Minutes of Meeting –26 September 2007
Meeting of Primary Care Support Agency /Management Board
Held on Wednesday 26 September 2007 at 10.30am
in Meeting Room C, King Square House
North SomersetPCT to Chair
Minutes
Present: / Penny Hynds (PH), in the Chair, North Somerset PCTLynda Dando (LD), South Gloucestershire PCT
Julia Griffith (JG), Bath & North East Somerset PCT
Julie Cooper (JC), General Manager, Avon Primary Care Support Agency
Xin Li (XL), Finance, Bristol PCT
Attending for item 16 only:
Chris Brookes (CB), Finance, Bristol PCT
Steve Boardman (SB), Strategic Development, Bristol PCT
In attendance: / Helen Bond, APCSA (Notetaker)
1Apologies
Trevor Foster, Avon IM&T Consortium
Jessica Wilson, Bristol PCT
2Minutes of Previous Meeting (25.07.07)
All members agreed that they were an accurate record.
3Matters Arising
Agenda Item 4.1 - Updating of Service Level Agreement for 07/08
JC confirmed that the SLA has now been signed by all parties.
Agenda Item 6 - Update on PCSA staff resource issues/workload issues
(25 July 2007). JC confirmed that she had advised all of the PCSA
Management Team that the Bristol PCT team would be keen to help with recruitment if possible in order to gain experience.
Agenda Item 7 – Risk Register
See agenda item 7
Agenda Item 10 –Pharmaceutical
(25 July 2007). JC confirmed that SL and LD were invited and did attend the meeting to discuss Pharmacy Oral Hearings.
Agenda Item 15 -Collaborative arrangements
(25 July 2007). JC confirmed that letters have been sent to GP Practices detailing collaborative fees from 1 September 2007. There has been only one concern raised from a GP Practice. These will be discussed at the PCT Finance meeting on Friday 28 September 2007.
4SLA
4.1 Updating of Service Level Agreement for 07/08
Covered in item 4.1 Matters Arising.
5Finance
5.1 Finance Report (Bristol PCT)
JC advised the group that recent AFC assimilations have resulted in additional funding being required. The Assistant Contracts Manager posts have been assimilated to Band 5 following a review. JC also drew attention to the AFC back-pay figure for which PCSA has not been funded and could potentially result in an overspend.
5.2 Transfer of pre-school Child Health funding from UBHT to Bristol PCT
Board members agreed to the recommendations outlined in the paper subject to adequate funding being transferred from UBHT. JC advised the group that she will revisit the current SLA to ensure that these new arrangements are reflected in the documents.
Action JC
6Update on PCSA staff resource issues/workload issues
JC advised the group that the recent round of recruitment has been very successful. Marian Colfer, current Assistant Payments Manager has been appointed Contracts Manager with effect from 1 November 2007 to coincide with the current postholders reduction in hours. Two Payment and two Patient Data Officers have also been appointed.
Recruitment is now taking place for the Assistant Payments Manager (Band 5). In addition to this there is a further vacancy in the Patient Data Department at Band 3 level. This is currently undergoing assessment to ensure recruitment is at the right level.
Within the Child Health Team there are also two Band 2 vacancies that have been held open for some time. The reason for this is that the current Child Health System is being replaced with effect from 3 December 2007. The new system has been procured by the Strategic Health Authority and the project implementation locally managed by Avon IM & T Consortium. However, Phil Shrimpton, Child Health Manager has played a major role in the procurement process, testing and implementation of the new system. This has put a great deal of pressure on Phil and his team to maintain business as usual.
7Risk Register
Nothing to note.
8Performance Reports
None to report as full quarter hasn’t elapsed since last meeting.
9Dental
JG advised the group that Lisa Whitlow is leaving the Dental team.
10Pharmaceutical
JC advised the group that the Open Exeter software to monitor home oxygen payments will be available shortly. NHSCFH has a series of training events for this. JC anticipates that PCSA will no longer have a role in this and will remove from the SLA when PCT medicines management colleagues agree.
JC reported that Peter Dunlevy, Pharmacy Policy Unit, Department of Health has advised that any work on Pharmaceutical Supplementary lists has been deferred pending the outcome of the performers list review. JG advised the group that a consultation for cash limiting the pharmacy budget is taking place.
11Ophthalmics
11.1 Report on the Audit of Ophthalmic Claims
The content of the report was noted. JC will ask Sue Edmonds, Local Counter Fraud Specialists, if recovered fees can be retained as PCSA income.
Action JC
JC informed the group that the DH have announced that they plan to lay regulations before parliament in December 2007 which will amend performer list regulations to include ophthalmic practitioners. These will come into force from April 2008 and there will be transitional regulations for existing performers/contractors. The ophthalmic list will be replaced with GOS Contracts although it is envisaged that there will be still be a centrally negotiated sight test feed with access to sight tests not being constrained locally by individual PCT budgets. In addition to this a review of the current payment system is being undertaken and is due to conclude in February 2008.
