Transcript
We made that film a few years ago and a lot has changed in Morecambe Bay since that time. We’ve merged CCGs and created the Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group. University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay has started providing community services. Many of our GP practices have joined together. We’ve embraced new technologies and provided care tailored to each of our Integrated Care Communities. Here are some of the other things we’ve achieved.
Better Care Together began with the review of hospital services back in 2013. It has grown since that time to encompass a huge amount of changes across both hospital and community care and the care provided by your local GP.
Among the changes were those in our eye services. A lot of the conditions which people used to have to go to hospital with have started to be provided in our high street opticians which means that they are more convenient, easier to access and closer to people’s homes. To date, almost 16,000 people have used the service.
We’ve also introduced a scheme called the Patient Initiated Follow Up. In the past, many thousands of people would have been given regular outpatient appointments as a result of their condition, such as arthritis. However, by stopping the routine appointments and giving patients a special hotline to call many thousands of wasted trips a year have been saved. This not only stops our doctors and nurses from wasting time but cuts down on annoyance for the public and travelling to hospitals, finding car parking spaces and waiting for their appointment.
We have also introduced Integrated Care Communities across the Morecambe Bay area. These have been at the forefront of our partnership approach. Able to work at a local level and tackle priorities for their residents, recognising that the priorities for the residents of Kendal will be different to those in Barrow. But they have done a huge amount of work to benefit people’s care. For instance, in Carnforth, they’ve introduced leg ulcer clinics. In Kendal, they have prioritised independent living for the older population, and in Barrow and Millom they have worked on the Suicide Safer Barrow Programme.
Across Cumbria, we are making improvements to people’s lives. Plans are in advanced stages to build a new GP and community hub through which the community in Barrow-in-Furness can access a variety of local health and care services. And in Millom, work for their practice to provide a similar hub is already complete. In Kendal, members of the local community have joined with healthcare professionals to decide their priorities for health and care in the town.
Over the past two years, we have brought our community services and our hospital services together under one roof. All community and hospital services are now employed across Morecambe Bay by one provider. In the past, this was provided by three. This gives us the benefit of being able to link community and hospital care together and ensure that community services are provided in the same way across Morecambe Bay.
We’re working with our third sector, Morecambe Bay’s voluntary and charitable sector to ensure services and support is joined up in a way that it has never been before.
Our digital innovations have been at the forefront of some national attention, and last but not least this year the Bay Health and Care Partners have pledged one million pounds to help respiratory services across Morecambe Bay, really helping those with breathing problems across our area.
We’ll keep improving the services we provide, but we need your help to do it. But we need your help to do it. The Bay Health and Care Partners public assembly is your chance to share ideas and provide feedback on the care that you or your loved ones receive and to shape the future of local health and care services. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up today.