While the Covid-19 crisis continues, the children and young people team is focusing on its work to improve services while supporting clinicians in their response to the pandemic.
Two existing projects, Digibete and the GM Asthma app are progressing well.
Digibete is being progressed by the GMEC SCNs’ Diabetes Network and is an online platform for children and young people, giving them information and support to help them manage their type 1 diabetes. This includes remote consultations to help service users while Covid-19 restrictions are in place. The SCNs are also working with the North West Coast Clinical Networks to develop this across the whole region.
There has been an excellent uptake of the resource by clinics across Greater Manchester.
The GM Asthma app is under development and will support children and young people with the condition, initially in Manchester. The project board is continuing to meet with its partner, Tiny Medical, with a launch of the pilot within the next few months, but this is very much dependent upon Covid-19 pressures upon our clinical services.
The network, the clinical community and wider partners are also continuing to work together to identify and respond to issues that have arisen either directly or indirectly because of Covid-19.
The digital bed bureau which was launched at the beginning of the pandemic has been developed further in response to the data needs of the clinical community. It is a source of rich data that provides a real-time view of bed and workforce pressures in paediatric general wards.
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People in Greater Manchester are being reminded of the importance of checking what their risk is of developing Type 2 diabetes (T2D).
During lockdown, some people may not have been able to get out and exercise as much as usual and have put on weight.
And their health may be affected more than they think - especially when it comes to developing T2D.
Anyone can develop T2D, but you could be more likely to if you:
- are over 40, or over 25 if you're black or south Asian
- have a close relative with T2D
- are overweight
- have had polycystic ovarian syndrome, gestational diabetes, or given birth to a baby over 10 pounds
Healthier You is a free NHS programme supporting people to make small lifestyle changes. Participants are taking control of their health - losing weight, sleeping better and feeling less stressed - while at the same time reducing their risk of developing T2D.
People can go online and check their likelihood of developing T2D here. If they are at risk, they will be directed to join the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, which is led by the SCNs’ diabetes team in GM.
You can help us raise awareness of Healthier You, by downloading one of the social media graphics below and pasting the picture onto your social media with the accompanying message.
Image 1:
Almost 2 million people in the UK have taken this test to discover whether they are likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
If you are at risk you can join the Healthier You National Diabetes Prevention Programme for free support.
Find out your risk at https://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk/start
Image 2:
People of South Asian descent and Black Caribbean or Black African descent are up to 4 times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
That’s why it’s really important that you find out if you are at risk.
Find out your risk at https://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk/start
The Dementia Network was involved with a successful Christmas event which was streamed through Greater Moments, the newly-launched app for people living with dementia and their carers.
The Greater Moments Christmas Special reached almost 1,000 people and featured international opera artist Roy Locke and songs such as Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
The event was streamed through the Greater Moments app, which is commissioned by Dementia United, Greater Manchester’s programme for dementia. It aims to help people living with dementia share their experiences of the condition while also directing them to local support and activities.
The event was also streamed to care homes, so it could be enjoyed by all during these challenging times.
Stroke care is very much business as usual during this wave of the pandemic.
The stroke inpatient pathway continues to be maintained with suspected stroke patients treated initially at our Hyper Acute Stroke Units based at Salford Royal, Stepping Hill and Fairfield General Hospitals.
Following their hospital treatment, patients continue to receive support when they get home from a specialist community team, albeit with a “virtual first” approach.
Worryingly though, fewer patients than before the pandemic are presenting within 4 and 6 hours of the onset of their stroke symptoms. This is important as these are the time critical windows for being able to receive interventions to remove the clots that can cause a stroke.
Work is underway to try and ensure that the public better recognise the symptoms of a stroke through ‘F.A.S.T.’ i.e. Face Arms Speech and ‘Time to dial 999’. The network’s analysis shows that people appear to be delaying calling an ambulance, possibly because they do not recognise stroke as a medical emergency.
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 The Palliative and End of Life Care team is continuing to work to support health and care professionals with the most up to date guidance and clinical network support during the pandemic.
The team would also like to highlight wellbeing support which is available to all staff and their families in Greater Manchester who may require additional support at this time:
Greater Manchester Bereavement Service
Greater Manchester Bereavement Service is for anyone in the region who is bereaved or has been affected by a death, either personally or professionally.
Trained bereavement practitioners are there to listen, help find the right support and provide practical advice to support people. The service is also available for those seeking advice for others. The Greater Manchester Bereavement Service website features an interactive map of local and national support services as well as useful resources to help those affected by a death.
Call: 0161 983 0902 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding bank holidays)
Email: salccg.gm.bs@nhs.net
Website: www.greater-manchester-bereavement-service.org.uk
Resilience Hub
Are you or your family feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed?
If you are a health or care worker and live or work in Greater Manchester, you can access the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub.
People have called the Hub to discuss issues such as increased workloads, redeployment concerns, home schooling, financial impacts, bereavement and the impact of these on families. Managers have also used the service needing more guidance to ensure they are doing the right things for their teams.
Helen Lambert, Service Lead at Greater Manchester Resilience Hub, said: “As the pandemic continues, we recognise that there are thousands of other health and care workers who may not have been on the frontline caring for patients, but have experienced stressful or traumatic events whether at work or at home.”
Talking to the team:
The Hub offers a confidential emotional wellbeing screen to health and care workers and their families - even if the staff member doesn't want to complete it for themselves. Once the screening is completed, people will get the chance to speak to one of the team in more detail about how things are and get advice and support, including access to therapy, wellbeing plans and other useful services. Go to www.penninecare.nhs.uk/c19screening for more details.
For leaders and managers:
Line managers and leaders can contact the Hub to seek guidance about wellbeing for teams and colleagues. There are also some key resources on the website under the managers and leaders tab, such as check and buddy guidance. The Hub can also provide webinars and join team meetings. Go to www.penninecare.nhs.uk/mcrhub-covid19 for more details.
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