The Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee of Buckinghamshire Council is scheduled to consider the performance and future strategies of key healthcare providers in the region. The meeting will include discussions on the operational performance of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and the emerging strategy of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. Additionally, the committee will review the council's Health and Wellbeing portfolio performance and discuss future work programme items.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Performance and Strategy

The committee is scheduled to receive an update from Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, focusing on its performance during the 2025/26 financial year and its key areas of focus for 2026/27. This will include an overview of the Trust's annual quality account, which details its commitment to patient safety, clinical effectiveness, and patient experience. A particular point of interest is the success of the AI-enabled patient experience tool, known as Quail, which has been developed by the Trust in partnership with Quantium. This tool aims to transform how patient feedback is analysed and acted upon, with reported efficiency savings and improvements in complaint response times. The Trust's presentation is expected to cover its progress in reducing waiting times for planned care, with a significant reduction in patients waiting over 52 weeks, and its efforts to reduce health inequalities. The report pack highlights that the Trust delivered its financial plan for the third consecutive year, with significant efficiencies achieved through various projects and programmes.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust's Emerging Strategy

A significant portion of the meeting is dedicated to reviewing the emerging strategy of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust for the period 2026–2031. The committee will be presented with an overview of the strategic context, including national and local drivers, and the rationale for refreshing the strategy. The report pack outlines Oxford Health's services, which span mental health, community health, and dentistry across Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, as well as its provider collaborative arrangements. The presentation will detail the engagement process undertaken to shape the strategy, involving colleagues, patients, carers, and partners. The committee is asked to consider initial reflections on the emerging direction and strategy, which aims to improve the quality of life and experience of care for patients, improve the health of communities, and ensure its culture supports colleagues to thrive. The strategy aligns with the Buckinghamshire Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2035, sharing ambitions for healthier, more independent lives, a focus on tackling health inequalities, and promoting prevention and proactive care.

Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Performance

The committee will receive an update on the Health and Wellbeing Portfolio for Quarter 3. This update is expected to highlight two areas reported as red within the portfolio. The first concerns the Number of older people (65+) admitted to permanent residential or nursing care homes per 100,000 population. The report indicates that up to the end of Q3, more older adults than the target number were admitted to care homes, although this figure is noted as being better than the South East and National averages. The second area of concern is the Percentage of young people whose Adult Social Care Assessment was completed before they turned 18 years old. Performance in this area has been impacted by team capacity and a small number of late referrals from partner agencies. The report mentions that work is underway to set expectations for referrals into Adult Social Care and that a Transition Board has been established to focus on the Preparing for Adulthood pathway.

Future Work Programme

The committee will also discuss and agree on items for its future work programme. Proposed items for the next meeting include a review of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust's key performance data and priority areas for service improvement, and a review of Oxford Health's proposed refreshed strategy. Additionally, the committee will consider the Better Care Fund, Integrated Healthcare Equipment Services, and the draft report for the Access to Emergency Care Review for approval. The committee will also discuss the emergency care provision across Buckinghamshire through a scoping document for a rapid review.

Women's Health Services and Ambulance Service Changes

The meeting agenda also includes discussions on Women's Health Services, with presentations from representatives of NHS Frimley ICB and NHS Thames Valley ICB. This will cover the establishment of Women's Health hubs and the delivery of specialist care within primary care settings. Furthermore, the committee will hear about the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) moving to a group model, joining forces with South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) to form the South Central and South East Ambulance Group. This initiative, supported by NHS England, aims to strengthen patient care and improve staff support. The report pack details the operational and patient service reviews undertaken by both Trusts, including efforts to standardise clinical models across different geographical areas.