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Bay Health and Care Partners Stakeholder Newsletter Issue 11

4th May 2022

Welcome to the eleventh edition of our Bay Health and Care Partners (BHCP) newsletter where we will update you every month on the collaborative work that is taking place in Morecambe Bay’s Place-Based Partnership and the outcomes and benefits for communities.

In this edition, we would like to highlight that a new service has been launched which will offer support and psychological therapy to people who have experienced a traumatic event connected to their maternity journey. You can find out more about the Lancashire and South Cumbria Reproductive Trauma Service here.

You may be aware that the final report of the independent maternity review into Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust's maternity services was recently published. The Ockenden report gives 15 key immediate and essential actions to improve all maternity services in England to ensure that the failings identified are never repeated. Locally, UHMBT has released a statement to explain briefly what it is doing to meet the essential actions recommended for all maternity services around the country and what it will focus on as immediate priorities. You can read the statement at UHMBT's website here.

We're happy to see local people are being asked for their views on an ambitious new plan to get far more people walking and cycling for everyday journeys. Lancashire County Council and Blackpool Council have set a target for 2028 to double the number of people cycling, increase the number of people who walk at least once a week by 10% and reduce levels of physical inactivity to below the national average. A key part of the strategy is to publish a number of Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans for each area including Lancaster. The councils are asking people to take part in the survey and share their views at LCC's website here.

In recent weeks, pressures have been high across the system and earlier this month UHMBT declared Operations Pressure Escalation Levels (OPEL) Level 4 - the highest level of internal escalation in the NHS. The Trust has since de-escalated to OPEL Level 3. Teams at the hospitals and in the community have been working closely with Partners to tackle rising attendances at the Emergency Departments, ongoing challenges in discharging patients who are well enough to leave hospital and difficult staffing levels in some areas. Find the latest update here.

Finally, we would like to draw your attention to the #ThankYou campaign which celebrates staff and volunteers for their outstanding contributions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic watch the supporting video here and read the full story here.

Dr Geoff Jolliffe and Prof Mike Thomas, Joint Chairs for BHCP

Transforming our services 

Every month we will explore a different area of our programmes of work that are transforming services. This month we are pleased to highlight work that has started around the Long-Term Conditions (LTC) programme. Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer screening, Diabetes and Respiratory have been identified as the four priority pathways for the overall programme.

One of the areas of focus for the programme for 2022/2023 is hypertension. There are currently around 52,000 patients across Morecambe Bay who are registered as having hypertension and it is estimated that there are approximately 40,000 undetected cases.

The LTC Steering Group is looking for people who are living with an LTC to come forward as ‘Live Experience’ reps and take part in future workshops. If you would like to take part in upcoming workshops you can contact Lindsay Lewis, Senior Programme Manager, at Lindsay.Lewis@mbht.nhs.uk.

You can read more about the programme at the BHCP website here.

Listening to our communities 

The voices of our communities are central to our new way of working. Here we will highlight a Community Conversation that was held to give young people the chance to get their views across.

As part of ‘Your Wellbeing District’, 30 young people and 17 adult decisionmakers and facilitators came together at The Storey in Lancaster for a Community Conversation. Organised by a small group of young people from Stanleys Community Centre and Escape 2 Make, the attendees discussed various topics including young people’s mental health, the war in Ukraine, the environment, the education system, food and poverty. You can read the full story at the BHCP website here.

GP focus with Dr Jim Hacking 

Our GPs are an important part of Bay Health Care Partners and here our GPs and primary care colleagues have the opportunity to talk about issues and specialties that they are working on or interested in.

This month, Dr Jim Hacking, GP Executive for Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group, highlights the importance of measuring your blood pressure as part of May Measure Month 2022 led by the International Society of Hypertension. You can read the full article at the BHCP website here.

The spotlight on...

Every month we will feature a different voluntary, community, faith sector or Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisation across the Bay. This time the spotlight is on... Carnforth Memory Support Group.

Carnforth Memory Support Group forms part of the wider offer of support for people who are facing a diagnosis of dementia in and around Carnforth. The memory support group is open to all aged 18+ who may care for someone who has a diagnosis of dementia, who has concerns around their memory or has been invited to attend the memory assessment clinic. Family members will be welcomed to the sessions to gain more information and access to support.

You can read the full case study at the BHCP website here. We would like to highlight that Dementia Action Week takes place between 17-24 May 2022. A big thank you to everyone who is supporting people in our communities with dementia and their loved ones, carers and friends.

Celebrating our teams

There are a variety of roles across BHCP and other organisations we work with in the community. Here we shine the spotlight on the people who carry out a range of roles to keep our communities healthy and supported.

In this edition, we would like to highlight Breathe Easy groups across Morecambe Bay. The support groups are based in the community and are open to people living with long-term respiratory conditions, their friends, family and Lynnsey Willcox is a Gynae/Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist (CSN), for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust. Lynnsey's role involves supporting patients from diagnosis to treatment.

You can read the full case study at the BHCP website here. Cervical Screening Awareness Week takes place between 20-26 June 2022. Find out how you can get involved here.

ICCs update 

Our Integrated Care Communities (ICCs) are integrated teams of health and care workers, voluntary organisations and wider community assets who work together to aim to improve physical and mental health outcomes, promote  wellbeing and reduce health inequalities across an entire population.

In this edition, we would like to highlight Breathe Easy groups across Morecambe Bay. The support groups are based in the community and are opento people living with long-term respiratory conditions, their friends, family and carers. You can read the full story on the BHCP website here. The latest editions of the ICCs'
newsletters can be read here.

Top stories from our partners 

Thank you for reading our latest edition!

This newsletter is produced by the BHCP Comms and Engagement Team. If you would like to submit a story please contact Michelle Jordan, Ivan Drozdov and Karen Evans at BHCP.Communcations@mbht.nhs.uk 

You can sign up for the newsletter here or send us any feedback on it here.

You can find a PDF version of this edition of the newsletter at the 'Bay Health and Care Partners Newsletters' section of the website by clicking here.

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