Wolverhampton Advisory Cancer Team (PACT) Notes of a Meeting held on Wednesday, 16 July 2014 10.00-12.30 pm at Action for Independence, Albert Road, Wolverhampton PRESENT: David Hellyar (DH) Acting Chair Robin Comley (RC) Treasurer Pat Roberts (PR) Speakers Jean Hancox (JH) Janet Aldridge (JA) Diane Wright (DW) Sheila Varian (SV) Sophie Gwinnett (SG) Clinical Psychologist James Owen (JO) Senior Cancer Services Manager RWHT David Rowlands (DR) Lead Cancer Clinician RWHT Jacqui Cutler (JC) Minutes APOLOGIES: John Hollingshead, Kate Fernandez, Veronica Gudge (new member) Agenda No. Reference 1. Introduction and Apologies David Hellyar welcomed everyone, including Sophie Gwinnett from New Cross Hospital. 2. Minutes of previous meeting These were agreed as correct. 3. Matters Arising from previous Minutes PR asked about the bid - 11,000 to Macmillan to buy Ipads to process Holistic Needs Information more efficiently. JO explained what this was for. This is a better way than using paper. The bid has been successful, and they are just waiting the final approval/paperwork. JH felt that patients could use the new Ipads for this, themselves. This was agreed by those present. 1
With regard to the matter of rooms for use by newly diagnosed patients JH reported that there is now a room in Outpatients. It is unfurnished, and is located near the Reception area. DH asked if there were other dedicated areas where people can be given their diagnosis. There is also one near the Benyon Centre, for example. He felt that wherever patients were given their diagnosis, there should be a dedicated room. DH asked PR about the Cancer Awareness Event on 26 June. She said that she and Jean Hancox were involved in the feedback for this event. There were issues about how the day had been organised, but a positive result for the PACT group is that 4/5 people who attended the event have expressed an interest in joining the group. Jean Hancox had written to Dick James, but it was felt he should be invited to the next meeting, where a present would be given. Members of the group could give what they wanted towards this. Post meeting note: This would have to be organised at the next meeting on August 27 th, and then Dick invited to the meeting in October. David Hellyar then introduced Sophie Gwinnett who is a Clinical Psychologist at New Cross working with patients referred to the Cancer Psychology and Counselling Service. Sophie passed round a sheet outlining how the service works, and talked the group through it. This service is being piloted through to the end of January next year, and they hoped to get feedback from the patients involved. Those present felt that this was something that had been needed within Wolverhampton, for a while. Sophie explained that there had been a waiting list, but she had an assistant, and they were introducing group work. DH asked SG a few questions. What happens if people need/want more sessions? She said it was possible to have extra sessions. The Cancer Nurse Specialist would let their patients know of this service. JH wanted to know how this service would reach patients outside Wolverhampton who might want to attend. Sophie said they would widen the area if possible, but at the moment they had to address the waiting list they had. DR said that this service was being paid for by Wolverhampton CCG (but Sophie is employed by the Black Country Foundation Trust). DH asked about SG hours. She said that to the end of January 2015, there would be 5 hours of a Clinical Psychologist. Chloe (Sophie s assistant) is off at present. If she comes back the group work will continue, but not without her. He asked about the feedback they had had. Sophie said that there is an anonymous questionnaire for people to fill in at the end of their sessions. So far, feedback is generally very positive. JH asked about the waiting list, SG said that this has reduced from 5 months to 2/3 months. 4. Travel Expenses DH said he had sent an e-mail to Catherine Wilkes in Finance at the Hospital regarding this matter. He had been hoping to get a response before today s meeting. He hadn t heard anything. 2
A Miss Ness (Deputy Director in Finance) who both Robin and David had also had contact with, likewise had not come back to either of them. As David Hellyar would be away until the beginning of September (from tomorrow), RC would take this up in his absence and try to get the matter resolved. There followed further discussion around the Trust and our funds. JA said that from the outset the money was only being held by the Trust, and it should not be treated as though we (PACT) were an integral part of the Trust within that finance system. DH said that we would have to leave this matter for another time/meeting. 