September Quality Assessment of Stoke-on-Trent Community Drug & Alcohol Service

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1 September 2018 Quality Assessment of Stoke-on-Trent Community Drug & Alcohol Service PRESS RELEASE Earlier this year, Healthwatch Stoke-on- Trent was asked by Stoke-on-Trent City Council to carry out a quality assessment of the local Community Drug and Alcohol Service. Healthwatch representatives met with members of staff at Wood House in Hanley to see if the new service was delivered in a safe and clinical manner. Stoke-on-Trent Community Drug and Alcohol Service is a free service commissioned by Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The service is available to residents of Stoke-on-Trent and is provided by three organisations working together: Addaction, BAC O Connor and North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust. The assessment focussed on the changes that were put into place after the contract was taken over from the previous provider, Lifeline. The Healthwatch representatives spoke to six members of staff, who are now more confident to be able to challenge any issues. One of the workers feels more supported and said that since the changes, the service structure is more coordinated: I feel the service is changing for the better and getting back on track. Another staff member described that he enjoys the challenge of working with people with complex alcohol issues, but there are still some problems around communication between services: It feels like there is minimal planning and duplication of work. There needs to be clearer directions with some day to day practices. He would also like more of the outreach work to be delivered by the service. The staff were very dedicated, passionate and willing to work on the issues raised. Their caseload remains high and this needs to be addressed to ensure timely delivery of assessments and intervention. It is clear from the discussions that there is a determination to make the service work more efficiently. Full report is available here: projectreports/

2 Patient access to GP Services From October, all patients should have access to GP services between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week this means being able to access a GP practice in the same area, not necessarily always the patient s own practice. However, research published by the BBC suggests that in many areas access to services is still below this level, with only a short time left to reach the required standard. Seven-day access is now available to 22 million people 40% of patients Our Forward View The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent CCGs (Clinical Commissioning Groups) have produced Our Forward View which contains a summary of some of the information from the annual reports and outlines the CCGs' key achievements, the challenges and the priorities for the coming year. The digital version of Our Forward View is available on all the CCGs websites and includes videos from Accountable Officer: Marcus Warnes, Director of Nursing and Quality: Heather Johnstone and Chief Finance Officer: Alistair Mulvey. To access this, please click on the following link: ourforwardview_jul18 registered with GPs. But more than five million people live in areas of England where it is not possible to book a GP appointment outside working hours at all, and 10% of registered patients live in areas where there is no access to GPs on evenings and at weekends. John Kell, Head of Policy at the Patients Association, said: Expanding access to GPs will be highly beneficial to patients, as general practice is an essential route to accessing all manner of NHS services. It s clear now that improved access isn t the same as everyone s GP practice being open for longer periods we clearly have too few GPs for that. The plans that need to be in place from October will require careful development, to ensure that services are genuinely accessible to all patients, and how to access them is well advertised.

3 FREE Link Bus Service between hospitals The Link Bus service runs between Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital on the hour, every hour between 6am - 10pm, seven days per week and is free of charge. The Link Bus also stops at Stone on the A34. For further information about pick up points contact the booking line. You must pre-book to use the Link Bus service, call: or abcsupreme@abcsupreme.co.uk between the hours of 5pm-9pm, Monday to Friday Opt-out organ donation The Government has issued confirmation of its plans for opt-out organ donation, which it estimates will save 700 lives per year. Parliament will vote on legislation to introduce the new system this autumn. If Parliament gives its approval, the new system will come into effect in spring When details of how to opt out are finalised, the Patients Association helpline will be able to advise people who need information on how to do so (though the decision on whether or not to utilise the opt-out naturally rests with the individual). Patient Association s response to the Government s consultation can be read in the Policy Directory on their website: Category/policy In it, they supported proposals to provide multiple different ways for patients to register their wishes, and also proposals for an extensive publicity campaign around the changes.

