Open letter to GP patients in North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups

As a result of the current COVID-19 outbreak, primary care is facing unprecedented demands on its services. In addition, we are also facing substantial staffing shortages due to those needing to self-isolate in line with current guidance.

We understand that many people will be feeling anxious and uncertain in these challenging times.

In response to the pressures across healthcare the way in which primary care operates is changing to enable us to continue to provide services where they are most needed.  Practices will be working to minimise face-to-face contact with patients in order to:

  • reduce the risk of transmission of coronavirus;
  • to protect our most vulnerable patients and staff; and
  • enable clinicians to continue to care for those patients who need it most.

The vast majority of consultations will now be done via phone, e-consultations or video consultation.  Non-urgent work is being stopped or postponed until there is capacity to do so. Practices are working together as networks to manage this unprecedented demand.  Patients may find that they are assessed by a neighbouring practice if needed.

Clinicians will need to make case-by-case decisions based on their knowledge, experience and skills to determine whether it is safe to manage each patient without physically seeing them or whether, in some circumstances, they need to see a patient in person.

It is essential that each clinician is allowed to make the decision in the best interests of the patient, their family and also the staff looking after them under extremely difficult circumstances.

We would ask all patients to:

  • Follow the current government advice on self-isolation and social distancing. Advice is being kept under constant review and you can find the latest guidance here. www.nhs.uk/coronavirus. You do not need to contact your GP practice for permission to do this.
  • Use NHS111 if the first instance if you have COVID-19 symptoms and would like medical advice. Please use NHS111 online if you have access to the internet (https://111.nhs.uk/).  Phone NHS111 if you do not have online access.
  • Do not come to any GP practice unless you have been specifically advised to do so after a phone/video consultation with a clinician at your practice.
  • Order your medication as normal. Do not stockpile medication or request medication earlier than usual.
  • Do not request a sick note for any illness lasting 7 days or less or for any periods of self-isolation/social distancing.

As the Chief Medical Officer has stated, NHS services are likely to come under intense pressure as the coronavirus spreads, and we need to ensure that we have as many beds available as possible to care for patients with severe respiratory problems when the number of infections peaks.

Therefore, in line with well-established plans for situations like this, every hospital in England has now been asked to suspend all non-urgent elective operations from 15 April for at least three months, with some other procedures likely to be rescheduled before then so hospitals can train staff if needed and adapt certain areas.

Urgent and emergency cases and cancer treatments will be carrying on as normal, but we know many people waiting for treatment will be disappointed or worried. People who are affected will be contacted as soon as possible.

If you have been referred urgently to secondary care, including for suspected cancer, it is very important that you still attend these appointments. However, if you have symptoms of coronavirus or are self-isolating, please contact the relevant hospital department in advance via the telephone number on your appointment letter for their advice.

We would like to thank you for your patience and understanding at this time and as our response continues to evolve. We are fortunate to have an extremely dedicated and hard-working NHS workforce across North Yorkshire who are doing everything they can to help in this extremely challenging situation.

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Sign up for FREE suicide prevention training workshops in Scarborough

People are being encouraged to sign up for free suicide prevention training workshops in Scarborough next month as part of the #TalkSuicide campaign from local NHS and council organisations.

The Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership is hosting two workshops in Scarborough on Monday, 9th March 2020 at YMCA Building, St Thomas Street, Scarborough, YO11 1DY – and members of the public are invited to attend to learn life-saving skills.

These one-hour workshops, which will run between 9.30am-10.30am and 11am-12pm, are free to attend but it is essential to register beforehand. You can register at bit.ly/talksuicidescarbro.

There were 6,507 registered suicides in the UK in 2018 – which amounts to one death by suicide every 80 minutes. Yorkshire and Humber had some of the highest rates of suicide in England in 2018.

The suicide prevention workshops will be group training sessions, including interactive video-based training from the Zero Suicide Alliance and discussion with people who work in suicide prevention within our local community. Free refreshments will be available.

Completing the training at the workshop will help you to:

  • Identify the signs of when someone might be suffering from suicidal thoughts.
  • Feel comfortable speaking out about suicide in a supportive manner.
  • Signpost anyone suffering from suicidal thoughts to the correct services and support.

The workshops are part of the Partnership’s #TalkSuicide campaign, which aims to reduce the stigma around talking about suicide by raising awareness about suicide in our communities and encouraging our people to complete suicide prevention training.

