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Thursday 23 February 2023 |
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The fortnightly bulletin is now being shared every other Thursday. If you’d like to share any items or news, please send them into us at communications@manchesterlco.org.
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Updating you on our New Models of Bed Based Care work in the LCO
Blog from Mark Edwards, LCO chief operating officer
Hello everyone - I hope you’re well.
The LCOs, along with our partners in the hospital and across the system are leading what we call the Resilient Discharge Programme – a series of workstreams designed to improve discharge from hospital. Our aim is Home First, ensuring as many of our patients as possible can return home with the right level of care as soon as they can safely do so.
I wanted to update on part of the RDP which we have been working on. This is called New Models of Bed Based Care and is looking at the short-term bedded care, which includes intermediate care units (ICTs) and short-term care home placements (Pathway 3 (P3)/Discharge to Assess (D2A) beds).
Our Intermediate Care Units provide an excellent service for recovery after hospital and play a key role in increasing independence. However, we know that there are areas for improvement. Too many patients are still being discharged from hospital to P3 beds at the moment (longer term placements in care or nursing homes) when they could be sent to short-term intermediate care with us (Pathway 2). Not all P3 beds are set up to provide rehab meaning we miss opportunities to get people back to independence.
We also know that the offer is inconsistent between units and that access is not equal and fair, especially for bariatric patients, patients with social needs and patients with mental health needs. From the hospital side, it can be confusing and frustrating trying to access bedded care for patients. Not having the right provision leads to delays in discharge.
This feedback has come from engagement sessions we’ve held with frontline teams from the units, social care, local authorities, primary care, hospital and commissioning colleagues. In total almost 100 staff have joined 14 engagement sessions we’ve held. Everyone has come together to bring their ideas to the table on how we can work most effectively as a system for our patients.
The result is that we’re looking at some key features from the new model that will be in place across our bed based care offer - simpler and quicker triage, assessment and transfer from hospital to units; increased access from community step-ups as well as hospital discharges; removing barriers to entry and increasing flexibility; multi-disciplinary team working so we are building on strengths based discharge planning; quicker step down to Pathway 1 as soon as a patient is safe to be at home; and really strong locality links into our other LCO and VCSE services.
We’re now working on a model for how our units should operate in the future and as a result of these workshops are looking at plans for each area we serve.
- In North Manchester we are already trailing an improved offer at Crumpsall Vale to implement a new way of working with stronger links to the hospital and an improved community step-up offer, as well as reducing barriers to access for certain groups
- In Trafford and South Manchester, we’re working with the hospitals to consider what an improved Pathway 2 offer could look like, particularly focusing on patients with nursing and therapy needs
- In Central Manchester we’re working with the MRI to identify opportunities to enhance the Pathway 2 offer for patients.
This will be complemented by improving the P3 Discharge to Assess model. The improved P3/D2A offer will have an enhanced assessment team to move patients through quicker and achieve better outcomes. There will also be a specific complex offer to support patients with distressed behaviours.
This is an exciting piece of work that has been developed and led by staff and partners. The new model will allow more and quicker discharges home from hospital, ensure patients get the right expert input from our teams when they need it and improve flow through the system.
Over the coming months further work will be taking place putting these ideas into place with the goal of making continuous transformation and improvements over the coming year and moving to the full model from 2024.
We’ll keep you updated about the progress of the work and case studies from the new ways of working. I’d like to thank every member of staff who has contributed to the work so far – these exciting changes are really going to benefit people from across Manchester and Trafford and that would not have been possible without your ideas, inspiration and support.
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LCO Research Champion Network
 The LCO has recently formed a Research Champion Network, and we're now looking for nurses, allied health care professionals, and adult social care colleagues to join.
Getting involved in research improves retention and recruitment of staff, and we know that patients in research-active settings and those involved in RCTs (regardless of the arm of a clinical trial) have better outcomes and report higher levels of patient satisfaction.
