Bay Health and Care Partners Stakeholder Newsletter Issue 2 graphic.png

Bay Health and Care Partners Stakeholder Newsletter Issue 2

2nd August 2021

Welcome to the second 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 Integrated Care Partnership and the outcomes and benefits for communities.

We would like to start by saying we were delighted to hear that many colleagues from across the partnership and beyond were invited to workshops to listen to proposals for the Population Health programme for Lancashire and South Cumbria. Dr Andy Knox, Director of Population Health and Clinical Lead Population Health for Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership, led the sessions and attendees had the chance to join breakout sessions where they fed back on the proposals for the ICS Population Health operating model and development programme. You can read more about the sessions on page 2.

A positive step forward for Lancashire and South Cumbria was the approval of a business case to improve stroke services across Lancashire and South Cumbria at last month’s Strategic Commissioning Committee. This has signified a commitment to an unparalleled level of investment and will go towards ensuring improvements in the service. We look forward to updating you as this work moves forward.

We were delighted to see initial ideas for a new outdoor community space at Earnse Bay along the Walney coastline were presented by Cumbria County Council recently. The concepts have been drawn up by local architects with input from the Eden Project and the proposed outdoor space forms part of the #BrilliantBarrow initiative. This is a really exciting project for people living in the area which will help to improve their health and wellbeing and so important that they have had the opportunity to share their views and shape what it will look like. You can read the full story here.

The Prime Minister confirmed last month that mandatory social distancing and mask-wearing would come to an end as part of daily life. However, we are seeing rising COVID-19 cases in our communities and in admission to our hospitals so despite the easing of restrictions on our daily lives we can’t afford to become complacent in terms of the rigorous process we follow when providing health and care services to people across Morecambe Bay. The relaxation of restrictions in public spaces does not mean you cannot continue to adhere to these high standards as a matter of personal choice and the current Infection Prevention guidance will also remain in place across our healthcare settings in Lancashire and South Cumbria. More guidance on face coverings can be found at NHS England's website here.

We would like to end by saying a big thank you on behalf of the BHCP Leadership Team to our hard-working colleagues across primary care, mental health, our hospitals, local councils, voluntary and third sector and beyond for continuing to put our patients and communities first during this pandemic.

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

Morecambe Bay Respiratory Network.pngPartners Transforming Services 

Every month we will explore a different area of our programmes of work that are transforming services.

This month we are focusing on Morecambe Bay Respiratory Network (MBRN). You can read more about the successes of MBRN at the Bay Health and Care Partners website here.

You can find out more about the Network at the MBRN website here.

Listening to our communities.pngListening to our communities 

We will listen to the voices of our communities and involve them in the development of services. Here we will highlight the work that is ongoing to engage with people across the Bay.

The population health team held three virtual engagement sessions to help gather feedback on the proposed ICS Population Health Operating Model from key local stakeholders on Thursday 8 July. Each session covered an area of Morecambe Bay – Lancaster, South Lakeland and Craven and Barrow and Millom.

In total 89 people attended with representatives from health, local authorities and the Voluntary, community, faith and Social Enterprise sector. There was a broad consensus supporting the proposed model and key strands of work, although it was acknowledged that the audience would have benefitted from having more time to have reviewed the detailed proposals prior to the workshops. You can read more at the BHCP website here.

Dr Phil Batty, of Bay Medical Group, and wife Joann Batty. .jpgGP focus with Dr Phil Batty 

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, local GP Dr Phil Batty talks to us about 'Walk with a Doc' a new programme to improve the health and wellbeing of residents living in Morecambe Bay.

You can read more the BHCP website here. ​​​​​​​

Sight Advice.pngThe spotlight on...

Every month we will feature a different voluntary, community or faith sector organisation across the Bay. This time the Spotlight is on…Sight Advice South Lakes.

Sight Advice aims to support people with visual impairment to improve the quality of their lives, together with promoting greater awareness of sight issues. You can read more about Sight Advice under ‘Third Sector’ case studies at the BHCP website here.

Dr Alison Parish.pngCelebrating 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.

Dr Alison Parish is an Advanced Muskuloskeletal Practitioner for the Integrated Muskuloskeletal Service. You can read more about Dr Parish's role and her top tips for getting into the profession at 'Careers Week case studies' at the BHCP website here.

 Local people in Barrow take part in the town's first ever ParkPlay.jpgICCs 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.

A new health and wellbeing initiative has started in Barrow. ParkPlay is held every Saturday in Barrow Park. The initiative is delivered by ParkPlay working in partnership with Barrow Integrated Care Community, Active Cumbria, Barrow Borough Council, Barrow Local Committee and Cumbria County Council. You can read the full story at the BHCP website 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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