HOUNSLOW CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP

Transcription

1 HOUNSLOW CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES Page 1 of 18

2 Version Date Approved by Approved (date) First draft September 2011 JCEC September 2011 Final draft Version 4 February 2012 JCEC and GWCCG CEB Initial planned review September 2012 GWCCG Executive Board Annual review January 2013 In preparation for CCG application Authors Simon Mitchell Head of Wellbeing and Involvement London Borough of Hounslow Duncan Stroud Head of Communications NHS Outer North West London Ray Flux Relationship Director Capsticks Alliance for Change Lee Phillips Capsticks Alliance for Change February 2012 Page 2 of 18

3 Communications and Engagement at Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group Overview This document sets out how the Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group (HCCG) understands and will fulfil its commitment to communications and patient and public engagement (PPE) in an integrated way. The communications and engagement work within the NHS has often been mis-understood and frequently left to others working in specialised and dispersed silo functions. In this context, Communications is invariably associated with media enquiries and issuing press releases, while Engagement is often taken to be involving the public and key stakeholders in the decision-making process when change from the status quo is being sought. At HCCG, the move to clinical commissioning presents a fresh opportunity to re-integrate our understanding of communications and engagement functions and use it in a way that is fresh and different, so that they operate within a more coherent whole even if organised by different teams of people. Our aim is to create an on-going dialogue about health and healthcare with the public, a productive partnership with our staff and key stakeholders, and to put patients and the public at the heart of the commissioning process. Our strategy consists of the following four key components. PATIENT & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT HCCG PR & MEDIA RELATIONS INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS Page 3 of 18

4 Introduction To achieve this integrated communications and engagement approach we have framed a strategy based on best practice marketing and communications principles to position HCCG as a leader of health and healthcare for the local community. Our approach must be designed to take a fledgling commissioning organisation from being relatively unknown to becoming viewed by local residents as a patient advocate, trusted partner, and enabler of choice in individual health and healthcare decision-making. This is not just about changing our functions it involves nurturing and developing a local population that is engaged in their health, empowered to make healthier lifestyle choices, has a say in the design and delivery of local healthcare services, and uses those services appropriately. Whilst the frame is in place to do this, the detailed design and implementation work is on-going: some skills and personnel are yet in post, some responsibilities are unresolved on the wider canvas at this stage. Of the four elements, the Public and Patient Engagement strategy is furthest developed, with an action plan for the next year. The whole plan will be similarly available by the end of April 2012 and will be refreshed in September 2012 in preparation for our application for Authorisation. This document captures the current understanding of the scope of each of these four elements and the current state of development. First however there is a brief summary of who HHCG is and what it aims to achieve as the core information that needs to be communicated and considered: Patient and public engagement Our approach to patient and public engagement (PPE) is to create and sustain an on-going dialogue with the public and key constituents when designing and delivering services to ensure that their views are represented in the strategic planning process, that they understand and appreciate the case for change and are able to engage in debate about the alternatives for change, and that services meet the needs of the local community. We have a duty and obligation to inform, engage and consult with the public to ensure accountability and build trust. Our accompanying strategy sets out the principles that will guide our PPE programme, and the different channels and activities we will use on a regular basis to engage with patients and the public. PR and Media relations The media (local and national press print, broadcast and online) is a valuable channel for HCCG to explain to the wider public who we are, what we do, and the positive impact our commissioning decisions are having on the local healthcare economy. As guardians of the public purse, it is important to be seen as transparent, honest and approachable, and taking a positive and proactive approach to media relations is a key part of building that trust with the public. By being viewed as a participator in creating the news, instead of a passive target of constant scrutiny, HCCG can nurture and develop support within the local community. As a result, our media relations strategy is designed to: position HCCG within the local community as a champion of health and healthcare and commissioner of quality healthcare services build awareness and support for our initiatives in areas such as service reconfiguration and public health Page 4 of 18

