favourable arrangement in place with our legal team.  We still require to meet our target of £20,000 of which supporters have so far generously donated around a quarter.  Donations can be made, anonymously if you wish, via our crowdfunding site here, or direct to our dedicated bank account:

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The NHC, which is a non-political group, claims the new hospital option was dismissed as unaffordable without properly considering the evidence or holding a full public consultation as HVCCG and the West Herts Hospitals Trust (WHHT) were required to do.  It also asserts that the health bodies decided on their preferred option without holding the required public consultation.

Their plan involves renewing less than half of the dilapidated buildings and infrastructure at Watford leaving much of the rest classified as not fit for purpose.  Very little investment would be made at St. Albans, and Hemel Hempstead would be reduced to a single block for medical support enabling the rest of the estate to be sold off for housing development.

Other hospital redevelopment schemes for which similar funding has also recently been promised, such as Princess Alexandra in Harlow and St. Helier Hospital in Surrey are including new hospital options in public consultation processes.

The hospital in Vicarage Road Watford is in a dire state with much of the estate at end of life.  There is major population growth projected including one of only five ‘garden towns’ in the whole country in the area around Hemel Hempstead and St. Albans.

Edie Glatter of the NHC said “We effectively have a once and for all opportunity to secure the new state-of-the-art accessible hospital that we so desperately need.  The alternative would mean that we will leave a legacy of poor hospital healthcare facilities for years to come.

The decision to keep the dysfunctional Watford Hospital estate will not be reversed in the foreseeable future if the best part of £400 million is spent on it this time round.  Please make a donation and support our legal challenge”.

by leeh