March 2024
Shadow of Covid continues to challenge clinicians and patients
As much as we want to move on from the dark days of the pandemic, long Covid is unfortunately still affecting the lives of thousands of people in Greater Manchester.
Many continue to experience the symptoms of the disease years after they contracted it and still need help and support – something which was highlighted this month on long Covid awareness day (March 15).
Fortunately, here in our city region, where the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire Strategic Clinical Networks (GMEC SCNs) led the creation of pathways for treatment, we also have clinicians who are at the forefront of research into the long-lasting problems related to Covid-19.
This month’s newsletter features a story about GP practices being asked to support research by simply signing-up to a free service which will see patients sent text messages to register to help the project.
There is also news about the relaunch of the long Covid newsletter for Greater Manchester and a website to support people with symptoms.
Also in this month’s newsletter you can read the following stories:
Cardiovascular Network: excellent results for remote monitoring project and speakers offer insight at event.
Diabetes Network: new self-referral pathway for women.
Maternity Network: a report from a recent successful pre-term birth event, the launch of a new infant feeding app, online support for CNST submissions for Trusts and a report writing workshop.
Neurorehabilitation/Stroke Network: a change in clinical leadership, improving care for people with multiple sclerosis and toolkit support for stroke teams.
Staff news: goodbyes to some fabulous colleagues and a new arrival for the maternity team.
Thanks again for your interest in our work. We look forward to another interesting year as part of the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care System.
Best wishes
 
GPs urged to sign-up to free research text message for patients
GP practices are being asked to support research into long Covid by encouraging patients to register by responding to a text message.
Primary care can simply register for free to give consent for their patients aged 18 and over to be sent an SMS which will invite them to join the programme, which is run by Research for the Future.
Find out more about the initiative, which is in collaboration with IPLATO and register - https://consent.mygp.com/nca-long-covid-research-sms-programme/
Dr Peter Elton, GMEC SCNs’ clinical director, said he was delighted that Greater Manchester had a world-leading research team and he hoped GPs would help increase the number of people registered, which already stands at 8,000.
He added: “If they could treble that number, it will vastly improve their ability to complete much needed research.
“They will be sending out texts to patients asking them to join the register, and with your support, I am sure they will attract many more patients. It would be wonderful if practices could sign up to supporting the project.”
Dr Murugesan Raja (pictured above right), the Respiratory Network’s clinical lead, said: “Long Covid is sadly still here and affecting patients.
“Thank you for the tremendous effort you all put in to deal with Covid and then the response to long Covid. We still need to do more research on this, and we seek your support in this.
“The ask of the practice is a consent from you, for the team here leading the research to be able to send texts to your patients for them to join the database. We have already reached 8,000 but to understand this disease well, and to come up with the management options, we will need to treble that number. “
Research for the Future is a National Institute for Health and Care Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) initiative, supported by the NHS. The current programme is co-funded by NHS England via GMEC SCNs, Health Innovation Manchester and NIHR CRN Greater Manchester, and led by Professor Nawar Bakerly, strategic clinical lead for respiratory medicine at the Northern Care Alliance and Greater Manchester clinical lead for long Covid tier 4 services.
The service promotes research opportunities across all health conditions, but has a particular interest in supporting research into long Covid.
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A woman who starred in the Network’s pulmonary rehabilitation campaign has urged others to join the classes, saying they “changed her life”.
Jean (pictured left), from Wilmslow, said the light exercise and education sessions have enabled her to live a much more active life.
The impact was so positive that she wanted to continue them beyond the six week programme and is keen to join them again in the future.
Jean said: “That course was wonderful. It changed my life and made me so much fitter.
“It was a bit of a struggle at first, but you get better and better. People with lots of different abilities take part. The social side is really good as well.”
The PR course inspired Jean so much that she joined a group called Simply Singing, based in Trafford, which encourages people to sing to improve their lung health. The group, including Jean, recently sang at the Bridgewater Hall.
The Network is planning to relaunch the Keep Active, Breathe Better campaign this June, to coincide with National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week 2024.
