it s packed with lots of health news, information and announcements that are happening in North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth.

Transcription

1 Health Champions Newsletter Edition it s packed with lots of health news, information and announcements that are happening in North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth. New Chair appointed! Dr Deryth Stevens, a GP from Dordon and Polesworth, has been appointed as the new Chair for NHS Warwickshire North Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). be taking this role forward as our new Chair. I feel that it s important that we don t lose sight of the excellent work that Heather Gorringe our previous Chair, the CCG and its wider membership have we have made and strengthen the clinical commissioning led by GPs. Dr Deryth Stevens, GP and Clinical Lead at NHS Warwickshire North CCG, said: I have been a member of the Governing Body of NHS Warwickshire North CCG for just under two years and prior to that I was a clinical representative on the Commissioning, Finance and Performance Committee and the Respiratory Lead for the CCG. My board level experience has given me valuable insight into governance, accountability and commissioning of services for our locality. The CCG has now been authorised for 24 months and during this time it has demonstrated a number of primary care and some specialised services next year. I am determined that we use this opportunity also committed to ensuring that these changes will not disengage our membership and by working together we can deliver the care our patient population deserves. #onething campaign Stroke services across Coventry and Warwickshire Walking for Life where we are visiting. Join us on the latest developments at the CCG.

2 weather campaign A national campaign called Feeling Under the Weather? ran from November 2014 until the end of February The aim of the campaign was to reduce pressure on the Accident and Emergency departments during the winter of 2014/15. in public behaviour to help reduce the number of elderly and frail people requiring emergency admissions through urgent and emergency care services. Particularly, in A&E departments, with illnesses that could have been effectively managed through earlier access to health advice and self-care information from community pharmacy services or the NHS Choices website. Across North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth we raised awareness and engaged with 1116 local people during this time. The campaign had a clear call to action to seek advice early from a local pharmacist or from 2

3 North Warwickshire The Clinical Commissioning Group and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council worked in partnership to encourage people from all walks of life to get involved in some recent organised events to become more active. As part of this year s walking month in May, people in the area were encouraged to take a step to join a community walk in the area. Local health and social care partners showcased a week of health promotion activities in the area. The #onething campaign team attended a number of events in the area recently, including Run for Your Heart in Nuneaton, the April Gurkha 200 celebration in Riversley Park, Nuneaton, the Dementia Awareness Week activities in Nuneaton s market during May, plus a health bus tour of the area has been declared a huge success. The bus tour completed 163 mini health checks, 31 of which had high blood pressure or diabetes which they did not know about and were referred to their GP. The team were supported by the breast screening team, wellbeing hub and the Health and well-being team, to offer support and information about a range of health issues and making sure people were aware of potential health issues. GP and Chair of NHS Warwickshire North Clinical overwhelmed to hear about the latest results of the #onething campaign. local people are committing to make changes in their lives to improve their general health and wellbeing. I m proud to be associated with a project where residents are not only interested in their health, but are resolving to make a change. For more information go to: Walking can... Give you more energy Make you feel better Help you sleep better Reduce blood pressure! Help to strengthen bones Reduce stress levels Keep your heart strong Help manage weight 3

4 campaign To mark National Heart Month, we launched a joint campaign with Public Health Warwickshire and the two Local Borough Councils to get people to make a pledge to improve their health. The campaign called #onething came about as a result of serious health concerns to reduce the amount of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Nuneaton, Bedworth and North Warwickshire. The campaign is backed by health professionals in the area who are asking people to start their good health journey by just doing one thing to improve their overall health and wellbeing. We ve already seen over 400 pledges made by members of the public since the campaign started. Making a simple pledge, such as; eating less chocolate, walking to work, quitting smoking or swapping unhealthy snacks for healthy ones can contribute to make a big difference to people s health. GP and Clinical Lead at NHS Warwickshire North Clinical Commissioning Group, Deryth inactive adults and adults with excess weight in comparison to the England average. Along with smoking these are all risk factors associated with CVD. The #onething campaign is being introduced to show that just by making those small changes in lifestyle they can have a big impact on a person s health. Ultimately our aim is to see levels of CVD reduce across the area. The #onething campaign started on February 13, with support from Warwickshire County Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. 4

