Work starts on improvements to specialist community mental health services for new and expectant mums

Published on Oct 1, 2018

Mental health services for new and expectant mums in the Humber region and parts of Yorkshire are expanding this autumn using an NHS cash injection worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Having secured part of a £23 million NHS England grant earlier this year, the Humber Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership – an alliance of more than 20 healthcare organisations, Local Authorities and Voluntary Sector organisations – will work together to deliver perinatal mental health services across Hull, East Riding, North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, Scarborough and Ryedale, and York.

From 1 October, the services will extend to ensure women who experience complex mental health needs, as well as their families receive the support they need and have access to treatments at the earliest possible stage.

Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust is strengthening its specialist community perinatal mental health services in Hull and East Riding, whilst working collaboratively with NAViGO and Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust to implement a new service for the North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire areas.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust will provide new, much needed community perinatal mental health services across the Vale of York and Scarborough.

Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive and the Mental Health Partnership Lead, Michele Moran said: “We are delighted to have started work on improvements to a much needed service to the Yorkshire, Humber and North Lincolnshire regions.

“So many new and expectant mothers experience mental health problems and we’re proud to work with our partners to extend the perinatal service into underserved areas and hopefully help hundreds of women and their families.”

The funding granted is part of a £365 million plan to ensure 30,000 more women can access specialist perinatal services by 2021.

Michelle Thompson, Assistant Director for Women’s and Children’s services for North East Lincolnshire CCG and the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership Lead said: “Having a baby is a major life event for mums and dads, and it’s natural to experience a whole range of emotions and reactions during and after pregnancy.

“But if these problems start to have a big impact on day to day life, it might be a sign of a mental health problem and this service will provide some much needed specialist support for local families who are experiencing difficulties during or after the birth of their child.”

Read More

New service provider for minor eye conditions in Scarborough and Ryedale

Published on Sep 26, 2018

A new service provider has been announced to deliver a Minor Eye Conditions Service (MECS) across Scarborough, Ryedale and the Vale of York.

Healthcare Business Solutions UK has been announced as the new provider as a result of a recent formal procurement process.

NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will be working with the new provider to help mobilise the new service beginning on 1 December 2018.

Both NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG and Vale of York CCG will deliver the MECS from community optician practices in their area meaning many patients will be seen closer to home rather than if they were referred into the hospital eye service.

The service will assess and treat a wide range of conditions, including: ocular pain and irritation, blurred vision, or flashes and floaters.

Scarborough Medical Group GP and NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG Associate Chairman, Dr Peter Billingsley, said: “When suffering from minor eye conditions it is important you are seen by the right healthcare professional depending on your condition, as well as being able to access the service closer to home and at a convenient time.

“The demand on GPs is currently very high and making sure patients are referred to the correct healthcare professional first time is only going to benefit local practices and hospital services.”

Patients will be seen by an optometrist with additional accreditation in minor eye conditions, within 24 or 48 hours depending of the urgency of the symptoms, so that many patients will be seen sooner than if they made an appointment to see their GP or were referred into the hospital eye service.

Read More

Mums and dads urged to take up flu vaccination offer for their children

Published on Sep 18, 2018

Mums and dads in Scarborough and Ryedale are being urged to get their child vaccinated against the flu.

The vaccine is free for the majority of children aged two and three years old, primary school age children and youngsters with a health condition that puts them at greater risk from flu.

The annual vaccination programme in schools in our area is being delivered by nurses from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s Childhood Immunisation Team.

Parents are being reminded to complete the online consent form for their child, available at www.hdft.nhs.uk/flu-consent or complete the paper form circulated by some schools.

The online consent form is easy to fill in and will take around 10 minutes. Parents will be prompted to type in their child’s school code, provided on the website and can also read a range of Frequently Asked Questions about the nasal flu vaccine.

For children aged two and three, the vaccine is available at their local GP practice.

Dr Greg Black, Governing Body member and Medicines Lead for NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “Flu can be a very unpleasant illness in children causing fever, stuffy nose, dry cough, sore throat, aching muscles and joints, and extreme tiredness. This can last several days or more and in many cases will lead to a parent having to take time off work to look after their poorly child.

“Some children can get a very high fever, sometimes without the usual flu symptoms, and may need to go to hospital for treatment. Children under the age of five have the highest rate of hospital admissions due to flu. Serious complications of flu include a painful ear infection, acute bronchitis, and pneumonia.

“The nasal vaccine provided through the schools vaccination programme offers good protection against flu, particularly in young children. It also reduces the risk of a child passing on the virus to a more vulnerable member of their family, such as a baby brother or sister who is too young to be vaccinated, or elderly relative who is at greater risk from complications caused by the flu.

“This particular flu vaccination has been given to millions of children worldwide and is the single most effective protection against flu we have.”

Meanwhile, in a series of films for social media – also available to watch at www.hdft.nhs.uk/flu-consent – children from North Yorkshire have been giving their opinions about the nasal flu spray and why it’s important to have it. Youngsters Maisie, Jude, Reggie, Oliver and Noah remarked how “it tickles”, “it goes up a nose hole” and how “it protects my grandma”.

Lois Alderson, Clinical Lead for Childhood Immunisations in North Yorkshire said: “We had a lot of fun talking with our five youngsters and finding out what they thought about the nasal flu spray.

“As nurses we know the benefits of having the vaccine and we know parents do too. But we thought it would be interesting to see what some of the young people actually receiving the vaccine thought about it and if they understood why it was so important.

“And even if one child thought it would protect the moon too, it was great to see they knew why it was important and what the benefits were of having it.”

You can also watch each film here:

Maisie: https://youtu.be/Ts_4QU8r7x8

Reggie: https://youtu.be/mscrFf8vAFo

Jude: https://youtu.be/rRE2IK3QBPQ

Oliver: https://youtu.be/1DKuMFDTre0

Noah: https://youtu.be/ngu2pbd08QI

Read More

Commissioners welcome results of 360 Degree Survey

Published on Aug 31, 2018

NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has welcomed the results of a national survey which show a high level of confidence in decision-making, leadership and engagement.

The 360 Degree survey, conducted by pollsters Ipsos Mori on behalf of NHS England, was completed by 27 key stakeholders in our area including patient groups, local GP practices, NHS providers, other CCGs and local councils.

Among the findings:-

93 per cent of stakeholders rated the effectiveness of their working relationship with the CCG as very or fairly good, compared to 76 per cent nationally

70 per cent of stakeholders had confidence in the CCG to commission and decommission services appropriately (the national average is 57 per cent)

89 per cent of stakeholders said there was clear and visible leadership of the CCG (compared to 69 per cent nationally) and they have confidence in the leadership to deliver on plans and priorities

81 per cent of respondents said they had confidence in the CCG to act on feedback it receives about quality of services (nationally it’s 64 per cent)

85 per cent of stakeholders said they knew about CCG plans and priorities, compared to 78 per cent nationally, with 70 per cent saying when they had commented on those plans and priorities, their views were considered even if the CCG had not been able to act on them (national average is 53 per cent)

70 per cent of stakeholders said they were very or fairly satisfied with how the CCG involves patients and the public, compared to 64 per cent nationally

NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG Chairman, Dr Phil Garnett, said: “We rely on strong relationships with a range of health and care partners to be successful commissioners and make good decisions.

“The results of the survey show, by and large, we have those in place and we are good at working collaboratively to address local health and care challenges and engaging and communicating with patients and the public.”

Read More