JG said that she was investigating a complaint regarding ophthalmic services and asked if she could have a copy of Ophthalmic Regulations. Other PCTs would welcome this also. JC agreed to ask Valerie Veysey, Contracts Manager, to source and send.
Action JC
12Screening
12.1 NHAIS Cervical Screening Audit 2006
JC ran through the paper and commented that the required actions had greatly decreased from that of the previous audit. The time delay in obtaining the final audit document caused concern. JC will feed this back to the NHSCFH service delivery manager.
Action JC
JC reported that the piloting of out-sourcing invitation letters continues to go well and that a service delivery monitoring meeting has taken place. The NHS Purchasing Consortium has received 18 Pre Qualification Questionnaires from companies interested in the full contract. The next stage is for these companies to submit full tenders. The likely closing date for this will be the end of November. Prior to this there will be an opportunity for interested parties to attend a presentation by PCSA and NHS Purchasing Consortium
JC also added that the piloting of electronic Prior Notification Lists using Open Exeter has also gone well and that approximately 40 GP Practices are now using this system.
13PCT News
JG advised the group that Hazel Braund has now left B&NES PCT to take up a position in Gloucestershire PCT. Ros Grant also leaves the PCT at the end of the week. Any pharmaceutical issues should now be referred to Ann Hodgkins.
LD explained that SG PCT has numerous vacancies within the commissioning directorate and at present she is the only person covering her locality.
PH reported that there is now more stability within North Somerset PCT as the reorganisation has been completed.
14National Programme for IT
JC informed the group that specifications are now being written for the software to replace the registration software on the Exeter system and that she has been asked to take part in specific workshops for this. JC also advised that there is still no national strategy to replace the Exeter Payment systems or Screening systems.
15Reports from other PCT/PCSA meetings
- PCT Finance Meeting
JC advised the group that the next meeting is to take place on Friday 28 September 2007. JC was asked to inform PCT Finance colleagues of the proposed transfer of the Child Health Budget.
Action JC
- Influenza Campaign
JC advised the group that letters have been sent to all patients over 65 where the GP Practice had requested PCSA to do so. She also said that a joint letter from Health Protection Agency and PCSA has been sent to all GP Practices advising them of the 2007/8 campaign together with payment details.
- GP Tackling Violence Service
JC advised the group that the next meeting is to take place on Monday 15 October 2007.
16 Relocation of PCSA
SB explained the background to the decision to relocate from KSH. He explained that as tenants to the building consideration will need to be given as to whether PCSA relocate with the PCT or relocate to separate premises. He reported that a high level appraisal by Bristol PCT concluded that it felt that PCSA would be best accommodated separately due to financial constraints. A project manager has been appointed to manage relocation and SB said that they would be able to offer some support but that he felt that the PCSA and PCSA Management Board should be leading on the relocation. CB informed the group of the range of commercial rents charged for the space currently occupied by PCSA. SB informed the group that the project manager would be able to assist with instructing agents to look for suitable accommodation but that this would need to be by the end of October.
PCTs expressed concern as PCSA is hosted by Bristol PCT and as such the remaining PCTs are paying a hosting charge for this.They therefore felt that Bristol PCT should be facilitating the move. LD said that PCTs would expect some financial benefit should KSH be sold to offset the expected increase in accommodation costs.
After general discussion the following action points were agreed:
- SB to ensure the relocation of PCSA is included in the PCT relocation workstream
- CB to produce a report on cost implications and circulate this to the group and PCT Directors of Finance
- JC to circulate a spreadsheet outlining the requirements for PCSA. The spreadsheet will identify leads for assessing feasibility and costs for each of the requirements.
- HB to arrange a follow up meeting in approximately 2 weeks time with a few for assessing requirements and way forward
Action SB, CB, JC & HB
17 Review of criteria for reimbursement of locum costs (LD)
It was agree to carry forward this item to the next meeting.
Action HB
18Any other Business
Supply of Private Prescription Pads
JC advised the group that Private Prescription Pads are supplied to a small number of GP Practices. Historically no charge has been made. The net cost of each pad is currently £2.30. JC has consulted other Agency colleagues and arrangements vary from making no charge to charging for the cost of the pad, for postage and an administration fee. JC asked if the group agree with a proposal to charge costs and a £10 administration fee. Total cost for a pad of prescriptions would then be £14.62 (£2.30 + £2.32 + £10). Cost would be claimed via the Exeter System and recorded as PCSA income. The group agreed the proposal.
Emergency out of hours contact telephone numbers for GP Practices
JC explained that PCSA have for many years maintained a list of out of hours contact telephone numbers for GP Practices for use in emergency planning situations. Contacts are reviewed on an annual basis. As out of hours responsibilities now lie firmly with PCTs JC asked if the maintenance of such a list should continue.PCTs agreed that this should cease. JC to remove from the SLA.
Action JC
19Date, time and Venue of next meeting:
Wednesday 21 November 07 – 10.30am-12.00 noon
Room C, King Square House, BristolPCT to Chair
Minutes Page 1 of 6