TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE SOMERSET EMERGENCY CARE NETWORK 1. PURPOSE, SCOPE AND FUNCTION 1.1 The purpose of the Somerset Emergency Care Network is to: provide a co-ordinating function for emergency care initiatives and developments across Somerset; support organisations in achieving and sustaining key national and local targets relating to urgent and emergency care targets; develop and agree the annual Somerset Winter Plan; act as the umbrella forum to all emergency care related work throughout Somerset; provide a forum for leading the planning, discussion, implementation and development of emergency and urgent care services; understand and monitor the pressures placed on emergency and urgent care services and the impact of this on the wider services provided throughout Somerset; act as the governing board for the programme of work associated with the nomination of Somerset as a Health Reform Demonstration System; to actively engage patients, carers, staff and the wider public in the planning and implementation processes of emergency care services; use high level data to develop, monitor and review the delivery of agreed service changes to ensure that they deliver the intended benefits for patients and the wider health community. 2. MEMBERSHIP 2.1 The membership of the Somerset Emergency Care Network will consist of a or senior lead for emergency and urgent care from each core member organisation, together with a clinician who will provide advice and support to the network as required. 1
Core Member organisation Somerset Primary Care Trust Somerset County Council Adult Social Care Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust Weston Area Hospital NHS Trust Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust Bath Royal United Hospital NHS Trust Role /Chair Emergency Care Network Lead Provider ate Lead Commissioning Manager Name Jan Hull, Deputy Chief Executive/ of Strategic Developments and Partnerships Annabelle Walker, Programme Manager - HRDS Judith Brown, of Provider Services Claire Steel, Head of Adult Social Care Julia Ingram, Commissioning Manager Pat Jenkins, of Operations Alison Moon, of Nursing and Clinical Governance Jon Scott, of Operations Dr Cecil Blumgart, acting Medical Rachel Slater, of Nursing and Operations Diana Rowe, of Social Care, Services for Adult and Young people, Specialist Services and Deputy Chief Executive Dr Chris Mortimore, Deputy Medical /Consultant Psychiatrist Steve Pryor, of Operations Norma Lane, Urgent Care Service Manager NHS Direct South West Gill Stewart, Regional NHS Direct South West Regional lead Caroline Pike, Regional Head of Business Development 2
Non-core organisations/networks Out-of-hours provider; Public Health Emergency Planning team; Primary Care (Local Medical Committee or Somerset Practice Based Commissioning Group); Urgent Care Clinical Network; Dorset Urgent Care Network; North Somerset Urgent Care Network; Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire Urgent Care Network Board. Chair 2.2 The Deputy Chief Executive of the Somerset Primary Care Trust will Chair the network meetings. Deputy Chairman 2.3 The network will agree and endorse a deputy chairman, who will be a member of the core group. Emergency Care Network Lead/Secretariat 2.4 The Emergency Care Network Lead will appoint a lead manager to act as the Emergency Care Network Lead/Secretariat who will support the Chair and Emergency Care Network in the delivery of its aims and objectives. a) setting the agenda; b) circulation of papers; c) support and develop the delivery of the annual work plan. 3
Expectations of Core Members 2.5 Members should be a designated Executive or of senior level with lead responsibility for emergency and urgent care services for their respective organisations. 2.6 Members should designate a deputy in the likely event of being unable to attend a meeting. The deputy will be expected to remain the same person from within the respective organisations and will be expected to act in the capacity of the core member/director lead. 2.7 Members will be responsible for ensuring that their own organisation or group is fully briefed on Network decisions. 3. AUTHORITY 3.1 The network is authorised to require the provision of such information and access to such personnel, as it is required to discharge its duties/responsibilities. 3.2 The network is authorised to take outside professional advice as appropriate in particular to make external comparisons. 4. ACCOUNTABILITY 4.1 Accountability of the Somerset Emergency & Urgent Care Network will be to each stakeholder organisation. 5. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS 5.1 The Somerset Emergency Care Network will monitor and evaluate its performance against the appropriate targets and locally agreed performance metrics. Primary care access (including out-of-hours, quality standards and 24/48 hour access); Ambulance response times ; Ambulance turnaround times; Total time in accident and emergency; Thrombolysis targets; Delayed transfer of care rates in Acute Trusts; Year-on-year reduction in emergency bed days; Year-on-year reduction in avoidable emergency admissions to hospital. 4
6. FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS 6.1 Meetings will be held quarterly and will be arranged 12 months in advance. 6.2 All communications relating to meetings will be disseminated and papers/reports circulated in a timely manner. 6.3 Agenda items should be forwarded to the Emergency Care Network Lead, one week prior to meetings. 7. QUORUM 7.1 A quorum of 6 members must be present to constitute a valid meeting with a minimum representation of 4 core member organisations. 7.2 The Chair will determine the appropriateness of the represented organisations to make decisions. 8. LINKED LOCAL GROUPS Somerset Capacity Planning Group Somerset Clinical Network for Urgent Care/Acute Assessment Somerset Urgent Care Implementation Group 5