The Sheffield Health Scrutiny Subcommittee held its first meeting of the municipal year, focusing on various health-related topics, including the quality of local NHS services, pre-election period restrictions, and the quality account from Sheffield Children's Hospital Trust.

Quality of Local NHS Services

The committee discussed several reports related to the quality of local NHS services. Due to the pre-election period, members were reminded to restrict their comments to the content of the reports and avoid straying into wider issues of healthcare policy. Legal advice was provided to ensure compliance with publicity restrictions.

Sheffield Children's Hospital Trust Quality Account

Yvonne Millard, Chief Nurse, and Craig Bradford, Chief Operating Officer, presented the quality account from Sheffield Children's Hospital Trust. Key points included:

• Patient Safety Incident Response Framework: Implemented to investigate incidents and draw out more learning, focusing on a compassionate approach and involving children, young people, and families.
• Outstanding Experience: Strong voice in governance structures from children, young people, and families, with patient stories shared at board meetings and experience leads appointed.
• Sepsis Priority: Appointed a sepsis nurse, improved guidelines and training, and introduced an escalation system for parents and carers. Sheffield Children's is an early adopter of Martha's Rule.
• Bereavement Services: Reviewed the entire bereavement program, appointing a bereavement nurse and coordinator, and focusing on communication with families.

Members' Questions and Comments

Members raised questions about waiting times for hand surgery and mental health crisis care, the patient record system, and staff flu vaccination uptake. They also discussed the importance of cyber security in light of recent cyber attacks on NHS systems.

Summary of Members' Feedback

• Waiting Times: Concerns about waiting times for hand surgery and mental health crisis care.
• Patient Records: Compatibility between different patient record systems and ensuring seamless access to records.
• Flu Vaccination: Factors behind low staff flu vaccination uptake and its impact on staff sick days.
• Cyber Security: Robustness of cyber security systems and business continuity planning.

The committee appreciated the detailed report and the efforts made by Sheffield Children's Hospital Trust to improve patient care and safety.