Although the site will soon be updated, GP practices can still find useful information on the existing website - www.pulmonaryrehabgm.co.uk.
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Newsletter relaunch to help clinicians
The long Covid newsletter is being re-launched to keep health professionals up to date on news and developments across Greater Manchester.
The newsletter is aimed at clinicians and other professionals supporting patients who are living with the symptoms.
It includes national updates, research and useful resources. If you would like to receive the newsletter please contact Humera Ahmed, project manager for long Covid research in Greater Manchester.
Another useful resource for anyone interested in long Covid is the Greater Manchester Post Covid Hub on NHS Futures which hosts guidance, resources and implementation documents.
Website to support people with long Covid
A website to support people living with long Covid has been launched.
The online tool offers a symptom checker, advice on seeking support, and encourages people to talk about their symptoms with professionals, friends and family.
This evidence-based tool was developed by researchers in the STIMULATE-ICP study, led by University College London Hospitals NHS Trust and University College London and the HI-COVE study, led by the University of Westminster, which focused on the impact of long Covid in minority ethnic groups. Both studies were funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
It is hoped the website will help meet the needs of people living with persistent symptoms, as well as their families, clinicians and commissioners, following the retirement of the NHS Your Covid Recovery website, which will permanently close on Monday, April 1.
Excellent results for heart failure remote monitoring project
The Network has been a partner in a year-long successful project to remotely monitor patients who are waiting for cardiovascular surgery.
More than 250 patients have been supported by using a device to daily input information, such as their blood pressure, and record any symptoms, so they can carry on their lives as normal.
The people were awaiting specialist cardiac surgery, coronary artery bypass grafts or valve replacement at three hospitals in Greater Manchester.
Any worrying symptoms or data inputted into the device would result in a telephone call from a nurse.
Amber alerts would identify patients whose self-reported health data or physiological parameters were slightly outside of normal parameters. This enabled the team to offer earlier intervention when needed and patients could be prioritised and offered support as appropriate.
The approach has not only reduced the waiting time for high-risk elective patients but also minimised overall hospital stays.
And the feedback from patients has been very positive. They said they were happier to be monitored in their own homes, rather than having to take regular trips to the clinic or hospital.
Catherine Cain, senior programme lead for the Cardiovascular Network, said: “Remote monitoring has proven to be a significant advantage for our elective cardiac surgery patients and this project is rightly putting the patient at the heart of care.
“By ensuring monitoring at home, clinical teams can discharge in-patients awaiting surgery. Similarly, after surgery, patients can now be discharged earlier with remote monitoring, resulting in shorter hospital stays and the release of beds.”
The partnership programme has also involved Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), FCMS and Docobo, which provided the technology.
Tom Berry, MFT directorate manager for cardiac surgery and transplant, said: “As is the case across the NHS, our waiting list has grown and this project will help us to identify patients who require earlier support or treatment.”
The approach supports recent NHSE guidance which recommends monitoring patients on the elective cardiac surgery pathway and post-surgery more effectively.
Pictured above: a man has a remote monitoring device explained to him by a health professional.
Speakers offer insight at event
The team hosted a peripheral arterial disease (PAD) training day for cardiovascular professionals.
Around 30 people attended the afternoon session (pictured above), which was held at the Nowgen Centre, at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
Naseer Ahmad, clinical director of the Manchester Amputation Reduction Strategy (MARS) and abdominal aortic aneurysm screening programme, spoke about his work and was followed by the MARS team, vascular podiatrist Jack Mason, Dr Edward Caldow, lecturer, school of health and society, University of Salford, Elizabeth Bouch, clinical lead physiotherapist in vascular, Andrew Battersby, cardiovascular rehabilitation highly specialist exercise physiologist and Jack Mason, podiatrist.
The team wanted to send a special ‘thank you’ to Dr Caldow for leading the session so brilliantly.
Changes to clinical leadership
The Network will be renewing its clinical leadership in the spring following some changes to the current line-up.
Its community clinical director, Tracy Walker, (pictured right) will be stepping down this month, after more than eight years as its lead.
