Newsletter

May 2019

Maternity Network news

Evidence shows hard work is saving babies' lives The maternity team has launched two new clinical guidelines to improve safety – building on early signs  that our  work has helped to save babies’ lives. This follows a period when progress appeared to have stalled. The North West Fetal Growth Restriction and GMEC Reduced Fetal Movements clinical guidelines will enable people to be provided with the best care during pregnancy and support the work of the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle – NHS England’s programme to improve maternity safety. The guidelines were launched at the Networks’ first Saving Babies Lives Awareness week at the University of Bolton Stadium in March, which was attended by more than 100 people, including obstetric, midwifery and other professionals. Latest maternity figures show there were 17 fewer stillbirths in 2018 than 2017, and 32 fewer stillbirths in 2018 than in 2015. Many of the improvements are being driven by Saving Babies’ Lives Champion midwives, who each have a comprehensive action plan to address how their own maternity unit is going to meet the requirements of the bundle. Incredible Karen Bancroft, Clinical lead for the Maternity Network, said: "All of these committed individuals have dedicated time and enthusiasm to influence and drive improvement across Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire and within their own organisations. "The Saving Babies Lives Champions were particulary enthusiastic when we held our first Saving Babies Lives Awareness Week - the activity on Twitter to promote the launch of Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle version 2 as well as publicising their progress in their own units got quite competitive!" Eileen Stringer, the Maternity Network's Clinical Lead midwife, added: "We meet with our Champion midwives regularly, enabling them to share knowledge, expertise, successes and lessons learned with each other. Their passion and drive to break through barriers and make a difference to families is truly incredible." All of this work enables the maternity teams to improve practice, based on the best available evidence, giving excellent care to women and their babies in Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire. The guidelines can be found on the GMEC SCN website's Maternity page, or by clicking on the link below. Photo above: A mother with her new baby at Manchester North General Hospital.   View guidelines

End of Life and Palliative Care Network news

Marking Dying Matters Awareness Week

The End of Life and Palliative Care team – together with health and care organisations across Greater Manchester - marked Dying Matters Awareness Week with a series of events.

This year’s campaign theme was ‘Are we ready?’, and aimed to get people to be more active in planning for dying and death and helping support those who may need it in times of grief and bereavement.

Dozens of people got involved in the events held in Greater Manchester, between May 13and 19.

At the head office of the SCNs and GMHSC Partnership in central Manchester, the End of Life and Palliative Care team set-up an information stall, encouraging staff to think about the subject.

Some of the other events held by healthcare organisations in the region included:

• A ‘Death Café’ at Manchester Foundation Trust Hospital, in Withington, including bucket list-making and decorate your own coffin sessions
• A Dying Matters Doodle across Northern Care Alliance’s venues, including Fairfield Hospital, Bury, and the Royal Oldham Hospital, inviting staff to create a ‘doodle’ around the theme of Dying Matters, with the sketches being exhibited
• An event held by Healthwatch Bolton, with four workshops on topics such as supporting children during bereavement and power of attorney, wills and estates.

Dr Dave Waterman, the Networks' End of Life and Palliative Care clinical lead, said: “These events have hopefully influenced people to talk about death and dying and take action to make sure their end of life care, or what they would like to happen to them after their death, is what they would have wished for.”

The SCNs are one of 30,000 members of the national Dying Matters Coalition, all of whom have an interest in supporting the changing knowledge, attitudes and behaviors towards dying, death and bereavement.

Mental Health Network news

Awareness campaign set to launch Our Mental Health network team supported this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which ran from May 13-19.   This year’s theme was ‘Body Image’ and during the week the campaign raised awareness of the links between mental health and body image.   The Mental Health Foundation, which hosts the campaign, released findings of a survey that depicted how people across the UK feel about their bodies.   Our network team aims to improve services for people in Greater Manchester by identifying areas for improvement, reducing variation in the quality of services, promoting a clinical voice in the shaping of services and working with partners across the city region.   The team supported the campaign on social media and green ribbons were sold from the team's office at 3 Piccadilly Place to raise awareness and funds.

Dementia news

Greater Manchester World Delirium Awareness Day Event - One Year On

A second event was held in Greater Manchester to mark World Delirium Awareness Day and raise the profile of this serious and common problem.

Despite being associated with poor longer-term outcomes, including death and entering long-term care, delirium remains disproportionately ignored, especially for those living with dementia, and poor recognition remains the greatest obstacle to improved care.

With this in mind, and following on from the success of last year’s event, Dementia United (DU) and the Network’s Dementia Team was pleased to welcome 77 members of the public and professionals from all 10 Greater Manchester localities for another awareness event at North Manchester General Hospital.

The day was opened by Anthony Hassall, DU Senior Responsible Officer and Salford CCG Chief Accountable Officer, with a video clip from Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, highlighting the importance of delirium and the great work that has been taking place in Greater Manchester - you can watch the video on Twitter.

Speakers from Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, North West Ambulance Service and the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire Patient Safety Collaborative also provided their professional and personal perspectives of delirium. Guests heard about the Stockport Mental Health Liaison Service for Older People which offers the Saffron triage ward that provides beds for patients in Stepping Hill Hospital and the community who have delirium and no longer require acute medical care but have yet to return to baseline, as well as delirium e-learning for North West Ambulance Service staff, which was launched on the day. 

Lively panel discussions emphasised the importance of collaborative and person-centred working to prevent, identify and manage delirium well.

You can still view social media coverage from the event.

Photo above: Care for the Elderly MFT team makes its delirium pledge at the World Delirium Awareness Event.

Watch Matt Hancock's video

View social media 

Diabetes Network news

Spreading the word about prevention

The Diabetes Network team supported Diabetes Prevention Week this year by promoting the campaign to colleagues across GM and circulating prevention information packs to stakeholders in all localities.

The Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP) is a joint commitment from NHS England, Public Health England and Diabetes UK.  Run by NHS England Diabetes Prevention Programme, the campaign promotes the Healthier You programme, which identifies those at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and refers them onto a behaviour change programme.

Promotional packs were also sent to GP practices and Denise Booth from the team raised awareness with GMHSC Partnership colleagues and visitors throughout prevention week. The team is also discussing how the prevention programme links with the objectives of the GM Clinical Best Practice Strategy, published in 2018, and efforts to improve education for people living with diabetes.

The team is also leading on the development the NHSE Test Beds funded Diabetes My Way project, a new digital innovation to provide learning opportunities and support people living with T2D to self-manage their condition.   

The SCN, the University of Manchester and five commercial partners are working to establish the platform to give people living with T2D access to their own diabetes care record data, advice, resources, and accredited education. Also on offer will be personalised lifestyle, dietician and cognitive support through innovative digital applications. The launch of Diabetes My Way is planned for this summer.

Farewell Maqsood!

The SCNs sadly said goodbye recently to Maqsood Ahmad, who has left after being an important member of the team for over five years. Maqsood, who left to take up a new role as Chief Executive Officer for the British Muslim Heritage Centre in Manchester, was a senior manager with the networks from April 2013, with responsibility for mental health, dementia and patients, carers and public engagement. He received the honour of an OBE from Her Majesty the Queen in December 2010 and was awarded the Equality and Diversity Ambassador of the Year Award in 2009 by the Home Office. His humour and snazzy dress sense will be missed by many people at the SCNs and the GMHSC Partnership.