5. Work Plan This was postponed till another time. 6. The role of PACT (and Meetings venue) DH and DR had met to discuss this important matter. They felt that PACT should go back to how the group originally operated. DR said that in the early years of the group 10 years or so, ago there was more focus on individual services and people coming along to the group either as speakers, or to discuss topics. Now there were other targets and bodies involved. DH asked JO what he thought we should be focusing on. He (JO) thought we should focus on the individual (Cancer) groups and the Peer Reviews, and bring back to the PACT group. PR said perhaps we should focus at each meeting on specific areas say Skin, for example. This was linked in to the Peer Review and bringing the individual experience to the group. Yes, DH thought we should concentrate on the s pathway. Meetings venue There was the possibility of a room at West Park Hospital. DH said it should be somewhere under the umbrella of the Trust. DR did not agree with this. RC said that he knew there was a room at Whitmore Reans health Centre, not in the evenings but during the day time. DW said there was a room at the Science Park. Having an evening meeting there would be free? Another possible venue was the Quaker meeting room on Summerfield Road (by West Park), not far from here. Diane and Jean were passing on their way home and would try and get information/a contact. There was also the possibility of The Beeches at Penn Hospital as a venue, which would probably be free. RC had a contact there. The focus then went back to the next meeting and what we will focus on as a group. Will this start from next meeting on August 27 th? It would involve some work between JO and PR/DH to do with Audits/Targets and information. PR said that the Peer Review Teams could feedback at our meetings. 3
DR said that we as a group might want to focus on individual things. Say, if a Clinical Nurse Specialist came, or other expert, this would be helpful, and more like it used to be. PR said we need to give JO a schedule of meetings to give to the Peer Review professionals. It was agreed that DH would deal with the Survey and Jean Hancox and Pat Roberts with Peer Review. Janet Aldridge would look at Targets, while Diane Wright would look at Audits. DR said that we should start with a good (example) team, i.e. there is Lung or Head & Neck. It would be best to find a good one to start with. JO said it was just a matter of getting the teams on board, and synchronising their availability with our meeting dates. DR said perhaps then we should look at Head & Neck or Lung for the August meeting, and then take it from there. 7. RWHT update JO said that Macmillan is pushing Survivorship with a thing called lunch and learn, probably in November. He would bring information back to the group when he knew more. There was another Peer Review on 22 and 31 July. National Cancer Experience Survey the feedback is 54%? The feedback for another survey was very good for Wolverhampton area, with data on the different areas of the experience of Cancer. There was a person from outside of the region doing this. There is a big push with the Trusts at the moment and the information in the collection of the stages of Cancer info. At present Wolverhampton was coming out well in their processing of this information. 8. SCN feedback/cwp Robin reported on the network meetings he had attended. The Citizens Senate, now called Citizens Working Party had first met on 17 February and the next meeting was not until 29 May, with another on 19 June. He was not happy with the progress, but had been able to express his views when he was asked to attend a special Mapping Event of the top SCN hierarchy on the 8 July. The Cancer Expert Advisory Group (Group 23) had been scheduled for 14 July, but had been cancelled at short notice leading to speculation that the group was about to be wound up. Post Meeting note:- This meeting was rescheduled for 4 August with assurance from Kate Burley (Cancer Commissioner) that this was not the case. Meeting agenda includes feedback from Expert Advisory Groups (were NSSG s). DH said for sometime he had felt rather negatively about the SCN s. He felt that actions speak louder than words. PR said they cost a lot of money, but she felt, weren t achieving too much. 9. Speakers DH asked PR if there was anything to report on this. 4
Pat said that we should ask Dr Manny Samra and Anna Lynall (involvement officer for Macmillan, Wolverhampton) to join the group. It would be good if these 2 ladies would become members of the group, as it also tied in with Agenda item 6. (above) and trying to move PACT back to how it originally worked. 10. Cancer Care Wolverhampton site follow up This has now been done. 11. Any Other Business PR informed the group that there is a Consultation on RWHT and some services possibly going to Cannock. There should be publicity about this in various places. DH said that there is a vacancy for a Vice Chair and would anyone be interested? At present no-one felt able to take on the role. JH said that as DH would be unable to Chair the next meeting of the group in August, she would Chair the meeting in his absence. 12. Date of the next Meeting Wednesday, 27 August 2014 from 5.00 to 6.45 pm at Action for Independence. 5