5 increase awareness of the services available and how they should be accessed Internal communications The establishment of HCCG is a highly complex transformation which is not contained within Hounslow but interrelated with direction and decisions among west London neighbours, the NW London cluster, NHS London and nationally. It is essential that our members and staff are informed and developed in their understanding of what will be required of them and what is being offered. Their informed consent and growing support is an important feature of robust progress. We are developing an internal communications plan with different groups both to keep them informed and to ensure that their creativity and energy are engaged in the shaping of HCCG. Critical to our success is: aligning our members and staff with our mission and strategic goals and making sure they understand their role and contribution communicating and embedding our organisation s values keeping members and staff informed of developments and organisational performance on a regular basis providing opportunities for feedback and two-way dialogue Our approach to internal communications will also support and reinforce the behavioural and brand values of our organisation, including working collaboratively, listening and understanding the views of others, and openness in decision-making. Stakeholder engagement Engaging key influencers within the local healthcare economy will be critical to the achievement of our strategic vision and goals. Our aim at HCCG is to foster a spirit of collaboration, consensus and partnership with all our stakeholders in order to deliver the highest quality health and healthcare services for our local community. Our approach is to bring diverse stakeholder groups including local policymakers, providers, partners, third sector organisations and other special interest groups together onto a common platform of improving patient outcomes and enhancing patient experience. Our strategy sets out our process for identifying key stakeholders, and establishing channels for open, regular two-way dialogue and aligning them with our agenda. We believe that we can demonstrate success from a communications and engagement perspective when all our stakeholders: agree that communications with HCCG are valuable and relevant regard HCCG as a trusted partner believe their issues are taken seriously and resolved in good time attend and contribute to briefing sessions/events and are aware of/involved in our strategic initiatives can see how their involvement has actually changed something or understand why we ve made a certain decision can identify our values through their experience across all HCCG touch points use services appropriately, and can manage their condition effectively rate us highly and recommend us to others Page 5 of 18

6 Who Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group is: Hounslow CCG serves a GP registered population of 277,000, with 54 GP practices. It aims to have total delegated budgets for 2012/13. In line with the Hounslow Together Local Strategic Partnership goals its long term goals are: Hounslow residents and patients will live healthier more independent lives To have tackled inequalities and improved the life chances for vulnerable people Hounslow children will have the best start in life, growing into confident individuals and responsible citizens To deliver local public services through seamless, responsive, efficient partnerships Hounslow CCG has an articulated clinical vision for services it commissions; Elective Care: High quality service, with a minimal numbers of attendances at secondary care to reduce the time patients have to take from their daily lives, detailed care and management plans sent to GPs and patients to enable local and self-management. Through having robust end of life care plans palliative care will become an elective service. Non elective Care: Through telephoning first patients to know that this is the best way to good signposting to an efficient and seamless service. A patient and public education engagement and communication programme will support people in how to get best value from their NHS. Quality in general practice; A continuous drive to improve performance and access and reduce ineffective variation. To seek to have Heston Health Centre and a primary care facility on the WMUH site developed. Out of hospital care: Patients to feel secure being referred into an effective and safe partnership between the community based providers, and social services with support from their GPs or hospital consultant. What HCCG aims to achieve: In its Commissioning Intentions for 2012/13, the CCG has set out as its local goals: Demonstrate and evidence equality and consistency in access to services and health outcomes within Hounslow that continues a reduction in health inequalities. Development of primary and community based care that improves the delivery of quality care, improves access, reduces variation in clinical practice, improves patient satisfaction and reported outcomes, and improves management of patients with long term conditions. Development of a patient and public engagement strategy that ensures public involvement in the ongoing work plan of service redesign in 2011/12. Achieve financial balance and a viable local health economy within existing and future resources, with particular emphasis on robust contract monitoring, Page 6 of 18

7 an expectation that all providers will provide timely and robust quality assured data. Commission clinically effective care, based on an evidence base. Commission care in line with health needs as identified by the JSNA and in line with the Health and Wellbeing Strategy. In order to deliver on its goals the following programmes of work have been identified: Development of the Urgent Care Centre Full Implementation of the referral facilitation service and the contractual arrangements that support this Implementation of an integrated care pathway for frail elderly, adults and people with mental health conditions that includes rehabilitation and reablement programme. Continued programme of service redesign and strong contract management of acute providers Implementation of mental health reconfiguration with local Hounslow pathways redesigned Organisational development with the consortium that ensures a culture of thrift and understanding that all clinical decisions have financial consequences Out of Hospital Strategy In addition there are a number of major changes planned in acute care. NHS North West London has announced that it intends to carry out a major acute reconfiguration programme. The aim will be to create centres of specialist care and to locate more services in the community, as part of its out of hospital strategy. Later this year, a major consultation programme will take place around a number of reconfiguration options. As part of the clinical team leading this work, HCCG will have an important role to be involved in local conversations with the public, patients and key stakeholders on how health care could be accessed and provided in the future for people living in Hounslow. In line with this Hounslow CCG has adopted the following five out of hospital care transformation themes: Easy access to high quality, responsive care to make out of hospital care first point of call for people, Clearly understood planned care pathways that ensure out of hospital care is not delivered in a hospital setting, Rapid response to urgent needs so fewer people need to access hospital emergency care, Providers working together, with the patient at the centre to proactively manage long term conditions, the elderly and the end of life care out of hospital, Appropriate time in hospital when admitted, with early discharge into well organised community care. Page 7 of 18

