Welcome to NHS Sefton’s first update of 2011. This bulletin is designed to keep you informed of our latest news and developments. We hope you find it of interest and we welcome any comments you may have. Please use the contact details at the bottom of the bulletin to get in touch.
Welcome back Paul At the start of the year NHS Sefton welcomed back Paul Acres as Chair of the primary care trust. Paul has been away from NHS Sefton since August due to illness. Frances Street has been carrying out the role of Interim Chair in Paul’s absence. NHS Sefton thanks Frances for her work and commitment during this time. Her robust leadership has ensured the continued smooth running of the primary care trust at a challenging time. Frances has been appointed Chairman of the new Community Health Trust in Wirral. The Trust is operating in shadow and will function as an entirely separate organisation from the primary care trust from 1st April.
Update on NHS reforms
At the end of 2010, two key documents were published paving the way for the reforms outlined in the White Paper for Health, ’Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’. On 15th December, the government released its response to the public consultation about the white paper. As a result of the 6,000 responses, the government has refined its plans including the extension of councils’ formal scrutiny powers to cover all NHS funded services, and giving them greater freedom in how these are exercised. GP consortia are expected to be the commissioners of maternity services, and not the NHS Commissioning Board as the government had originally planned. A health and social care bill is expected before parliament early in the year that will signal the implementation of the reforms. Key actions to support NHS organisations during the transitional period have been set out in the Operating Framework 2011-2012, released on the same day as the consultation response. It gives more detailed timescales for the transition, including the ‘clustering’ of primary care trusts by June 2011 and greater support for emerging GP consortia to ensure they are ready to take over their responsibilities in April 2013. The first Outcomes Framework for the NHS was also published in December, setting out 50 indicators in five key domains around patient safety and clinical quality.
Have your say on NHS reforms
There are a number of consultations taking place associated with the planned reforms. If you would like to contribute to a local response, email NHS Sefton with your views whitepaperconsultation@sefton.nhs.uk
• White paper for public health, ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People’ – deadline
8th March
• Public health outcomes framework – deadline 31st March
• Funding and commissioning routes for public health – deadline 31st March
• Developing the NHS workforce – 31st March
The consultation documents can be viewed via the NHS Sefton website
www.sefton.nhs.uk or the Department of Health’s (DH’s) website www.dh.gov.uk
Please respond directly to the DH with your comments for the three following consultations which close shortly:
• Cancer Drugs Fund – deadline 19th January
• Greater Choice and Control – deadline 14th January
• An Information Revolution - deadline 14th January
Are you protected against seasonal flu?
There is still time for eligible Sefton residents to get protected against seasonal flu by having their annual vaccination. This year’s vaccine protects against three types of flu, including H1N1. Cases of seasonal flu are at their height during the winter months, which provide the perfect conditions for the illness to take hold. Flu can be extremely serious for those with conditions like asthma, diabetes and heart disease, those over 65 years and pregnant women. The annual vaccination is the best way to protect people against the effects of flu. By getting immunised, people are also protecting those around them from the illness too. Anyone who thinks they are eligible for a flu jab should speak to their GP surgery.
Preventing winter illnesses
There are some easy precautions we can all take to help ward off winter bugs, such as flu, colds and the winter vomiting illness, norovirus. Good hand hygiene is essential, especially at this time of year. Regular washing of surfaces, including door handles can also help to stop the spread of infection. The following simple three step approach can also really help to banish bugs – ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ -use a tissue when you’ve got a runny nose, bin it immediately and then give your hands a thorough wash to prevent germs spreading.
Improving children’s services in north Sefton
A survey of parents was carried out at the end of 2010 that will inform work to improve children’s services for minor illnesses and injuries, long term conditions and complex disabilities. The Patient and Public Involvement Team spoke to families in Children’s Centres, clinics, GP practices and at the Children’s Accident and Emergency department at Ormskirk Hospital. Families and carers were asked to complete a questionnaire, asking for their views about current services and how they can be improved in the future. The results of the survey were further explored in a focus group. All the information gathered will be used to help develop alternative options to a children’s walk-in centre, plans for which were found not to be clinically safe or clinically viable in a report by two of the country’s leading experts in child medicine. Possible alternative options will be presented to the NHS
Sefton Board for consideration in February.
New Year, new you Keeping your New Year resolution is easier with help support from our Healthy Sefton service. In January, there are a number of free weight management courses running in venues across the borough for anyone who feels they have overindulged over the festive period. Those wanting to quit smoking can get help from SUPPORT, NHS Sefton’s stop smoking service. Healthy Sefton can put people in contact with these services and many more for a healthier 2011. Others include Active Sefton, alcohol advice, lifestyle checks, Chlamydia screening and a range of wellbeing support. Healthy Sefton also offers advice to health professionals on services that their patients can access. Contact Healthy Sefton on 0300 100 1000 to find out about services near to where you live.
Changes to Looking Local on Sky
Now it is even easier for Sky subscribers to access our ‘Looking Local’ health TV service. Visit channel 539 and press the red button for a wealth of information about staying healthy in Sefton. Users can book appointments at some local GP practices, find out about health conditions and view pages from Transport Direct, JobCentre Plus, NHS Choices and Sefton’s Family Information Directory. NHS
Sefton was the first primary care trust to have a Looking Local site after seeing how many councils use it to provide information to the thousands of people who do not have internet at home. Looking Local is available on Virgin Media and many other interactive digital TV services by pressing the interactive button on your remote. The service can also be accessed on web-enabled phones by visiting www.lookinglocal.gov.uk/nhssefton Looking Local can be downloaded via a free app for iPhones.
Meet the NHS Sefton Board
Your questions and queries about local health services can be put to the NHS Sefton Board and Executive Team at our bi-monthly stakeholder lunch. The next event takes place on 3rd February at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre. The event is also an opportunity to hear about the latest developments across NHS Sefton. It begins at 12.30pm before the formal meeting of the Board gets underway an hour later. If you would like to come along to the stakeholder lunch, please contact Nicole Jones on 0151 247 7041 or email Nicole.jones@sefton.nhs.uk to confirm your attendance.
If you have any queries about any aspect of your health or health services call PALS,
Sefton’s dedicated Patient Advice and Liaison Service, on 0800 218 2333 Our website www.sefton.nhs.uk contains a wealth of information about local community health services, along with advice about improving your health and wellbeing Looking Local is our digital TV health information service for Sefton. Virgin Media and many interactive cable and digital TV viewers can access Looking Local by pressing the ‘interactive’ button. On Sky, go to channel 539 and press the red button. Access Looking Local online or via a web-enabled mobile phone at www.lookinglocal.gov.uk/nhssefton
Download a free Looking Local app for your iPhone
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