Agenda item

The ABMU representatives thanked Members for the invitation to meet with them and confirmed that they welcomed more meaningful dialogue. 

Council received a presentation on the work of ABMU during which Tracy Myhill advised that not only did the Health Board provide a health service for those suffering from ill health but also to improve the health of the population as a whole, in conjunction with the Authority.  The Health Board would work towards providing both sustainability and stability in its provision and would also be updating its out of date Strategy. 

The Health Board representatives apologised for the lack of strategic engagement undertaken with the Authority and other partners in relation to the proposed cut in the number of hospital beds.  The work at Neath Port Talbot Hospital had resulted in a lot of learning opportunities for the Health Board which had been rolled out to other ABMU hospitals. 

The Health Board advised that going forward it would focus on older people together with older people with mental health issues.  It was acknowledged that it was detrimental to the wellbeing of older people to keep them in hospital longer than necessary and would very often result in them being transferred to a residential home rather than discharged to their own homes. It was acknowledged that some of the pressures on the Authority’s Domiciliary Care was as a result of the administration of medication, in the main.

In relation to budgets the Health Board advised that it had an anticipated overspend of £20m by the end of the year.

In relation to the Transformation Bid the Health Board saw this as an opportunity to work together with the Authority and no service changes were envisaged as a result of the boundary change.