Posts by Tim Readman
Save the Date for Annual General Meeting
Members of the public are invited to NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 24 July.
The event will be hosted at The Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough from 6.15pm.
The meeting will include updates from members of the CCG’s Governing Body reflecting on progress over the last year. Current financial challenges faced by the NHS and projects on the horizon will also be discussed.
Amanda Bloor, Single Accountable Officer for the three North Yorkshire CCGs, said: “The AGM is not only a good source of information but a brilliant way to interact with patients on a more personal level.
“It helps us reflect on the challenges we have faced over the last year and showcase the successes we have had.”
The AGM is open to everyone, but if you intend to come along, please email SCRCCG.enquiries@nhs.net – refreshments will be available from 6pm for anyone attending.
Questions can also be submitted beforehand and should be sent to: Executive Assistant, NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG, Scarborough Town Hall – York House, St Nicholas Street, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO11 2HG or emailed to scrccg.enquiries@nhs.net no later than Monday 15 July.
If you want to attend and you have a disability, such as a hearing impairment, do get in touch and we can put measures in place to make sure you are able to fully participate.
Read MoreAutism Assessment service for children and young people
A specialist mental health care provider
is set to take on autism assessments for children and young people in
Scarborough and Ryedale.
The Retreat will take over Autism Spectrum Condition Diagnostic
Assessments for children and young people from school age up to their 18th
birthday.
The
Retreat specialises in providing high quality, effective and personalised
Autism and ADHD services to adults, children and young people across the North
of England.
Families
will receive more information about the new service – which will see
face-to-face appointments available in Scarborough and York, as well as
innovative virtual consultations – in letters being sent out this week.
Dr
Peter Billingsley, NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group’s
Associate Chair and the lead for mental health services in North Yorkshire,
said: “I am delighted we’ve been able to secure the services of The Retreat and
their partners, Healios, for autism assessments.
“The
Retreat has a reputation for excellence and will bring a level of experience
and expertise to the table that we believe will significantly enhance these
services for children and young people and lead to reduced waiting times and a
speedier diagnosis.”
Dr Kim
Bevan, Chief Officer (Clinical Services) at The Retreat, said: “We’re really
looking forward to working with families, children and young people from the
Scarborough and Ryedale area and this is great news for those people who need
our support.
“Here
at The Retreat we already assess, diagnose and support many people who are on
the autism spectrum. Our team of clinicians and health professionals achieve
excellent outcomes for these people and the feedback is extremely good.
“We
seek to fully understand each person and enable them to live a life that is
meaningful to them.
“We
will also be making good use of our dedicated virtual consultation service and
working with other digital consultation providers to ensure everyone who needs
it can access our service, wherever they live.”
The
service will involve diagnosing children who have not already been diagnosed,
in line with NICE guidance.
As
part of the service, the expert team at The Retreat will also be providing advice
to other professionals, including teachers, about whether to refer children and
young people for autism assessment.
York
Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which previously provided behavioural
services in Scarborough and Ryedale, had been working with the CCG to identify
new providers after it decided it was no longer able to offer these specialist services.
Although the Trust
stopped accepting new referrals for autism and ADHD assessments in May, wider Community
Paediatric and Children’s Therapy services are unaffected by these changes and continue
to be provided by the Trust at Scarborough Hospital.
Patients who require general information or
advice about autism can visit the NHS website: www.nhs.uk
New website to be launched to help young people access mental health services in North Yorkshire
A
new website is set to be launched this autumn, dedicated to helping children
and young people find mental health support in North Yorkshire.
The
new website will be a portal or ‘single point of information’ for the many
mental health support services offered by different agencies in the county.
It
is being developed by NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCG on behalf of
North Yorkshire County Council and neighbouring CCGs (NHS Airedale, Wharfedale
and Craven CCG, NHS Harrogate and Rural District CCG, NHS Scarborough and
Ryedale CCG and NHS Vale of York CCG) and will promote services within the
existing North Yorkshire County Council boundary.
Young
people from North Yorkshire Young Minds Combined – a group made up of
representatives from the City of York Youth Council, The North Yorkshire Youth
Commission, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s NHS Youth Forum, Show
Me That I Matter (York’s Children in Care Council) and the North Yorkshire
Youth Voice Executive – are also helping to design the new website and will
decide on what it is called.
It’s
thought around one in three young people suffer mental health troubles. North
Yorkshire County Council and clinical commissioning groups in York and North
Yorkshire are committed to supporting young people and young people’s mental
health.
County
Councillor Janet Sanderson, Executive Member for the Children and Young
People’s Service, said: “Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of North
Yorkshire’s young people is a priority for our services. We therefore welcome
this initiative and the fact young people themselves will be involved in the
design and the name of the website.”
NHS
Scarborough and Ryedale CCG Associate Chair and the clinical lead for mental
health in North Yorkshire, Dr Peter Billingsley, said: “Mental health services
for children and young people are delivered by a range of different organisations
in North Yorkshire and York. We know it can sometimes be difficult for a young
person to find the right help.
“This
website will signpost a young person to the most appropriate support and will
have lots of useful tips and information to help a young person cope with
stress or anxiety.”
Jason
Parkinson, Chair of the North Yorkshire Youth Voice Executive, added: “Having
suffered myself and known many other young people who have suffered with mental
health issues, I know how hard it can be to find the right support in the vast
web of different services available for young people.
