Agenda item

This report seeks to provide a review and update of progress against Kent & Medway NHS and Social Care Trust’s (KMPT) organisational strategy for 2023-2026, following the strategy briefing made to the Committee in October 2023.

Discussion:

The Director of Transformation and Partnerships and the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive from the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), introduced the report which updated the Committee on the trust’s Organisational Strategy for 2023-26. He highlighted some of the key successes and challenges which included eliminating the backlog on dementia assessments caused by the pandemic, improvements in recruitment and retention, the opening of Ruby Ward and the embedding of safe havens.

Members then raised a number of questions and comments, which included:

·        Dementia – reference was made to the new model of care, the first pilot of which was taking place in June 2024 and it was asked how quickly it would impact change. The KMPT representatives explained that the pilot had begun in South Kent the previous day and innovative feedback had been received.  It was expected that the pilot would scale out at pace with a phased approach that would include a multi-disciplinary assessment across system colleagues to improve diagnosis rates, which they acknowledged were still not acceptable. It was also suggested that the next update from KMPT have a dementia focus.

·        Safe havens – in response to a question about the one team approach in relation to safe havens and whether that model would continue in the long term, the KMPT representatives explained that it was a successful initiative and a positive model of sustainable partnership working that would be retained.

·        Community Mental Health Framework (CMHF) – the KMPT representatives explained that the CMHF would fundamentally change the way partners work to help the population.  It would provide a more holistic approach to meet people’s needs and would be less about a patient’s specific diagnosis. It was an opportunity to embrace individuals with a multi-agency approach at the front door where patients could be supported with difficulties they might be experiencing with employment, housing and benefits, as well as their mental health needs. It would also enable responses to be quicker.

·        Use of the term BAME – reference was made of the advice to stop using the term BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) and to instead be more precise and it was asked what support and mentoring was provided to staff. The KMPT representatives confirmed that the Trust had already agreed to move away from BAME categorisation and was working alongside its Inclusion and Diversity Programme to explore how the Trust could support staff from diverse backgrounds.

·        Ruby ward – in relation to the opening of Ruby Ward (a 16 bed in-patient service), reference was made to the old Ruby Ward on the Medway Maritime Hospital site, which had previously closed. It was explained that during that closure process, KMPT had offered transport support for families from Medway to visit their loved ones and it was asked if this was still on offer. The KMPT representatives explained that work was still underway to ascertain the demand and in the interim some volunteers were able to provide a taxi service to famillies. It was also asked if the percentage of Medway patients placed in Ruby Ward had reduced since its relocation. It was explained that this was not anticipated as it was a facility that was used to support patients across Kent and Medway, in the same way the old Ruby Ward had been, but this would be looked into and reported back.

·        The Well Led Review – reference was made to the review undertaken by Deloittes, the outcome of which had provided 13 recommendations to strengthen the functioning of the Board and the way in which the organisation was led.  The KMPT representatives undertook to provide more detail on the recommendations via a briefing note.

·        Staff vacancy rates – questions were asked about recruitment, retention and the Trust’s vacancy rate.  The KMPT representatives explained that the vacancy rate of the previous month had been 11.9%, which was high compared to other local trusts but was one of the lowest in the region when compared to other mental health trusts. In relation to the talent pool, this was monitored and was shared as a system to help plug gaps, but it was difficult to manage depending on the skill sets available and the gaps in workforce.

·        Incidents of violence – reference was made to incidents of violence by patients and the suggestion of using body-worn cameras. The KMPT representatives explained this was being explored for in-patient services only. CCTV had already been installed at in-patient services and a policy was being worked on in relation to body-worn cameras, whilst learning from the experiences of partners using them already, such as the police and ambulance services. Reference was also made to staff reporting incidents and the KMPT representatives explained that they were working on a culture shift in the organisation to ensure staff felt more able and supported to report incidents with clear messaging from the Executive Team that every incident was taken seriously and that reporting was not made onerous for staff.

Decision:

The Committee noted the report and requested a briefing note updating the Committee on workforce data including agency staff figures, the impact of initiatives relating to incidents of violence against staff, staff survey outcomes, the thirteen recommendations of the Well Led Review by Deloittes and the transport support provision for families of patients placed in Ruby Ward.