How are we organised?

• The PCB is the vehicle which allows the trusts to make joint decisions to benefit patients and communities across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

• Chaired by Professor Mike Thomas, who is also chair of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, the PCB consists of all five trusts’ chief executives and chairs. 

• Each chief executive will take a different system leadership role. For example:

o   Kevin McGee, chief executive at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, was appointed as the lead chief executive of the PCB in September 2021. Kevin’s role is to support the system to embed provider collaboration.

o   Aaron Cummins, chief executive of Morecambe Bay Hospitals, is the deputy lead chief executive of the PCB.

• At the moment the PCB can make certain decisions within a framework agreed by the five trusts. We are considering what further authority can be given to the PCB in the future.
• Funding for the trusts and PCB will be allocated through the proposed NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board*. Work is underway to agree the future mechanism for allocations. The Integrated Care Board will also hold the PCB to account for delivering its priorities.
• The PCB has a number of sub-groups, as illustrated in the diagram here (please note that the structure is still developing and is therefore subject to change).

• Chaired by Kevin McGee, this group oversees and manages the PCB work programme.
• Meeting fortnightly, it consists of executive directors from across all of the trusts, each representing a profession (eg nursing, HR and finance). Their role as ‘senior responsible officer’ is to lead their professional peers from across the collaborative, ensure clear communications between each trust and the group, and be the senior responsible officer for some of the priorities falling within their professional remit.

• This group, which meets monthly, is developing a joint strategy for the trusts’ clinical services.
• It will also have oversight of the connections between elective care recovery, the New Hospitals Programme, and various other clinical transformation programmes being undertaken across the system.
• Chaired by Prof Mike Thomas, the chair of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, membership includes trust medical directors, colleagues from existing clinical transformation programmes, and wider system partners such as primary care and clinical networks.
• The clinical strategy is being developed through engagement with clinicians.
• As part of this work, a new mental and physical health clinical network has been established.
• While it is considering improvements to clinical services directly managed by the trusts, the PCB recognises the need to look at whole system pathways which will require the contribution of other partners, such as primary care, social care and the VCFSE sector.

• This group, which meets monthly, is developing an overarching strategy for the trusts’ corporate services.
• Chaired by Stephen Fogg, the chair of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, membership includes executive directors nominated by the trusts.

• This represents how the professional groups (e.g. nursing, HR and finance) link into the PCB Coordination Group through a ‘senior responsible officer’.
• The PCB also works with the Lancashire and South Cumbria People Board to ensure developments relating to our workforce are joined up across the system.