Agenda item

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director – People, which set out proposals to establish a Cancer Hub at St Helens Hospital for Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Warrington patients.  

The Board welcomed Philip Thomas – Assistant Chief Executive, NHS Knowsley CCG and Joan Spencer, Chief Operating Officer from Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, who presented the proposals.  Members were requested to assess whether they considered the proposals to constitute a substantial development or variation in the provision of health services for the residents of Halton.

The Board was advised that commissioners in NHS Halton, NHS Knowsley, NHS St Helens and NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and NHS England Specialised Commissioning had undertaken a review of non-surgical cancer care in the local area in line with the National Cancer Transformation Programme.  The review was carried out via a structured evaluation approach following the NHS England Service Change Assurance Process, which had identified the most suitable site for the Hub at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals.

The pre consultation business case (PCBC) for the proposals was appended to the report, together with other supporting documents.  The guests provided responses to Members’ questions on the proposals.  The Board agreed unanimously that the proposals would constitute a substantial variation in the provision of health services in Halton.

Members were advised that there would now be a joint scrutiny exercise with the other authorities affected by the proposals and that two members of this Board would need to be nominated from within the Board membership to represent Halton at the Joint Scrutiny Committee.  Officers would write to Members following the meeting with details of the Protocol for Establishment of Joint Health Scrutiny arrangements for Cheshire and Merseyside, which is to be followed.

RESOLVED:  That the Board

1)    notes the contents of the report and its associated appendices; and

2)    considers the proposal to constitute a substantial variation in the provision of health services in the Borough.