To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 19 December 2023.

In moving the minutes, the Chair requested that the information requested in relation to the ‘Freedom to Speak Up’ anonymised case studies and associated and analysis of trends be circulated to the Members of the Group at the earliest opportunity.

Decision

To approve the minutes of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust: Improvement Plan Task and Finish Group meeting held on 19 December 2023 as a correct record, noting the above comment.

Report and presentation of the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

This report and presentation provide a summary of progress in relation to Workstream 3 (People) and Workstream 4 (Culture) with a focus on Manchester services and people.

The Task and Finish Group considered the report and accompanying presentation of the Interim Associate Director of Operations, Associate Director of Health Professionals and the Quality and Associate Medical Director Manchester Care Group that provided an update regarding the progress to date on the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) Improvement Programme, with specific reference to People and Culture.

Key points and themes in the report included:

·         Noting that the Trust were working to create a safe and supportive working environment for all staff (clinical and non-clinical);

·         Describing that The People workstream was supporting the Trust to create open communication, to set a clear direction and enable staff to play a vital part in improving both the service they work in and the Trust as a whole; and

·         Describing that the Trust were working to become a collaborative, inclusive and compassionate organisation that actively engages with service users and carers, staff, the public and other stakeholders to build a more positive future.

The accompanying presentation discussed the identified challenges, discussion of the organisation-wide improvements, the joint working between the Trust and the Council, and next steps.

Some of the key points that arose from the Task and Finish Group’s discussions were: 

·         Requesting that an organisational plan on a page be circulated to the Group;

·         Noting the importance of correct staffing levels, equipped with the correct values to deliver care and to ensure patients were safe and treated compassionately at all times;

·         The importance of staff retention;

·         Did the Trust inherit bad practice and a poor culture when it had taken over Manchester service from the previous metal health Trust;

·         Seeking an assurance that the cruel practices exposed in the Panorama programme no longer existed;

·         How was the voice of the service user and carers captured to inform the work described to drive improvements;

·         Information was sought as to the composition and role of the Board of Directors; and

·         Were all staff at the Trust trained in Trauma Informed Practice.

The Deputy Chief Executive and Chief People Officer, GMMH stated that the Improvement Plan was heavily focused on the issue of people and this theme ran across all the workstreams. He added that by delivering the improvements would result in attracting quality staff to the organisation and contribute to staff retention. He said that this was beginning to be realised already, commenting that this reflected the improvements realised to date. He stated that the recruitment process was designed to explore and test a candidate’s values, adding that service users were included on recruitment panels. He advised the Group that a number of recruitment events had been delivered and these provided an opportunity for clinicians to meet and link with potential candidates. He described that the process to appoint the new Board Chair at the Trust had involved extensive stakeholder conversations and service user representation on the interview panel. In response to a specific question regarding the recognition that the Trust was a Living Wage Foundation Accredited employer he  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

The Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care will provide any relevant oral update to the Task and Finish Group.

In addressing the Group, the Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care introduced his comments by stating that they needed to be considered in the context of his role as the elected representative to hold the Trust to political account on behalf of Manchester residents. He also stated that he recognised the positive contribution John Foley, Chief Operating Officer, GMMH and Bridget Hughes, Associate Director of Operations, GMMH had made to meetings of the Provider Collaborative Board.

The Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care said that he had seen various reiterations of the presentation that had been submitted to the Group over previous months, however he still had concerns regarding the governance arrangements that existed at the Trust due to the number of interim senior posts. He stated that this instability at the senior level was not conducive to implementing the change and scale of improvements required. He said that he had articulated this concern both in public meetings and in private conversations with the Trust. He said that to date he had not had the opportunity to meet with the new Chair of Board.

He further made reference to the number of complaints and correspondence he continued to receive from constituents regarding the Trust that supported his opinion in the Trust. He said that waiting lists; staff recruitment and retention; out of area placements continued to remain an area of concern. He also commented on the delays experienced when requesting information from the Trust. He concluded by stating that he did not believe the Trust was acting with the appropriate sense of urgency and as a result he was not confident that he could say to residents that the correct level and scale of improvement had been made to date.

Decision

To note the update from the Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care.

Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit

Members are invited to review the Terms of Reference and agree the Work Programme of the Task and Finish Group.

The Task and Finish Group considered the terms of reference and future work programme and were invited to make any amendments.

Decision

To note and approve the work programme.