Therefore, if you have an interest in research and are looking for a brand new and exciting opportunity, or if you're not sure what research looks like in community, then please take a look at this document [PDF, 115KB] for further details. You can also email Janet Suckley, LCO lead research champion, should you have any questions.
 Integrating health and social care in the Withington and Old Moat INT
Project summary by Albert Ndhlovu, primary assessor
Albert Ndhlovu is one of our primary assessors within the Withington and Old Moat Integrated Neighbourhood Team (INT). He was tasked with identifying a project that would benefit the organisation for which he worked as part of his studies. Following the fall of a patient who required hospital care, he was inspired to choose a project that would promote greater collaboration between health and care professionals within the INT.
In the below project summary, Albert goes into greater detail about why he decided to do so, what the project sought to improve, and how it helped. Essential reading for all staff in integrated teams!
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Earlier this week, the contact numbers for the below LCO teams based at Cornerstones Health Centre changed. They are now:
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Integrated Neighborhood Team - 0161 529 6271
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Social Workers Team - 0161 529 6280
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Health Visitors - 0161 529 6288
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Dentist - 0161 529 6298
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Reception at Cornerstones - 0161 529 6317
Applications close on 10 March for the Greater Manchester (GM) Health and Care Champion Award. If you have someone in mind to put forward, please get nominating now. The application form is easy and simple to complete. You can nominate colleagues from inside and outside our organisation, including VCSE colleagues, for any fantastic piece of work they’ve done. Plus, there are many other categories!
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International Women's Day - Wednesday 8 March
International Women’s Day 2023 is fast approaching, and this year’s theme is Embrace Equality.
Manchester will be celebrating with its popular Walk for Women event on Saturday 4 March and everyone is invited to get involved. If you’ve not yet seen the details, you can find out how to take part on the City Council’s website.
Then, for our next edition of the fortnightly bulletin, which is due out the day after International Women's Day, we’d love to be able to share your stories of women who’ve inspired you. So, if there’s a particular woman—a family member, friend, colleague, or public figure—then please take part! All you have to do is send the communications team either a short video or picture along with the woman's name and a few sentences explaining why.
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The MFT staff winter vaccination programme is coming to an end on Tuesday 28 February 2023, so this is your final call to book in for your flu jab if you’re yet to be vaccinated.
Booking couldn’t be simpler, as all you need to do is go to the MFT booking website.
If you're employed by MFT, select staff. If you're employed by MCC or GM choose affiliate. You can also speak to your local flu champion if you can't get to an MFT vaccination site and would like to arrange a last-minute roving clinic.
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The Chorlton and Whalley Range Dementia Action Group is run by members of the local community. The group provides support and practical advice to anyone living with dementia and their family and carers. During March they're holding a number of information sessions for you to get involved with. Topics include the health and science of dementia, dealing with legal issues, and services for people with dementia.
For further details, dates, and times, please see the promotional poster [PDF, 63.6KB]. Please also share these details with your teams and individuals, and their families or carers that you may be supporting.
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Join us for March’s live LCO Team Brief
 LCO chief executive, Katy Calvin-Thomas and other members of the executive team invite you to join them for our next live team brief event on Tuesday 21 March at 10:00am. These regular meetings take place online via Microsoft Teams and the purpose of them is to inform you of the latest news and updates from inside and outside the LCOs. They’re also the place to ask our executives any questions or concerns that you may have.
To book a place, please use the below Microsoft Teams registration form. A calendar invitation will then be sent to you.
The new MFT Learning Hub is now live!
Yesterday (Wednesday 22 February) the new MFT Learning Hub went live. For all MFT training, you’ll need to now use the new Learning Hub site which is the same platform that you used to book and manage your Hive training. This exciting transition means there is just one place for all learning and development and will provide a smoother and more intuitive learning experience.
To find out more, please see the update on the MFT staff intranet. You may also find useful this set of frequently asked questions [PDF, 296KB].
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A Different Conversation is our LCO approach to completing your annual appraisal. It’s a great tool to use as it helps to facilitate conversations between you and your family about what matters to you in terms of your development as well as your wellbeing. A Different has now been in place for just over two years and we’re really keen to find out how well you think it's working. You can tell us by completing this very short survey. We’ll use your feedback to consider where we might want to make changes or improvements to help you get the most out of the process.