Jo Kent, Suicide Prevention Lead for the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership, said: “Every death by suicide is a tragedy and in Humber, Coast and Vale we are working collaboratively with the NHS, councils, voluntary organisations and other groups to prevent suicides from happening in our communities.

“The suicide prevention training is integral to this work as those who complete the training can make a real difference in their communities, simply by being better placed to identify those people who might be suicidal, and knowing what to say to them and signposting them to the most appropriate services.

“We want to train as many people as possible in our communities so if you can spare an hour on the morning of Monday, 9th March please register for one of the free suicide prevention training workshops taking place in Scarborough – the skills you learn could help you save someone’s life in the future.”

Can’t attend either of the Scarborough workshops? Workshops are also being held in York, Beverley, Hull, Scunthorpe and Grimsby. Visit www.talksuicide.co.uk to find out when these workshops are taking place.

You can also complete the training on the talksuicide.co.uk website, where you can also find out more about the #TalkSuicide campaign.

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Medequip rolls out its mobile unit – and calls on people to help recycle community equipment

The provider of community equipment in York and North Yorkshire is rolling out its mobile exhibition unit – and appealing for people to return any unwanted crutches, walking frames or chair raisers.

Medequip, which provides equipment on
behalf of North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) and clinical commissioning
groups (CCGs) in the county, wants to take equipment that’s become surplus to
requirements and introduce it back into circulation.

Medequip’s North East Region General
Manager, Steve Smith, said: “The NHS loses hundreds of thousands of pounds
every year in the shape of crutches, walking sticks, bathroom aids – in short,
all sorts of equipment provided free of charge to help people after accidents
or to keep older people independent for longer.

“We are working with county council and
CCG colleagues to try to bring more of this much needed equipment back into
circulation. Most items only need a clean and a check over to be reissued to
someone else in need of support.”

On 19 March between 10am and 3pm,
Medequip will park its mobile exhibition unit at York Hospital – outside the
front entrance, next to the multi-storey car park. It will take equipment and
after a thorough deep clean, will make sure it gets back into circulation.

It’s the latest in a recent community
equipment “amnesty” launched by Medequip and commissioners and is part of a
wider Return, Recycle, Reuse campaign in North Yorkshire.

Dr Charles Parker, the Clinical Chair
Designate for North Yorkshire CCGs, said: “It’s a fact that most people don’t
intend to keep hold of this equipment. In many cases, they’re simply not aware
of how to return it. Maybe they’ve mislaid the details, or maybe they have all
good intentions to do so and the time has just slipped by.

“If you’ve got items languishing in
your garage, cupboard, shed or attic, here’s your chance to do your bit for the
NHS and local council.”

There are other ways people can return
equipment that’s on loan from Medequip and no longer needed.

There are Medequip drop-off points at
Dunslow Court, Eastfield near Scarborough and Manse Lane in Knaresborough and
amnesty bins at The Archways in York and York District Hospital, the OT
department at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton and Yorwaste’s household
waste recycling centre at Pennypot Lane in Harrogate.

Medequip will also pick up
some items for free – call 01423 226240 or email north.yorks@medequip-uk.com

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CCGs support ‘Wake Up North Yorkshire’ campaign

North Yorkshire’s Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have backed a North Yorkshire campaign aimed at changing drinking culture and the harm caused by alcohol.

Launched by North Yorkshire County Council, the Wake Up North Yorkshire campaign has been developed after research with residents found that more than 40 per cent of 1,000 people who responded to a survey said they drank more than the chief medical officer’s guideline amount for ‘safer’ drinking.

That’s regularly more than six glasses of wine or pints of beer a week, and/or regularly more than three glasses of wine/pints (for women) or four glasses of wine/pints (for men) on any single occasion.

Dr Charles Parker, Clinical Chair Designate for the new North Yorkshire CCG, said: “Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can lead to a number of medical conditions which require ongoing care and treatment and in some cases result in admission to hospital.

“The good news is that most of the North Yorkshire residents who said they drank more than the safer guidelines are already reducing their drinking, or thinking about doing so in the future.”

For patients in the county who want to reduce the amount of alcohol they consume, there’s lots of help available – search ‘alcohol support’ on the NHS website or go to www.wakeupnorthyorkshire.co.uk.

The Wake Up North Yorkshire campaign features short videos from North Yorkshire residents talking about how they cut down their alcohol intake, as well as posters, leaflets and social media graphics.

It will run until September this year.

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