8 Four key elements of the Integrated Communications and Engagement Strategy 1. PATIENT AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT (PPE) Overview This document sets out how the Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will fulfil its commitment to patient and public engagement (PPE). A comprehensive PPE programme ensures that the views and requirements of patients and public are fully taken into account when the CCG takes decisions about the types of healthcare services available to residents of Hounslow and how they are delivered. The plan sets out the principles that will guide the CCG s PPE programme, the different channels and activities it will use to engage with patients and the public, and maps out some of the key regular activities. Given the pace of change in the NHS and the local health and social care economy, more events and activities will be added as required, to support service changes. Importance of Patient and Public Engagement Because of its importance to the commissioning and delivery of services, there are a number of statutory duties placed on NHS organisations to undertake engagement activity. The NHS Constitution for patients states that: You have the right to be involved, directly or through a representative, in the planning of healthcare services, the development and consideration of proposals for changes in the way those services are provided, and in decisions to be made affecting the operation of those services. The NHS Act 2006 places all statutory NHS organisations under a legal duty to involve patients and their representatives in decisions about services, and this duty is set to remain under the provisions of the proposed Health Bill. The Health Secretary has summarised this as No decisions about me, without me. As services are there to make people better and improve their quality of life, it is important that the users and potential users of these services have the opportunity to contribute their views on how services can be designed and delivered. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act (2007) clarified and reenforced the duty of health organisations to consult and involve on the planning and provision of local services and extended this Duty to Involve to include Local Authorities. The Act also created Local Involvement Networks (LINks), which will shortly be replaced with HealthWatch under proposed legislation currently progressing through Parliament. Hounslow CCG s partnership with the public, their patients and partners. The Chair of Hounslow CCG and the Chief Executive of Hounslow Council are both agreed on a way forward of joint working in engagement with the public and patients where appropriate to deliver coherent and consistent messages, provide clear signposting and deliver value for money services. Page 8 of 18

9 Levels of involvement There are various definitions of the levels of involvement: Inform there are times when individuals cannot change a situation (due to financial or legal implications, or national directive) in this situation residents should be informed in a timely and appropriate manner. Consult where appropriate individuals are given the opportunity to engage in oneoff decision making processes. Participate there should be mechanisms are in place so individuals and groups have the ability to actively participate in the ongoing design, delivery and monitoring of local services. Involvement is an integral part of commissioning and should be accounted for at all stages of the cycle, not just at the review stage. There are various ways of describing the process of commissioning; the diagram below breaks the cycle down into four components. Hounslow CCG is committed to using PPE at all stages of the commissioning cycle and in particular: 1. Strategic planning: Engaging with communities to identify health needs and aspirations; and engaging the public in decisions about priorities and strategies. 2. Specifying outcomes and procuring services: Engaging patients in service design and improvement; and patient centred procurement and contracting. 3. Managing demand and performance: patient centred monitoring and performance management. Page 9 of 18