“This
website will offer an accessible way for young people to find the right support
for themselves and their own needs without having to go through endless
referrals and conflicting advice.”
As well as help and advice for young people, the
new website – due to be launched in September – will have resources to support
parents and carers. It will also contain a section for GPs and other
professionals who work with children and young people.
3 North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups announce appointments to strategic leadership team
The three North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCG, NHS Harrogate and Rural District CCG and NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG, today announce two appointments to their shared senior leadership team.
Wendy Balmain has joined the team as Director of Strategy and Integration. Wendy previously served as Director of Transformation and Delivery for Harrogate and Rural District CCG where she was responsible for delivering health care commissioning for the CCG and led work to integrate community and adult social care services. Wendy brings extensive experience across health and social care both at a national and local level to her new role. As Director of Strategy and Integration she will be responsible for primary care transformation and commissioning, including implementation of primary care networks, and will work closely with partners across North Yorkshire to expand integrated service models.
Simon Cox has been appointed permanent Director of Acute Commissioning. Simon has been serving in this role temporarily since January 2019. Prior to this he served as Chief Officer of NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG. Simon started his career as a practitioner in operating theatres in Leeds General Infirmary and brings thirty years of NHS experience to his new role. As Director of Acute Commissioning he will oversee the relationship with acute providers across the three North Yorkshire CCGs including commissioning and performance. He will also support transformation and service redesign initiatives ensuring that acute care best serves the needs of North Yorkshire.
Both Wendy and Simon have commenced in their new roles. Amanda Bloor, Accountable Officer for the North Yorkshire CCGs, said: “I am delighted that we have secured such talented senior leaders to work alongside me as we transform the way we deliver for the people of North Yorkshire.
“Wendy and Simon are the first directors to join the team which will provide strategic leadership for the three North Yorkshire CCGs, replacing director positions which were previously replicated across the CCGs. This ‘scaled up’ approach will enable us to work strategically with our partners as well as achieve consistent decision making across North Yorkshire for the people we serve.
“Both Wendy and Simon bring a wealth of health care and leadership experience and decades of public service to their new roles. They are committed to retaining the local focus of our work, delivering for local people, while enabling us to share good practice across North Yorkshire. This will enable us to make the most of our combined resources and contribute to better health outcomes for our community.”
In September 2018 the three CCGs’ Governing Bodies voted to introduce a shared senior leadership team across the three organisations. Recruitment is under way for three remaining positions on the new team: Director of Vulnerable People, Director of Corporate service, Governance and Performance and Chief Nurse. Announcements will be made once appointments have taken place.
For further information contact the Communications Team at hardccg.media-enquiries@nhs.net or 01423 799300.
Read MoreBehavioural services in Scarborough – statement
Following extensive clinical and
managerial discussions between York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and
NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) regarding
children and young people’s behavioural services in Scarborough, the Trust made
the decision that it is no longer the appropriate provider for this specialist
service.
In December 2018 the Trust informed the
CCG of this decision and supported the CCG in identifying alternative
specialist mental health providers for these services.
These providers have now
been lined up by NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG and families will be written
to and informed of the new arrangements for their child as soon as contract
arrangements have been finalised.
A small number of
children will be referred back to their GP to discuss future care options.
The behavioural
services included in the new provision will include children and young people’s
autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnostic
assessments, as well as referrals for behavioural problems where there may also
be health concerns to be addressed. These services will continue to be provided
in Scarborough.
The majority of Community
Paediatric and Children’s Therapy services provided by York Teaching Hospital
NHS Foundation Trust are unaffected by these changes and will continue to be
provided in Scarborough.
Dr Peter Billingsley, NHS
Scarborough and Ryedale CCG Associate Chair, said: “The decision of our local
Trust has given us an opportunity to bring forward plans for developing more
specialist and tailored services for some of our most vulnerable children and
their families, and we will continue to do this over the coming year in
partnership with North Yorkshire County Council and others.
“Ultimately, our
ambition is to reduce waiting times and speed up diagnosis so we can help more
families in Scarborough and Ryedale.
“The Trust is working
closely and very positively with the CCG and the new providers to minimise
disruption and make sure all of the children who are on the caseload now, and
who have been referred in more recently, will be transferred safely and
communications will be going out to all those families over the next couple of
weeks.”
Across North
Yorkshire, clinical commissioning groups are facing similar issues and over the
next 12 months the CCGs will be working together to review all behavioural
service models, alongside partners including GPs, the local authority, children
and their families to see how services can work better together to develop a
robust and sustainable model and reduce the waiting times for these behaviour
services going forward.
In the meantime
children and their families should continue to access health services through
their GP as required, and if parents and families require information or advice
they are requested to visit the NHS website when seeking assistance in
addressing behaviour concerns at https://www.nhs.uk/
Parents, families or
carers can access North Yorkshire County Council services for advice,
information and support which includes the Healthy Child Programme (Health
Visitors and School Nurses) by visiting the websites below for details:
- www.northyorks.gov.uk/our-partners-and-commissioned-services
- http://cyps.northyorks.gov.uk/autism
- www.northyorks.gov.uk/send-specialist-support-and-inclusion
There are also a
number of charities which provide useful information and support around
children’s behaviour issues:
- www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk/
- www.autism.org.uk
- www.nipinthebud.org/child-mental-health-conditions/recognising-adhd
If there are any other identified health needs or concerns then families should contact their GP for advice, support and onward referral as required to other core health services which can address these health needs.
Read More