Agenda item

The Committee received a presentation from Sheila Adam, Chief Nurse and Jon Spencer, Chief Operating Officer from Moorfields Eye Hospital. The presentation outlined the performance update on Moorfields Eye Hospital as set out in the agenda pack at pages 19 to 46.

The following was noted during the discussion of this agenda item:

·       A new and more accessible website for Moorefield’s Eye Hospital had been launched.

·       In terms of Patient-led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) 2023, the table highlighted the hospital had scored highly in two categories, which included Condition & Appearance and Dementia. The scores were also higher than the national average.

·       In response to a follow up question, the Committee was advised that the patient-led assessments were conducted on an annual basis and three sites would be selected out of all the sites for the inspection. The three sites that were inspected in 2023, included City Road, Stratford, and St Georges. The assessment consisted of going through a lengthy checklist to monitor standards.

·       The Committee noted that the rate of DNAs (did not attend) was due more to age than ethnicity or deprivation. It was noted that the older the age group, the greater the number of patient cancellations. Data suggested that the DNA rate and patient cancellation was around 28% in patients aged 85 years and above.

·       In response to a follow up question regarding the higher percentage of patient cancellation in the older age group, the Committee was advised that some of the factors contributing to these cancellations included transport issues, support issues, late arrivals and patient not being well enough to attend their appointments.

·       In response to a question regarding facilities and level of service at different Moorfields Eye Hospital sites, it was explained that the capacity was slightly greater at the Oriel site compared to City Road. It was also noted that clinicians had collaborated with patients to help design the emergency flow to improve patient experience.

·       It was noted that around 80% of people over age 60 already lived with sight loss in the UK, ranging from sight impairment to macular degeneration.

·       The Committee was advised that Moorefield’s Eye Hospital provided eye care for around 50% of London and worked in partnership with NHS providers. It was advised that for each Integrated Care Board, there was a significant other provider of healthcare from the NHS, for example Western Eye Hospital for the West of London and Barts Health for the East of London.

·       In terms of Single Point of Access (SPoA), this had been implemented in North Central London since July 2023. It included all referrals directly from optometry. SPoA promoted patient choice and potentially enabled significant reductions in non-contracted activity and over-treatment. The Committee noted the evidenced benefits as outlined on table on page 40 of the agenda pack.

·       The Committee queried about walk-in facilities at the hubs located in Starford and Brent Cross. Officers advised that currently there were no walk-in services at these hubs, however, this was being considered as part of the expansion of the emergency model. The service had been considering having a small number of bookable slots for emergency patients through the “Attend anywhere” service.

The Committee thanked Sheila Adam and Jon Spencer for their attendance.

RESOLVED:

The Committee to note the report.