10 At a collective level, excellent PPE ensures that patients, and potential future patients, have the opportunity to shape the care that they receive, and involves taxpayers and the public in decisions about how NHS resources are allocated and used. At an individual level, PPE involves patients in decisions about their own care and giving them more control over their treatment. Purpose of the PPE strategy and plan All commissioning bodies need to understand fully the needs of the population they serve. Without clear mechanisms for hearing from and involving service users, carers and the wider population, commissioners cannot adequately ensure that they are meeting local need. Given the significant changes in both primary and secondary care, planned for the NHS in Hounslow, it will be important that the public and patients are consulted on these changes, so that their views can be taken into account. Hounslow CCG s engagement programme will therefore ensure that views are sought at all stages of the commissioning cycle, and fed into the commissioner s decision making process. There need to be the opportunities to give as many people as possible people who use services, potential service users, and those organisations which represent and support patients the ability to provide information so that: service quality improves patient experience and outcomes of the services commissioned and provide as a CCG, and as practices within the CCG populations healthcare needs are better understood in order to commission the services needed more effective communication and engagement with patients and the public is implemented in order that they ; understand the challenges of service prioritisation and planning, the choices available to them, use services appropriately, and comply with treatment/follow advice in discussion with their healthcare professional engagement with patients and the public including disadvantaged groups to elicit views about the introduction of a service, service change, or the decommissioning of a service. Core activity to support commissioning decisions and service improvements Commissioning Intentions The Hounslow Health & Well Being Board will locally approve a draft set of commissioning intentions on an annual basis. There are many elements of the intentions which are locally determined either in whole or in part. Input from the local patient, user and carer groups, resident groups and others will be co-ordinated in order to shape the individual service elements of the proposed intentions. There will be further opportunities for engagement as individual changes are designed and implemented. LINk (and from April 2013 HealthWatch) This is the statutory involvement structure for Health and Social Care. The Council commissions support to the LINk and will tender in 2012 for HealthWatch. The CCG Page 10 of 18

11 will ensure a productive and professional relationship with the LINk steering group and whatever structure is put in place for HealthWatch. As the statutory involvement structure, Hounslow Local Involvement Network (LINk) for Health and Social Care has extensive experience and knowledge of Patient and Public Engagement. LINk comprises a network of individuals and organisations interested in improving health and social care in the borough. LINk can make a valuable contribution on behalf of patients and public and therefore the CCG will work in partnership with LINk. Development and Support of Patient Forums A small number of local GP practices have active patient forums. Hounslow CCG has identified the need to improve how it works with and supports local GPs to engage with their patients as well as including the groups in its wider engagement structure. The CCG proposes to support the developing model of Borough, Locality and Practice level forums and will support practices that have not already established one. The aim is to ensure that all practices have a patient forum either for that practice alone or covering several practices. The DH guidanceerror! Bookmark not efined. for practice groups emphasises that the practice must develop a structure that enables it to obtain feedback from a cross section of the practice population which is as representative as possible. It suggests that LINks have a key role to supporting the engagement through Patient Reference Groups: Local Involvement Networks (LINks), Local HealthWatch and voluntary organisations may be able to support practices engage with marginalised or vulnerable groups, such as elderly patients or patients with learning disabilities. Public Communication and Hounslow Matters Continued support for media relations and communication through the North West London NHS Communications team, with additional activity through the LBH corporate communications team which have dedicated communications experts who provide public relations and communications expertise for the Council. Hounslow Matters which is produced 4 times a year, and is delivered to every home and regularly has dedicated health and care pages, and is an additional media vehicle to utilise and promote the CCG. Online Engagement LBH Community Services and Corporate Communications are exploring the potential of a web-based community engagement platform and Hounslow has been chosen to pilot the software. There is the potential for this platform to be utilised as part of wider engagement activity. One Hounslow, Many Voices This is an annual engagement event, organised by the London Borough of Hounslow, which has run for many years. It allows organisations to showcase their services, promotes self help, opportunities for health promotion and opportunities for consultation. Hounslow CCG is a key stakeholder in this joint venture. Local Clinical Networks There are a number of local clinical networks that are currently working, or are in the process of being formed (including diabetes, COPD and heart disease). It is crucial to ensure patient and public engagement in these networks. User and Carer Forums Page 11 of 18

