Bay Health and Care Partners Stakeholder Newsletter Issue 8

Date posted: 1st February 2022

Welcome to the eighth 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.

As you will be aware pressures on the health and care system locally have continued throughout January and we would like to start by thanking all of our colleagues across the partnership who have worked tirelessly to try and alleviate these pressures by putting in place initiatives such as the ‘hospital home care service’ and ‘virtual wards’ – a new service to monitor COVID-19 positive patients and relieve pressures in the acute settings at our local hospitals including Emergency Departments. As well as helping to relieve pressures, it will enable patients to go safely home earlier. Health and care partners have also focused on reducing the number of patients in hospital who are medically fit to be discharged but can’t leave for a variety of reasons through the 'no criteria to reside' (NMC2R) initiative. Military personnel began training on 11 January and are working with North West Ambulance (NWAS) Service clinicians to support the response to some non-emergency patients and address the current challenge of COVID-19 related staff absence. You can read more at the NWAS website here.

Our colleagues in primary care and the community continue to go above and beyond to deliver covid vaccinations and boosters. We’d like to highlight the recent efforts of Bay Medical Group, Bay Integrated Care Community and Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust who delivered vaccines to fans at Morecambe Football Club’s match with Wycombe Wanders – a fantastic effort by all involved. Read more at the BHCP website here.

We are inviting our patients, carers, service users and the public, to share their experiences of using digital services across the partnership. The online Let’s Talk Digital project will run from Tuesday 1 January to Friday 25 March 2022 and people will be able to share their stories, ideas and questions. You can register at the Let’s Talk Morecambe Bay engagement site here to access the Let’s Talk Digital page.

A revised date for the establishment of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) has been announced as Friday 1 July 2022 which will allow new statutory arrangements to take effect and ICBs to be legally and operationally established. You can read more at the BHCP website here.

Finally, we would like to draw your attention to the BHCP workforce strategy. Our first priority for the next 12 months is ensuring the health and wellbeing of all colleagues in the patch, rolling out the 'Flourish' approach across the whole Place-Based Partnership. You can read more about the new workforce strategy here.

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


Partners Transforming Services 

Every month we will explore a different area of our programmes of work that are transforming services. This month we are highlighting work that is ongoing to recruit volunteers to support the Set for Surgery programme. Peer support can play a big role in helping patients to achieve their goals, which improves outcomes for surgery patients and helps speed up recovery times. The Set For Surgery programme is looking to recruit 20 new 'Buddies', who will support patients to improve their health and wellbeing and keep on track with their self-set goals. You can read the full article 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 the work that is ongoing to engage with people across the Bay. Back in Issue 3 of the newsletter, we highlighted a research project that had started in Morecambe Bay to identify the health needs of Gypsies and Travellers and the best way to improve early detection of cancer in particular, but also other health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes and access to health services. There are approximately 39,000 travellers living in the North West (approximately 1,900 living in Morecambe Bay).

The research has been led by Dr Patrice Van Cleemput, PHD, and CancerCare, who are working closely with a steering group of Gypsies and Travellers, representatives from education, colleagues from the local Primary Care Networks and the wider health community. You can read the full report 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 Lead for Mental Health and Urgent Care at Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group, shares advice and support on Children’s Mental Health in advance of Children’s Mental Health Week (7-13 February 2022). You can read the full article at the Bay Health and Care Partners website here.


The spotlight on

 

Every month we will feature a different voluntary, community or faith sector organisation across the Bay. This time the spotlight is on…Victim Support Cumbria.

Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting victims of crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. Victim Support gives emotional and practical help to people who have been affected by crime in Cumbria and has a wide range of different services it can offer.

You can read the full case study at the BHCP website here.


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.

Matt Parker has recently been appointed as Bay Volunteers Manager and is based in Lancaster, working at Hope Church in Lancaster. Matt’s role involves managing and developing the whole Bay Volunteers project, effectively working with partners and communities. You can read the full case study at the BHCP website here.


ICC 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 that Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust’s (LSCFT) HARRI (Health, Advice, Recovery, Resilience and Information) engagement vehicle has embarked on a tour of the 11 wards in Barrow to give residents the chance to talk to professionals about their health and wellbeing needs. You can read the full story and tour dates at 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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