5 A host of partners are working together to try and get people to think about just one thing (#onething) they could change in their lifestyle - it might be more exercise, eating more fruit, stopping smoking or even just eating brown bread instead of white! Recently, a health bus toured around various locations offering free mini health checks and the opportunity to make a pledge or to take part in a measured mile walk to encourage people to follow a walking path to cover one mile. Pledges can be made on social media sites including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the #onething, and at 5

6 dementia Can you imagine feeling ill, but being told your new symptoms and behaviour were a natural part of ageing? Can you imagine having a disease but struggling to access treatment or support to help you manage it? Can you imagine how confused and upset you would feel if nobody told you what was affecting your health and what treatment could be available? For many people with dementia this can be a reality. But an early diagnosis can help people and support. It means they, and their carers, can plan for the future more easily. Dementia can t be cured, but if it is detected early there are ways you can slow it down and maintain mental function. With the right support, lives. At the moment, only around half of the 670,000 people estimated to be living with dementia in England receive a formal diagnosis. This means they don t have the chance to understand what s happening to them, to access the right services or to plan for the future while they have capacity to do so. There are a number of reasons why a person may not get the diagnosis and information they need, including a lack of awareness and understanding of symptoms or inappropriate services available in their area. More information about symptoms and the importance of early diagnosis is available at If you re worried about someone you care about encourage them to talk to their GP. For more information about dementia services in your area and resources to help with training and understanding, visit 6

7 Staff from NHS Warwickshire North CCG have been out visiting local stroke groups in Nuneaton, Bedworth and North Warwickshire to gather their views and opinions about stroke services in the area. These local groups provide vital support services within the community and the CCG took the opportunity to speak with a number of stroke survivors to better understand how they access services in the area and were there changes that they would like to see. patients have a higher chance of survival and less chance of a long term disability. There are around 152,000 strokes each year which is more than If you know of anyone or you may have had a stroke yourself and require some advice or support, the Stroke Association can help, they provide local groups and offer support in a number of areas. More information is available on their website: Clinical Commissioning Groups, local hospitals and local authorities are collectively looking at the current stroke services and how they can be improved for patients across Coventry and Warwickshire. National clinical evidence says that by concentrating specialist stroke facilities, equipment and staff on one hospital site, Join us at the next As a Health Champion in the area you may want to attend one of the Governing Body meetings that are held by NHS Warwickshire North CCG. The next meeting is due to take place on Thursday 23rd July from 10.30am until 12.30pm at Nuneaton Town Hall, Nuneaton. Future meeting dates, venue and papers are all available on the CCG s website in the About Us section at 7

8 Do you know somebody who might be interested? Health Champions We would like to hear from anyone who might be interested in joining our Health Champions membership scheme. You can play a big or small part as it s up to you, and while there s no pressure or obligation to attend meetings, events or workshops we think you ll get more out of your membership if you join in! To join, visit the Get Involved section on our website We want to hear from you We value your views on local services and use the feedback we receive to help us make decisions about local health care. As a result of some feedback from community members we held a community health event at Chilvers Coton School in Nuneaton to address a range of health issues. These issues were highlighted by the Community Leaders in the area. This event was supported by the CCG, Public Health Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Warwickshire Race Equality Partnership, Abbey First Panel and Community Leaders from the area. We also heard about concerns in getting x-ray results back to GP s, the CCG challenged George Eliot Hospital about the time taken to report results and have worked with the trust to reduce delays. Another example of where your views have been taken on board was when the younger population in the area told us they would prefer to receive information through social media and online. As a result of this, we have promoted information through Twitter and developed a patient feedback survey that could be completed both online and in paper format. Everybody s views, experiences and knowledge can help to change things for the better. Please take a few minutes to complete our new improved patient survey at: In the Loop! To help us to get this newsletter to you and keep you updated on forthcoming events, if you haven t already done so please send us your name, postal address, telephone number and address to communications@ardencsu.nhs.uk Contact us: NHS Warwickshire North Clinical Commissioning Group, Room 1, Lewes House, Nuneaton CV10 7DJ Tel: contactus@warwickshirenorthccg.nhs.uk