12 There are a range of forums for particular groups or people with particular conditions. Hounslow CCG will engage when appropriate with these forums. Older People s Scrutiny Panel The Older People s Scrutiny Panel scrutinises local health and social care services for Older People. Services are obliged to take on board suggestions from the panel members and are asked to return to the panel to demonstrate how they have been actioned. The panel meet 4 times a year and there are 14 local people involved. Integrated Provider Forum A twice yearly, half day event for providers commissioned primarily by the Council (and the Joint Commissioning Team) and some NHS Hounslow commissioned providers, to meet, network, and develop. Partnership Boards There are a range of partnership boards for particular groups, which are under review with the implementation of the Health and Wellbeing Board. Hounslow CCG will engage when appropriate with these boards, and where appropriate nominate a relevant representative to attend the boards The Political Environment The CCG will proactively engage with local MPs, MEPs, Councillors, London Mayor and Assembly members and relevant bodies, such as Overview and Scrutiny, as key partners in ensuring quality commissioning of local health services. Outcomes for 2012/13 A successful track record of coordinated public engagement A key group of people who know each other, have some experience of working together on Communications and Engagement work and understand better their respective roles and responsibilities The Commissioning Strategy Plan and the annual Commissioning Intentions are informed by a public and patient view. 2. PR and MEDIA RELATIONS Overview Effective media relations will be a key element of a CCG s communications activity, both to promote its work and to protect the reputation of the organisation. HCCG will need to use the media to build good relationships with its customers, clients, local organisations and general public. HCCG will also need to be able to respond reactively to approaches by the media, particularly in relation to major incidents of a clinical nature. The key priorities of HCCG s PR and media work will be to: Establish an efficient system for handling media enquiries, horizon scanning and planning; Maximise opportunities for securing editorial coverage of HCCG plans, performance and achievements; Page 12 of 18

13 Maintain specific plans for media management in the event of a major incident or emergency; Media enquiries, horizon scanning and planning HCCG will need to have a 24-hour seven day-a-week media service. The media officer will need to work closely with the senior HCCG team and have quick access to them in order both to plan proactively and implement positive media coverage, and to deal, in a timely manner, with media enquiries. The media officer will need to have good links with the communications teams at a number of organisations including the NHS Commissioning Board London office, the National Communications Organisation, NHS providers in the borough and the local authority, in order to share briefing and coordinate responses to stories as appropriate. HCCG will need to build good working relationships with local journalists, as well as the specialist press and key national health correspondents. This will also involve establishing good contact and distribution lists so that press releases and statements are sent to the right media outlets. The media officer will need to establish themselves as the first point of contact for all media enquiries, with staff who are contacted by journalists referring the caller to the media office. The media officer will also need to establish a sign off protocol for press release and statements, likely to be through the Chair of HCCG. Maximise opportunities for securing editorial coverage of HCCG plans, performance and achievements As mentioned, the media officer will need to have good working relationships with the senior management team, and attend key meetings in order to offer advice on the appropriate handling of major issues and stories. The media officer will need to have a good understanding of current NHS issues as well as the local health landscape, in order to put stories in a wider context as appropriate. Major stories will need to have supporting media plans, and the media officer will also need to arrange media and interview training for key HCCG spokespersons so they can perform confidently with the media. One key area of work for 2012/13 for the NHS in North West London will be the consultation around reconfiguration proposals for acute services. This will be highly contentious and attract media attention. HCCG, as commissioner of services in Hounslow, will need to give clear and reasoned views on the proposals, as well as positioning itself as members of the clinical leadership team for the reconfiguration work. The HCCG media officer will need to work closely with the reconfiguration team to ensure alignment of key messages and supporting media activity for consultation events that take place in the borough. Maintain specific plans for media management in the event of a major incident or emergency HCCG will need to have in place detailed communications plans for how it will handle a major incident or emergency in the borough. Plans will include how the HCCG media officer will work with the communications teams of other statutory authorities including the police, London Ambulance and local authorities in responding to major incidents. Measurement Page 13 of 18

14 Measurement of the work of media activity can be against: Number of positive stories achieved in the local, regional and specialist press Responsiveness of the service to meeting the deadlines of journalists Coverage of key strategic messages linked to the aims of the HCCG Effectiveness in dealing with major incidents in line with agreed communications plans. Provision of media support to HCCG Media support for HCCG is currently provided through NHS North West London s communications team. Moving forward, HCCG will need to decide who will provide media support. Possible options include: continuing to work with NHS North West London s communications team, National Communications Organisation employing their own dedicated press officer, or utilising the services of the local authority s communications team. 3. INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS Overview One of the key challenges of establishing HCCG as a fully authorised commissioner in 2013 will be to develop members and staff to understand and undertake new responsibilities whilst providing and commissioning unbroken and safe services to the public. This is an enormous challenge because among those primarily responsible for ensuring continuous service of high quality are people with key skills who are experiencing personal uncertainty about their jobs and their future place of work. GPs who are taking leading roles in the CCG are finding that they must negotiate different working relationships with their practice colleagues in order to free time to take up the demanding work of establishing the CCG and its working practices. Internal communications have featured throughout the transformation process but will be more critical over the next 2-years as the changes affect more people. Three strands of work have emerged; some are becoming well established while others are just beginning: Work closely with Hounslow CCG member practices to share understanding of the transformational change, energy, time and goodwill commitment, understanding this is a significant cultural and operational change for GPs and their staff Work closely with Hounslow managers and staff to share understanding of the transformational change and the uncertainty involved, valuing their health and wellbeing, energy, time and goodwill commitment Establish a common information base for all GPs and practices and encourage its broad use through effective inter-personal engagement for GPs and their practices Engage practice managers and practice nurses to help them to anticipate change and contribute to its effective implementation Page 14 of 18