She has pioneered the redesign of community services in the region, with her ideas now reflected in national models of care. Her passion and vision have ensured the team has always remained focused on improving rehabilitation and more specifically specialised care for people at home.
The Network thanks her for her enormous contribution to community neurorehabilitation and looks forward to working with her in future.
Louise Worswick, clinical lead for nursing, finished her tenure at the end of December and the Network was unable to reappoint to the post.
Jenny Harrison will be moving on as inpatient rehabilitation clinical lead this month following her promotion to a consultant role.
Community stroke clinical lead Fatema Mullamitha has also indicated she will step down this summer due to clinical commitments.
The Network’s amended structure is being finalised and will be approved by the Board in the coming weeks.
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Following on from the Network’s successful collaboration in motor neurone disease, it has started bringing stakeholders together to discuss how to improve local care for those living with multiple sclerosis (MS).
The team estimates there could be many thousands of Greater Manchester residents needing support for this progressive disease and there will be a need to need to improve healthcare and other services.
Work will start in later in the year, and the Network will share the learning on improving care for other neurological conditions in the coming years.
It will also continue to be engaged in the NHS England neurology transformation programme, and will feed the outcomes of the Network's collaborations into this national work.
Toolkit for support stroke teams
As part of the Network’s efforts to prevent more strokes, it has launched a toolkit to support stroke unit teams in managing transient ischaemic attack (TIA).
The document focuses on ensuring we make every contact count through more effective management of the clinical risk factors associated: Atrial Fibrillation, Blood Pressure, high Cholesterol and Diabetes.
The toolkit also encourages staff to develop skills around sustained behavioural change to support healthier lifestyles such as exercise, alcohol consumption and diet.
The Network will be developing a similar document for GPs and you can download the toolkit and find out more about local TIA services here.
You can follow the Network on X (Twitter) @GMNISDN or visit the website.
New self-referral pathway for women
Women can now self-refer themselves onto the Healthier You, NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) programme if they have a history of gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes is one of the strongest risk factors for the subsequent development of type 2 diabetes - up to 50% of women diagnosed with gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years of the birth.
Eating healthily and completing regular physical activity helps to not only lose any weight gained during pregnancy but can also lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, which the Network oversees in Greater Manchester, will help women who have had a diagnosis of gestational diabetes at any time to achieve this, however, is particularly beneficial to women who have had a baby in last 5 years.
Previously women will have required a referral from their GP following a HbA1C test.
Under the new referral route, which has been launched to increase the numbers of people accessing the programme, all they need to do is fill out the self-referral form on Reed Wellbeing’s website or call the programme support team on 0800 092 1191 to join the programme.
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Fantastic feedback for latest event
The latest maternity event saw dozens of delegates attend a preterm birth study day.
The theme of the day was preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) which can complicate up to 3% of pregnancies and is associated with 30-40% of preterm births.
The current pre-term rates in Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire have remained higher than the national ambition, but work is ongoing to improve access for patients to pre-term prevention clinics.
The event was well-attended and included people from Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire, Cheshire and Merseyside and Lancashire and South Cumbria localities, making it a fantastic meeting for networking and sharing good practices and learning.
The day’s agenda showcased some local case studies, acted as a formal launch of the North West PPROM guideline and also informed, and celebrated, the current Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire position of the preterm service provision.
The event had esteemed external speakers such as Dr Laura Goodfellow, NIHR academic clinical lecturer, who presented her work undertaking the UK Obstetric Surveillance System survey into PPROM and a neonatal colleague, Catherine Nash, quality improvement lead nurse, North West Neonatal Operational Delivery Network, who provided valuable insight into the issues facing a preterm infant with PPROM as a background.
Finally, the event had the pleasure of Ciara Curran speaking. She is the founder of Little Heartbeats who has lived experience of PPROM, which she kindly shared with attendees.
Dr Ghazia Saleemi, the Network’s maternity clinical lead, (pictured above centre, speaking at the event), said: “We have had fantastic feedback from attendees and speakers felt the audience was engaged, many taking the opportunity to chat in the breaks with the speakers.“
Infant feeding app launched
The Anya infant feeding app has now been launched, giving every new parent in Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire access to premium content.
