NDCCG Patient Experience News Bulletin 34
Press links for further information
Decision taken - Working together better for emergency stroke services
A decision to change the way people receive care in the first few days after having a stroke in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw was made on Wednesday 15 November by the joint committee of clinical commissioning groups.
Over the last three years, clinical commissioners in Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Chesterfield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield have come together with doctors, nurses and staff to review and improve the care and experiences of all people needing hyper acute stroke care in our region.
By working together better and learning from best practice and guidance in other areas where more lives have been saved and disabilities have been reduced, new ways of working have been developed which means initial treatment for strokes will now be provided in hospitals with very specialist staff and skills in Chesterfield, Doncaster and Sheffield – and Pinderfields Hospital where it is closer for some Barnsley patients to be taken by ambulance to Wakefield.
Around 15 people per week needing this specialist hyper acute treatment, with rapid scanning, assessments and treatments, including thrombolysis where appropriate, will no longer be treated in hospitals in Barnsley or Rotherham.
All other treatments and care following the initial few days (depending on how well the patient is) will continue in local hospitals, with patients being taken to their local hospital once they are fit and well enough to do so.
For more information about the review and the proposal, please see: further information on hyper acute stroke services
South Yorkshire, Bassetlaw and Chesterfield Hospital Services Review
A region-wide public event will take place on Wednesday 6 December – for more details Hospital services review - Public meeting details
Work began on 30 October to look at how some hospital services are provided and what needs to happen to make sure they can continue to provide great care when it is getting harder to find the staff they need, and as demands on health and care increase because we are living for longer (which is good news, but means we need to provide different care to keep ourselves living well).
This work will not look at closing any of the current general hospitals in South Yorkshire, Bassetlaw or Chesterfield.
Five hospital services are the focus of this work, these are:
· Care during pregnancy and for mother-and-baby (Maternity)
· Care when you need it unexpectedly (Urgent and Emergency Care)
· Care for poorly children who need a hospital service
· Care for people who have a stroke
·Care for stomach and intestine conditions including investigations (Gastroenterology and endoscopy)
If you would like it, you can find more detailed information about the review here:
The survey can be accessed here:
Guides for people with cancer and dementia and their carers
The number of people living with both cancer and dementia is growing. Macmillan have written two booklets to give people information about living with both conditions and tell them where they may be able to get help
Macmillan Guide for people with cancer and dementia
Macmillan Cancer and Dementia A Guide for Carers
Help shape the future of pharmacy provision in the area.
Public health are inviting feedback from anybody with an interest in community pharmacy across Derbyshire.
More information is available here. Alternatively you can go straight to the questionnaire here. The consultation closes on 14 January 2018.
Older people’s care survey
The Family and Childcare Trust has published Older People’s Care Survey 2017. This survey of local authorities and health and social care trusts examines whether enough care is provided in their areas and how much funding authorities and individuals have to pay for it. The results indicate that over 4.2 million people aged 75 and over live in areas that do not have enough care to meet demand. While 81 per cent of respondents said they had enough availability for care home places, the figure falls to 46 per cent for home care and 37 per cent for nursing homes with specialist dementia support.
Preventing cancer
The Chief Executive of NHS England is to announce the scaling up of schemes to save lives by catching more cancers early. This press release refers to mobile lung cancer scanning trucks, a more sensitive bowel cancer test, and use of high definition MRI scans to reduce average prostate cancer diagnosis time.
Care and support for older people
The First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office has announced that the government will publish a green paper on care and support for older people by summer 2018. The paper will set out plans for how government proposes to improve care and support for older people and tackle the challenge of an ageing population.
Additional link: Healthwatch press release
Carers
The House of Commons Library has published Carers. This briefing paper provides information about the number of carers in the UK and the issues they face. It also explains the rights, benefits and support available to carers as well as previous Government policy on caring.
Prevention of Type 2 diabetes and obesity
NHS England, Public Health England and Diabetes UK have launched a pilot project which uses digital interventions to help prevent Type 2 diabetes and obesity. Over 5000 patients are expected to be recruited to the project over a six month period and will be given access to digital products for up to 12 months. Users will be able to access health coaches and online support groups as well as set and monitor goals electronically.
Looking to the future
Healthwatch England has published a consultation Shaping our future: our strategy for 2018 – 2023. This document is the result of an invitation to the public and health professionals to share their views on what the primary job of Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch should be over the next five to ten years. It sets out their views on the issues that National and local Healthwatch groups should focus on to help make health and social care services work better for people.
Children and young people’s experience of care
The Care Quality Commission has published the results from their Children and young people's survey 2016. The survey looked at the experiences of children, young people and their parents and carers attending hospital for treatment as an inpatient or day case. It found that overall their experiences were mostly positive. It also identified some areas where NHS trusts could improve.
Additional link: CQC press release | Picker institute