15 Work closely with NHS Hounslow managers and staff The major part of the progress which has been made in the development of HCCG has come from the close teamwork of leading GPs, NHS Hounslow managers and staff and leading GPs. Their physical proximity within the building and high commitment of energy and time has meant that they have a largely shared understanding of their direction of travel, priorities and work schedule. This has been a profound strength thus far but it has also been recognised as vulnerability. The team has very little cover for its very high workload and the close team has not so far needed to induct or brief new members. Consequently it assumes a high level of local intelligence and does not have clear mechanisms for briefing naive team members and indeed the intensity of current working mitigates against setting time aside to do so. This will need to be addressed in future, as the transformation to a statutory entity whilst retaining its GP focus, places significant change and uncertainty into the commissioning system. Establish a common information base and encourage its broad use HCCG has invested significantly in developing a common system for sharing information and data among all GPs and practices, and then introducing the social settings which encourage their wide usage. Notably all GP practices and the Urgent Care Centre at West Middlesex Hospital have SystemOne and there is a GP commissioning extranet available to all practices. Since May 2011 HCCG configured and began establishing nine mentoring cells comprising six practices each, to cover the 54 practices in the whole Borough. Mentoring Cells were specifically not geographically or sub-locality based. The Cells comprise a mix of practices of different sizes, from different areas and population bases so that each cell has a budget of close to 12m to cover planned referral and prescribing costs. Groups began meeting monthly from May The intention was that every practice would be represented at these 2-hour meetings and attendance has generally been good throughout. Since summer 2011 Mentoring Cells began receiving reports of activity and costs against their budgets. This data was made available through the extranet. GPs who were unable, or reluctant, to use this technology have been individually offered support within their practice and encouraged through the social provisions to familiarise themselves with the common information base. Each mentoring Cell has a local manager to meet with them, a prescribing advisor and since September/October an external facilitator from Capsticks Alliance for Change funded by NHS London s support programme. This has challenged and supported GPs to obtain and understand the regular reports they have available through their information system. The Mentoring Cells provide a supported social context in which to use the data and to explore the real differences between practices which can be influenced for the better. The extranet is also the place where locally produced Referral Guidance is published and its use has been encouraged through the profile given to the Triage for hospital referrals run by local GPs. Sample referral letters have been discussed by specialty in quarterly Hounslow Education and Training (HEAT) sessions for GPs, Practice nurses and Practice Managers which attract in excess of 200 participants. These opportunities for regular review of the quality and appropriateness of referrals, for example in Cardiology, Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Ophthalmology, has prefaced a substantial and broad based review of referrals through QOF 6-10 which has been undertaken in Mentoring Cells from January through March. Those GPs representing Page 15 of 18

