Minutes of Cross-Party Group Neurological Conditions meeting on
Tuesday 9th June 2015
Committee Room 4, Tŷ Hywel, National Assembly for Wales
Via VC to Wrexham Maelor Hospital
Present Cardiff
Mark Isherwood AM (Chair)
Pip Ford, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Lynne Hughes, MS Society Cymru
Ana Palazon, Stroke Association
David Murray, Cure Parkinson’s Trust
Rachel Williams, Parkinson’s UK
Megan Evans, WNA Coordinator
Ann Sivapatham, Epilepsy Action Cymru
David Maggs, Headway
Fiona Jenkins, Cardiff & Vale UHB
Harry Prankard, Parkinson’s UK
Sylvia Prankard, Parkinson’s UK
Jennifer Thomas, Cardiff & Vale UHB
Kate Skone, Cardiff & Vale UHB
Kate Steele, SHINE Cymru
Michelle Herbert, The Brain Tumour Charity
Miriam Wood, MESIG ME Support
Jayne Crocker, SHINE Cymru
Ceri Dunstan, Stroke Association
Andrea Richards, Cardiff & Vale UHB
Ian Langfield, WHSSC
Steve Walford, Ataxia Patients in Wales
Jean Francis, Ataxia Patients in Wales
Wrexham link
Annette Morris, Director of the North Wales Neurosciences Network, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Urtha Felda, MS Society Cymru
Apologies Barbara Locke, Parkinson’s UK
Janet Finch Saunders AM
Marcus Longley, Cardiff & Vale UHB
Maria Battle, Cardiff and Vale UHB
Ruth Crowder, Wales College of Occupation Therapists
Matthew Makin Betsi Cadwaladr UHB
Jane Stein, PSP Association
Carol Smith, MNDA
Carol McCuddon, Ataxia UK
Simon Thomas AM
Kelly Bevan, Child Brain Injury Trust
Raja Ahmed, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Linos Wyn Parry, Stroke Association
Ted Hill, British Polio Society
Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising
Accuracy – to include Karen Shepherd, Annette and Carol Smith on list of attendees.
Minutes of the meetings held on 24th March 2015 recorded as true and accurate account.
Urtha Feldman asked about progress against actions from previous meeting. These are underway.
Access to wheelchairs – 2012-2015 – what has changed?
Kate Steele who sits on the Posture and Mobility Board introduced the item.
Service User Perspective
In Spring 2012 the Health and Social Care Committee held a one day inquiry into wheelchair services. It acknowledged that progress had been made since 2010 – especially from internal management and performance management perspective but this had not necessarily translated into service improvements for current/ future users.
Jayne Crocker, a SHINE Cymru service user gave her perspective of the service she has received and described problems with maintenance of chairs as well as issues with replacement of broken or worn parts.
Harry who is a wheelchair user due to Parkinson’s and his wife Sylvia Prankard, described similar problems experienced in North Wales.
The Posture and Mobility Partnership Board
Ian acknowledged the issues experienced by Harry and Sylvia and said that these could be dealt with.
Ian described the structure and purpose of the Posture and Mobility Board is to look at performance and quality of service provision and advise on commissioning strategy. The terms of reference for the Baord are approved by all seven Health Boards. The Board struggles to get representation from local authorities and service users.
There is a technical working group and a stakeholder working group for this carefully monitored services to ensure proper use of Welsh Government guidelines. The stakeholder group includes service user voices from across Wales and is chaired by Kate. A plain English waiting times document is being developed with the stakeholder working group.
Service Provider Perspective
Dr Jenny Thomas described the referral process into wheelchair services takes and indicated that there are approximately 200 referrals per week from skilled multidisciplinary teams.
In terms of performance, there has been a 31% increase in the number of powered wheelchairs issued in the last year. 90% of standard wheelchair issues are within 21 days. There have been dips in service provision due to sickness and vacancies although paediatric targets have continued to be met. Rachel Williams asked about succession planning in light of the dips in provision, this is being looked at.
Questions and debate
There was general discussion around the issues highlighted by the presenting service users and a number of key points were raised:
· British Red Cross lending wheelchairs to ALAS cannot provide them – Ian Langfield to look into.
· David Murray – it is important that local authorities engage if joint working is to be effective. Ian Langfield welcomed and work the group could do in this respect.
· Ana Palazon – there is not enough stakeholder representation on the group, suggested deformalizing engagement process so it has a more flexible approach for people to participate and share their views.
· Ana Palazon – queried the use of the complaints process as a means of monitoring good/ bad service pointing out that people will not always complain.
· Pip Ford – detailed a number of issues about the service raised by paediatric physios including concerns over a lack of regular review.
Closing remarks
The Group agreed a number of actions to be taken forward from the meeting as follows:
· Write to the Minister for Health and Social Services to ask:
(a) How Welsh Government are monitoring progress against recommendations from previous inquiries into wheelchair services in Wales since 2012;
(b) What measures are being taken to ensure that local authorities take on board are fully engaged as active partners in posture and mobility services.
· Write to local authority chairs of Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committees to ask what measures are taken locally to ensure social services departments are fully engaged as active partners in posture and mobility services. Copy to Social Services Directors in all local authorities.
· Consider how the WNA can engage with a wider stakeholder group to feed in service user views to the Posture and Mobility Board Stakeholder sub group.
Dates of future meetings:
The dates of the next meeting is 22 September 2015 at 6.30pm in Committee Room 4, Senedd, Cardiff Bay. There will be a VC link to Wrexham Maelor Hospital.