Report attached

Contact: Vivek Khashu, Strategy and Engagement Director, WMAS

Mr Vivek Khashu, the Strategy and Engagement Director, West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) introduced and amplified the WMAS Annual Report (copy attached to the signed Minutes).  He gave a presentation which looked back at the previous year but where relevant he drew out where things had changed and moved on.

The presentation covered the following areas:

·         Refresh of 5-year Strategy including the vision, strategic objectives and values.  The previous vision had been reaffirmed and an additional value, environmental sustainability, had been added.

·         ICS priorities – the WMAS worked with six ICS across its region.

·         Service lines – demonstrated all the constituent parts of the organisation.

·         National CQC ratings and single oversight framework segmentation.  There were now at segmentation level 2.

·         Surge management of covid-19 related calls.

·         Actions taken to manage the initial surge of Covid-19.

·         BAME risk assessments.

·         Summary of achievements through the challenges of covid-19.

·         Flu and Covid-19 vaccinations - 91% of staff have been vaccinated.

·         Call answering.  EOC performance >2 minute 999 call answer delays.  Performance much better than peers.

·         Remain the only Ambulance Service to achieve all E&U targets (response time standards).  However that would not be the case next year as the response times had deteriorated over the course of the year.

·         Conveyance rates - had progressed relatively well.

·         Hear and treat for Category 3 or 4 whereby a clinician speaks to the caller to ascertain their needs - much closer to 20% now and as a result take fewer patients to hospital.

·         Lost hours at hospital (>15 minutes pre-handover) – by October this had increased to 28,000 hours which was unprecedented.

·         Patient transport (PTS) – All KPIs achieved.

·         Achievement of Quality Account Priorities 2020-21.

·         Compliments and complaints.  There had been an increase of 1% and 9% respectively.

·         Integrated Emergency and Urgent care (integration of the services 111 and 999) achievements in 2020/21.

·         Integrated Urgent Care future model of delivery.

·         Health and wellbeing arrangements for staff.

·         Sickness 2020/21 - just below 5%.

·         Staff turnover - relatively stable, young workforce.

·         Awards and recognition.

·         Representation - how constituted as a Board and workforce.

·         Global digital exemplar site investment.

·         Digital developments e.g., roll out of ipads to all frontline staff.

·         Electric vehicles/fleet - no more than 5 years old, first to have electric vehicles.

·         Ockenden report – actions identified.

·         Looking forward to 2021/22.

The Chairman noted his disappointment that the report did not contain more detail on performance at a local level, the performance of the service specifically across Shropshire and the outcomes for Shropshire patients.  As noted in the report Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin CCG were one of the 20 commissioners for the service however data was not presented even at this level.  In addition, as noted in the report, the service is located in the heart of England, covering an area of over 5,000 square miles, of which 80% is rural landscape, it would therefore be expected that there would be variation across these areas, particularly rural areas such as Shropshire and transparency around the performance across the County is essential.  He therefore requested that further data highlighting performance and outcomes for the service across Shropshire, compared to peers and variation across the County in performance be brought back to this board and to be presented to the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, for Scrutiny.

RESOLVED:

That further data highlighting performance and outcomes for the service across Shropshire, compared to peers and variation across the County in performance be brought back to this board and to be presented to the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, for Scrutiny.