Then don’t forget that the first few months of the new year are a great time to think about refreshing your previous year's appraisal. So, please consider booking some time with your manager to go through yours soon.
Allyship training
 We’ve had a great response to the allyship training that we shared with you in our last edition. But if it’s something that interests you and you're yet to book, then please be reminded that places for our March training dates need to be booked by Tuesday 28 February 2023. You can do so by emailing India Henry, LCO equality, diversity, and inclusion lead.
Greater Manchester is now ready to create its three-year Creative Health Delivery Plan. This will complement their Creative Health City Region Strategy 2022. To help them with this, they’re inviting health and care professionals from across the region to a series of themed workshops (listed below) this March to share thoughts and ideas on what's most important to our residents in order for them to live happier and healthier lives.
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please click on the links below to learn more about your preferred workshop:
In March, we’ve got two Communities of Practice spotlight sessions that will be focusing on Manchester Shared Lives. Paul Downing from the service will be sharing who they are, what they do, and what they can offer. For example, supported lodgings and seasonal support.
The sessions are suitable for adult social care colleagues as well as allied health professionals, so if you’d like to join, please email Sharon Orr at sharon.orr@manchester.gov.uk to reserve a place. The dates and timing of the sessions are as follows:
- Tuesday 7 March from 11:30am to 12:30pm
- Thursday 9 March from 1:00pm to 2:00pm
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The following jobs are currently available to view on the LCO extranet jobs page:
Please share these across your networks to help us promote them. Then don’t forget that you can advertise any post in the fortnightly bulletin by emailing the communications team.
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Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals Conference - Friday 24 March. Find out more on the MFT staff intranet
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Advancing clinical practice in the community by Health Education England - Tuesday 28 February from 7:00pm. Suitable for advanced clinical practitioners – see this poster [PNG, 444KB] for details
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 Become an LCO Mental Health First Aider
 We’ve organised two training sessions on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 29 March for staff interested in becoming Mental Health First Aiders. We want to ensure that right across the LCO family, we've got a diverse pool of listeners to act as a friendly point of call for when someone is in need. As a result, if you consider yourself to be a good listener, or if you are the person on your team who people turn to when they are upset, or someone who just wants to help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, this could be an opportunity for you!
If you’re a smoker, make No Smoking Day on Wednesday 8 March the day you quit for good.
Quitting smoking can improve your brain health and reduce your chances of developing dementia. Another benefit of quitting is how much money you'll be able to save. On average, smokers spend £47 a week on tobacco; that’s nearly £2,500 a year to spend on other things.
You’re up to three times as likely to succeed in quitting if you get support.
Contact your local stop smoking service, Be Smokefree Manchester, for free confidential help and advice.
Would you like a safe, supported space where you can talk about how you are feeling and the challenges you are facing with colleagues in similar roles? The Florence Nightingale Foundation is offering support for groups of staff to come together in a virtual space to explore issues and share learnings. The focus is on enabling you to develop leadership skills and coping strategies to support yourself and your colleagues. Participants have consistently provided great feedback post sessions and have found the sessions to be really useful and beneficial.
Rewards and benefits coffee catch-up information sessions
During March, the MFT Rewards and Benefits Hub will be hosting online coffee catch-up information sessions where you can drop in to find out more about the staff discounts and offers that are available to you. There are numerous incentives available, including car lease schemes, travel discounts, and much more. These sessions have been designed for LCO colleagues only, and for further information, including the dates and times, please see the below promotional poster. Please also share the details of the sessions among your teams and display a copy of the poster within your team areas. |
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Greater Manchester (GM) Working Together is continuing to host various mental health and wellbeing sessions for all health and care professionals throughout February and March. Topics include workplace physical activity, an insight into the menopause, looking after yourself and your teams and much more.
Go to the GM Working Together website to see the full list of available sessions, including dates and times.
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