Called Anya, the software allows women/birthing people to use a suite of 3D animations to help them successfully breastfeed their child. They can also access 24/7 evidence-based support through Anya AI, the app’s virtual supporter, and they can speak to an expert direct if they need more help.
Although some elements of the app are free for all, from March 18, parents in the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire regions have been able to freely use premium elements of it which usually have to be paid for, thanks to the collaboration between the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS).
Eileen Stringer, clinical lead midwife for the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire Strategic Clinical Networks, said: “We know that for some mums breastfeeding can be really difficult through no fault of their own. This app will provide them with that extra support, answering questions and even allowing them to chat directly with an expert.”
Anya was successful on its bid for funding from the Small Business Research Initiative Healthcare and received funding for the project, which uses digital innovation to address health inequalities in maternity care.
Webinar to support Trusts
The Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire LMNS will be hosting an online workshop with NHS Resolution to support Trusts with implementing the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) maternity incentive scheme Year 6 guidance.
All who are involved in CNST Year 6 within Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire are welcome to attend.
The webinar will take place on Thursday, May 16, 1pm-2pm, via Microsoft Teams. Register here.
If there are any topics or questions you would like to be covered during the session, please submit them in advance of the meeting. Suggest a question or topic.
Report writing workshop
The LMNS is partnering with quality improvement body AQUA to deliver a half-day in person workshop to support maternity providers to write effective perinatal mortality reports.
The workshop will take place on Tuesday, June 4, 9:30am-12:30pm, at 3 Piccadilly Place, Manchester, M1 3BN.
Topics include:
- What a good perinatal mortality report looks like
- How to approach incident investigation and manage discussions around learning from safety
- How to analyse data, identify themes and develop SMART action plans
- Application and practical learning and the chance to test and reflect in a safe and supported environment.
There are 30 funded places available and these are open to those who are involved in writing perinatal mortality reports within their organisation.
Places are limited to four places per provider (6 for University of Manchester NHS Foundation Trust).
Expressions of interest for you or members of your team can be submitted. EOIs will close on April 17 and places confirmed on the April 19.
To support this, a webinar for non-executive directors and maternity safety champions is also planned.
This will provide an understanding of the role and responsibilities of Trust boards with regards to perinatal mortality reports and will be delivered via Microsoft Teams.
If you would like to be contacted when a date is confirmed for this session, please send your details.
If you have any questions, please email the team.
A tearful goodbye!
We sadly say goodbye to Sarka Grayson (diabetes and frailty), Richard Evans (data team), Shelley Cunliffe (palliative and end of life care) and Zoe Neilson (maternity) who all leave us this month.
All four have played a big role in our brilliant support team, making sure clinicians’ ideas become a reality and are rolled out across Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire.
We say ‘thank you’ and wish you all success in your new roles.
New member of maternity team
Earlier this year, the Maternity Network welcomed Chris Lee to the team, in a project officer role.
We asked Chris to introduce himself:
“I worked for the HM Prison & Probation service as a project support officer for the Offender Personality Disorder team in Surrey. I supported on dedicated projects such as the Sussex Hub, designed to support service users after they’d completed probation.
“It’s here that I realised that I had a passion for supporting practitioners and committed myself to becoming a ‘mental health ally’ (very similar to mental health first aider training).
“My partner is an FY2 doctor working for Royal Bolton Hospital and I was keen for a change of scenery, so the plan was to move to Manchester to be with her.
“I really liked the SCN’s commitment to quality improvement and whilst considering working in maternity, I realised that I had close family who had been deeply affected by the care they had received throughout their pregnancy. I jumped at the opportunity!
“Outside of work I have really got into running since I came to Manchester, and often go for runs around Sale and Chorlton Water park. I really enjoy reading and have recently rekindled my love for bouldering*.”
* bouldering is a style of climbing done close to the ground without the use of ropes and harnesses.
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