16 practices in the Mentoring Cells have been encouraged to take the learning and data from these sessions back to their own practices and progressively report having done so. The required process to qualify for QOF 6-8 has helped this. HCCG also provides cross-borough Group sessions, bi-monthly, which are intense 2-3 hour open briefings for any GPs to attend. These usually attract around 60 participants. Supporting documents for these meetings are again published on the extranet. The provision above has mainly been directed towards GPs who are partners in practices. Master classes on the transforming NHS are being provided for trainee GPs and, in cooperation with the Hounslow Local Medical Committee, for sessional GPs (salaried staff and locums). The adequacy of the Hounslow Performance List as a reliable directory for contacting GPs in the Borough is currently being examined. Engage practice managers and nurses to help them to anticipate change and contribute to its effective implementation The third strand of work involves developing contacts and processes for helping practice staff to understand the implications of GPs driving clinical commissioning, the likelihood that this will change what happens in Primary Care and securing their support and intelligent contribution to these changes. Both Practice Managers and Practice Nurses participated in numbers at the recent Hounslow Education and Training HEAT events and both groups expressed interest in upgrading their understanding of the proposed changes in the NHS and their opportunities to shape local developments. Practice Managers already meet regularly in a Forum which would enable them to engage as a group. Practice Nurses currently have no equivalent in the Borough. There are already several key areas where the support of these staff will be very important: As co-designers of the mechanisms whereby new services are delivered in primary care settings instead of in hospital As a key linkage in developing practice or sub-locality patients groups, providing feedback within the whole system As business managers who can advise Clinical Practice partners about the financial consequences of changing their patterns of working. 4. ENGAGE KEY STAKEHOLDERS Overview Relationship management of all aspects including market and stakeholder management is a key competency in commissioning. There has been a strong partnership between NHS Hounslow and the Local Authority. This has been built upon by Hounslow CCG, with CCG Board members bringing a new perspective to local strategic issues. Hounslow CCG Board members are on the Local Strategic Partnership Hounslow Together Board, the Health and Wellbeing Board and the Childrens Trust Board. As the CCG establishes shadow running they will continue the process of prioritising their engagement and presence at key partnership meetings. Page 16 of 18

17 Clinical commissioning brings a fresh impetus to clinical engagement with provider organisations and clinician to clinician service and pathway redesign is delivered more quickly and effectively because of it. Board members have in addition developed relationships with GPs from neighbouring CCGs, notably Richmond with regard to joint commissioning of HRCH and WMUH, undertaking joint procurements with Hillingdon and Ealing CCGs, and being a key part of the NW London Clinical Executive Committee. This strong start needs to extend to local voluntary sector, faith groups, using all aspects of the integrated strategy to underpin the CCGs commissioning plan delivery. The list below of key stakeholders is not an exhaustive one, and there will be need for the CCG as it develops in confidence to expand the stakeholders it engages with. This engagement will extend the impact of its commissioning plans far beyond what it could hope to achieve working in isolation. London Borough of Hounslow including the Hounslow Together Board (LSP) and its associated Hounslow Together Assembly Including the Education Sector and Youth Services Ambulance Service/Police Service West Middlesex University Hospital Trust Imperial Hospital Neighbouring CCGs Commissioning Support Service NHS NW London Voluntary and community Sector Partnership Faith communities Cohesive Ethnic communities Hounslow Community Network The CCG is reviewing its governance structures in the light of the transition to shadow running. As a result there will be two lay members on its board with a responsibility for public and patient engagement. The CCG Governing Body will meet in public. Page 17 of 18

18 Appendix PPE ACTION PLAN FOR 2012/13 By end March 2012 Hounslow CCG Engagement Strategy approved and adopted. GP leads and practice managers to explore ideas for developing patients forums. Agree on a provider for Engagement support. By end April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 A programme of actions agreed for 2012/13 for engagement with patients and public A small working group formed (GPs, practice managers and officers) who take responsibility for Patient engagement lead by the Head of Wellbeing and Involvement or a Hounslow CCG GP representative Practices begin to organise collectively to support patients groups Known routes and contacts between local agencies for coherent public engagement in the Borough (including contacts in Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon and Richmond) i.e. LINk (HealthWatch), Police, Health and Wellbeing Board, LB Hounslow etc To arrange a briefing on the pilot web engagement platform for interested GPs and staff once the platform is developed and explore engagement potential. To identify a GP representative to be a member and attend relevant Partnership Boards. To ensure all current local clinical networks and those being formed have patient and / or public representatives engaged. Pre-consultation activity on the Out of Hospital Strategy. One Hounslow, Many Voices event. Full consultation programme begins on reconfiguration of acute services in North West London, including the Out of Hospital Strategy to locate more hospital services in the community. By end December 2012 A series of consultation events on the commissioning intentions. This will be planned in partnership with the LINk (and/or the emerging HealthWatch structures) and will use existing meeting structures wherever possible including Patient, User, Carer and Provider Forums and Partnership Boards. Support the London Borough of Hounslow in the procurement of the support / delivery functions for HealthWatch in Hounslow. Page 18 of 18