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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North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups back World Antibiotics Awareness Week campaign

NHS Hambleton Richmondshire and Whitby, NHS Harrogate and Rural District and NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are backing a national campaign which aims to increase awareness of antibiotic resistance.

The campaign known as ‘World Antibiotics Awareness Week’ will run from 18 to 22 November targeting the general public, health workers and policy makers to improve awareness and understanding of antibiotic resistance through effective communications, education and training.

Speaking on behalf of the three clinical commissioning groups in North Yorkshire, Dr Tim Rider, GP Prescribing Lead, said: “Taking antibiotics inappropriately encourages harmful bacteria that live inside you to become resistant. That means that antibiotics may not work when you really need them. This puts you and your family at risk of a more severe or longer illness.

“If you or a family member has a cold or flu, antibiotics probably aren’t the answer, ask your pharmacist to recommend medicines to help with the symptoms or pain, they are experts in minor illnesses.

“Antibiotics are needed for serious bacterial infections such as sepsis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, meningococcal meningitis and sexually transmitted diseases. If you are worried you may have something more serious than a cold or flu, speak to your doctor who will be able to advise you on the best treatment option.”

With no new antibiotics developed in the last 30 years patients are encouraged only to take them if they need to. Taking them unnecessarily could make them less effective when fighting serious infections.

Without the effectiveness of antibiotics, routine operations like hip replacements, organ transplants and caesarean sections or chemotherapy treatments will become increasingly dangerous or impossible.

Patients can support the campaign by becoming an ‘Antibiotic Guardian’ at:  https://antibioticguardian.com/

More information on the campaign can be found on the World Health Organisation website: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-antibiotic-awareness-week

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Merger approved for three North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups

NHS England has approved the merger of three North Yorkshire clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The three CCGs – NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCG, NHS Harrogate and Rural District CCG and NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG – will become the North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group on 1 April 2020.

We welcome NHS England’s decision and the benefits it will bring to the people of North Yorkshire.

As a single organisation we will be able to:

  • Eliminate unnecessary duplication and bureaucratic boundaries to work more efficiently together and with our partners.
  • Ensure consistency of decision making for the people of North Yorkshire.
  • Develop a unified approach to relationships with the new North Yorkshire Primary Care Networks.
  • Provide a more agile and responsive service which maintains a local focus but enables us to obtain better value for money by commissioning at scale.
  • Reduce administrative costs to enable more investment in front line health services.
  • Share good practice and adopt the best from each of the three existing CCGs.
  • Speak as a unified commissioning voice for the benefit of our local population.
  • Work more strategically on a larger footprint with our local and regional partners.

This merger follows reviews carried out by each of the three North Yorkshire CCGs last year and builds on work already started to improve the way that the CCGs work together and deliver for local people. A single leadership team has already been appointed, following decisions by each CCG’s governing body in summer 2018, and we have already begun to look at how best to structure the new organisation.

Charles Parker, GP and Chair Designate of the North Yorkshire CCG said: “The North Yorkshire CCG will retain the existing commitment to strong clinical leadership and focus on the needs of local people, drawing in best practice from learning across North Yorkshire. The governance model we have developed will still allow there to be strong local leadership and patient engagement, ensuring each area of North Yorkshire will continue to have a strong clinical voice and patients’ views are represented.”

Amanda Bloor, Accountable Officer for the three North Yorkshire CCGs said: “A single commissioning voice will make it easier to reduce some of the health inequalities we see across the county and respond consistently to the needs our population. The merger also will enable us to work more efficiently and at scale freeing up resources to invest in front line health services.”

Work will continue in the months ahead with the community, staff and partners to further develop the North Yorkshire CCG before it begins operations on 1 April 2020. This will include beginning operations in shadow form from the beginning of the new year and developing our operational plan for our first year as well as longer term strategies to guide the work of the new organisation.

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