4 The Big Mental Health Survey Mind (the mental health charity) would like to understand more about your experiences of mental health support provided by primary care (for example a GP or practice nurse) and charities and voluntary / third sector organisations (this could include support groups, information services, counselling or similar psychological services). The questionnaire is for anyone aged 16 years or older, with personal experience of mental health problems either currently or in the last 12 months. However, you do not have to have used these services to take part. You can also complete the survey if you've tried to access these services, but did not end up using them. You don't need to have used Mind services to take part in this survey. Mind has asked Picker, an independent research charity, to conduct this survey. Your answers will help them to understand what currently works and how support could be improved. The survey findings will be shared with researchers, policy makers, the media and organisations that provide mental health services. However, your answers will remain anonymous - no one will know who has said what. The survey is running until the end of October 2018 and you can complete it here: Be Clear on Cancer - Blood in Pee campaign The Public Health England Blood in Pee campaign is re-running from the 19th July to 23rd September 2018 to raise public awareness of the symptoms of bladder and kidney cancer. This campaign aims to raise public awareness of visible haematuria which is a symptom not only of bladder and kidney cancer but other cancers and conditions too. Blood in urine is a key symptom in 64% of bladder cancer patients aged 40 years and above and 18% of kidney cancer patients in this age group. If you see blood in your pee, tell your doctor immediately. Read more here:

5 NICE Question Time comes to Stoke Would you like to put questions to NICE s Chief Executive, Chair and senior staff directly? Do you want to know more about how NICE can support you to address healthcare needs in Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding area? Wednesday 19th September 2018 Kings Hall, Kingsway, Stoke-on- Trent, ST4 1JH. Then book your place today to attend NICE Question Time at Kings Hall Stoke -on-trent and the Public Board Meeting, and you can: Meet members of the NICE board and senior management team Hear the latest news from NICE Find out how NICE guidance can help you to reduce health inequalities in your area Buffet lunch NICE Question Time NICE Public Board Meeting The meeting is open to everyone: patients and the public; health care professionals; managers etc. Register to attend here: Community Night Shelter Stoke-on-Trent Churches Community Night Shelter (STCCNS) began in 2016 as a faithbased response to rough sleeping in the city. However, they work with people of all faiths and none, and volunteers come from all walks of life. They are mainly concerned with providing a safe, warm place to sleep for those who would otherwise sleep rough, throughout the winter months. If you would like to volunteer for Stoke-on-Trent Churches Community Night Shelter, they have various volunteer opportunities available including night shelter shifts, cooking meals and organising donations among other roles. To find out more information, please go to:

6 Community grants of up to 2500 apply now! NHS England s celebrating involvement in healthcare community grants scheme is open for applications for the fourth year. Grants of up to 2500 are available to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to showcase how they have been involving patients, service-users and the public in improving health services. To apply you must be a voluntary, community or social enterprise organisation and be able to share your project successes in a creative way. Full details of eligibility and how to apply can be found on the NHS England s Involvement Hub at: The deadline for applications is midnight on Thursday 20th September If you would like to receive the application form in another format such as large print or in Word please england.ppvcommunitygrants@nhs.net Purple Rainbow Pancreatic Cancer Support Group The Purple Rainbow Pancreatic Cancer Support group provides support and advice for people affected by pancreatic cancer. The group meets every six weeks and is supported by nurses from the University Hospital of North Midlands. Each month different topics will be covered including nutritional and psychological support and there will be guest speakers covering specific topics that are requested by the group. The meetings will take place between 2pm & 3.30pm at the Community Room in Marks and Spencer at Wolstanton with the EXCEPTION of 21st November 2018 which will be at Tesco in Hanley. Any queries please contact the Upper Gastro Intestinal Team on The meeting dates are: 28th September st November th January th February th April th May th June th August th September th October 2019

7 Blood Pressure Week 10th - 16th September 2018 Know your Numbers! Blood Pressure UK's awareness campaign is taking place from 10th - 16th September. It encourages adults across the UK to know their blood pressure numbers and take the necessary action to reach and maintain a healthy blood pressure. For more information, and to find out what you can do to lower your blood pressure, visit Organ Donation Week 3rd - 9th September 2018 The NHS is asking people to talk to their families about organ donation to increase the number of people whose lives can be saved or transformed by an organ transplant. Nationally, three people die every day in need of an organ. More and more families are saying yes to organ donation but there is still an urgent shortage of donors. Join the NHS Organ Donor Register: September National Awareness Days National Dementia Carers Day 9 September World Suicide Prevention Day 10 September Jeans for Genes Day 21 September Disclaimer Healthwatch Stoke-on-Trent cannot confirm the accuracy of the published articles or confirm that they present a balanced view. Although we try to provide quality information, all information in this newsletter is provided "as is", with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without guarantee of any kind, express or implied.

8 Don't want to complain to your provider? Use our Feedback Centre anonymously Tell us what you think about doctors, hospitals, dentists, opticians, outpatients, wards and other health & care services in Stoke-on-Trent Tel: Website: Facebook: Facebook.com/Healthwatch-Stoke-on-Trent The Dudson Centre, Hope Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5DD