The COO Report, Operational Service Report (January Data), Performance Profile (January Data), National Performance Oversight Group (NPOG) Meeting Notes (January Data), and the PMO Report – Winter/NSP 2022 -23, which had been circulated prior to the meeting, were noted.
The COO updated the Committee on the key strategic and operational updates outlined in the above documents, focusing in particular on the National Screening Services (NSS), Unscheduled Care (USC), and Scheduled Care. In relation to NSS, the COO advised that recruitment/retention of radiography and radiology staff continues to be critical to the operation of BreastCheck and is being actively managed. He advised that CervicalCheck performance has stabilised and is operating within standard performance measures. The National Cervical Screening Laboratory (NCSL) project to build, equip and operationalise a new laboratory will conclude successfully in Q1, 2023. An oversight group will be established to provide senior leadership for all aspects of the working relationship between the NSS and the Coombe Hospital in relation to laboratory services for CervicalCheck once the NCSL steering group closes in March. The Diabetic Retina screening programme is performing well overall however ongoing issues and challenges continue to be managed at the treatment centre in Cork University Hospital.
In relation to USC, the COO advised that although some winter pressure eased in EDs, it remains a difficult period. Overall hospital performance (quality, access, integration) and sites of concern are being tightly monitored and Safety Metrics will be examined to see what is suitable for reviewing performance in ED’s. The Committee discussed the impact of lack of availability of GP appointments on ED services and the possibility to expand the role of healthcare professionals in GP practices to alleviate this. The COO agreed to bring a paper on GPs and supporting disciplines to the next Committee meeting. The COO confirmed that the USC multi-year plan is under development with stakeholder engagement ongoing and that while the plan would be informed by the Department of Health capacity review, the HSE is also utilising in-house public health knowledge in development of the plan with the intention to have internal capacity to re-fresh the plan as required. The Plan is due to be completed by mid-year.
The Committee queried the broad parameters of some metrics used in the Performance Profile and asked that further context be provided in some instances. The Committee discussed in particular the ED waiting times for over 75s, querying the mitigating factors implemented to address these times. The COO advised that a range of interventions which are impactful in certain hospitals are currently considered for wider roll out and effectiveness will be site-specific.
In relation to scheduled care, the COO advised that a close out report for 2022 is being compiled in conjunction with the DOH; funding letters for 2023 have issued to hospitals to provide approval to progress initiatives; and Community Operations proposals have been completed. He highlighted that 2023 waiting list numbers to date are not on target which can somewhat be attributed to January winter pressures. The Committee queried whether there is a timeline by which improvement is expected to be seen. The COO confirmed that clinical pathways are a priority in this regard and a report on this will come to the Committee at the end Q1 2023.
The COO also presented data on Urgent Colonoscopy, Cancer Services, Psychology, Child Health and Ophthalmology which was noted by the Committee.