The Health Overview & Scrutiny Panel met to discuss updates from Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Healthwatch Portsmouth, and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB). The panel received reports on urgent and emergency care, ambulance handover delays, and initiatives to improve patient flow. Members also reviewed Healthwatch Portsmouth's annual report and discussed primary care access, dentistry, and the implementation of the NHS's 10 Year Health Plan.

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) Update

Simon Barson, Chief Operating Officer, and Juliet Pearce, Director of Nursing, provided an update on the work being carried out by Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU). The report covered performance within urgent and emergency care, and patients with no criteria to reside.

• Urgent and Emergency Care: ED waiting times have improved, with the trust achieving 75.5% against the 4-hour Emergency Department standard in July. However, long waits over 12 hours remain high due to increasing demand and discharge delays. There were 573 ED attendances on average in July 2024, an increase of 51 per day compared to the same period last year.
• Ambulance Handovers: Handover delays have decreased to an average of 00:13:38, a significant improvement from 01:34:00, positioning PHU as one of the highest performing trusts in England. This has saved nearly 5,000 hours of ambulance time, improving category 2 response times in Portsmouth and South East Hampshire to below 20 minutes.
• Tiering: The Hampshire and Isle of Wight system entered Tier 1 for Urgent and Emergency Care in July 2024 but moved to Tier 2 (regional oversight) in August due to sustained improvements.
• Non-Criteria to Reside: Bed occupancy remains high, impacting patient flow. In July 2025, the average number of occupied beds was 1,027 against a core bed stock of 976. 73% of patients were successfully discharged on their discharge-ready date, but approximately one-third of delays were due to a lack of out-of-hospital capacity.
• Planned Care: Steady progress is being made to improve access to planned care, with 56% of patients waiting less than 18 weeks in July, slightly below the target of 57.9%. PHU is in Tier 2 for Elective and Diagnostic performance, with a recovery plan in place to reduce long waiting times.

Healthwatch Portsmouth Update

Siobhain McCurrach, Healthwatch Area Director, presented Healthwatch Portsmouth's annual report for 2024-2025¹. The report highlighted the organisation's activities in championing patient voices, providing information, and influencing service improvements.

Key points from the report included:

• Engagement: Healthwatch Portsmouth supported over 8,200 people, gathered experiences from 548 individuals, and reached 7,657 people with advice and information.
• Impact: The organisation published 13 reports, including one on the challenges residents face in accessing healthcare and housing. Recommendations from service providers supporting people with communication needs were adopted.
• Community Outreach: Healthwatch engaged with diverse communities, including deaf people, dementia carers, and homeless individuals, gathering feedback on local health and social care services.

• Pharmacy First: A survey of over 100 patients revealed a need for better awareness and promotion of the Pharmacy First scheme².

• GP Registration: Healthwatch found that 90% of GP websites required ID or proof of address for registration, creating barriers for vulnerable individuals. Following their recommendations, most GP practices updated their websites to remove this requirement.

• Collaboration: Healthwatch worked with other local Healthwatch teams and the Integrated Care System (ICS) to address issues such as access to NHS dentistry.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB Update

Bernie Allen, Partnership Director Portsmouth, provided an update on primary care in Portsmouth, including current statistics and future national priorities for the NHS.

Key points from the report included:

• GP Appointments: GP appointments in Portsmouth continue to rise, with an average of 5,031 appointments per working day. In July 2025, there were 24,000 more appointments compared to July 2023.
• Patient Experience: The GP Patient Survey showed improvements in overall experience, ease of contacting practices by phone and website, and confidence in healthcare professionals.
• Workforce Innovation: Portsmouth is leading on innovative models of primary care delivery, utilising a broader clinical workforce and partnering with the medical school for trainee placements.
• Local Improvements: 2.48 million repeat prescriptions were ordered through the NHS App across Hampshire and Isle of Wight in 2024/25. From 1 October 2025, all Portsmouth practices must offer online consultation services during core hours.
• Dentistry: There has been a 13% year-on-year improvement to NHS dentistry delivery in Portsmouth. The innovative mobile dental clinic, provided by local charity DentAid, has received positive feedback.

• National Context - Ten Year Health Plan: The government's 10 Year Health Plan³ emphasises prevention, digital innovation, and personalised care. The plan aims to shift more care from hospitals into communities, move from analogue to digital services, and increase focus on prevention.

• Delivering the 10 Year Health Plan in Portsmouth: Initiatives such as the Pharmacy First scheme and the use of Dora, an artificial intelligence telephone assistant, are helping to improve services.

Councillor Leonie Oliver, Chair, thanked all contributors for their reports.