Spring 2023 Newsletter
Repeat Prescriptions over the Easter period
Will you need a repeat prescription over the Easter period?
Making sure you have enough of the right medication is an essential part of maintaining your own health. Make sure you order your repeat prescription early. You can find out which pharmacies are open over the bank holiday here.
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North Staffordshire Combined’s sustainability launch event
The Sustainability Working Group at NSHCT has been busy planning the Trust’s sustainability launch, which will take place on 28 April from 1pm-3pm in Harplands Hospital foyer. Liz Mellor, Director of Strategy and Partnerships, is the sustainability lead at NSCHT and is excited for the event:
"There has been some real momentum by the Sustainability Group and this event is a great opportunity to celebrate the work on our green agenda so far, including working with local businesses and colleagues to show sustainable options available in our community. I am really pleased with the initiatives that we have rolled out already, including the Switch Off Campaign and the contract for the new recycling bins at Harplands which we hope to see across the Trust soon. Everyone is welcome to come along on the 28 April.”
Find out more here.
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Dr Buki Adeyemo elected to Board of NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network
Dr Buki Adeyemo, Chief Executive, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, has been elected to the Board of the Mental Health Network, NHS Confederation. Read more about what she said about her election here.
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Primary Care Project Highly Commended in HSJ Partnerships Award
We’re delighted to announce that the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS People Function and Staffordshire Training Hub have recently been awarded highly commended in the Primary Care Project of the Year category at the HSJ Partnership Awards. The award recognises outstanding dedication to improving healthcare and effective collaboration with the NHS.
Discussions with partners highlighted the system was lacking in workforce development opportunities and new career paths in Health and Social Care (H&SC). The ‘Growing Our Own Together’ project, which began in 2019, addresses system-wide capacity issues, bridges workforce gaps and improves levels of care. ‘Growing Our Own Together’ is a partnership collaboration that created and put in place apprenticeships, virtual work experience, as well as training and education for existing health and social care staff.
Apprenticeship schemes have created a model that can easily be shared and replicated system-wide and the partnership has resulted in 44 apprentices being recruited since the programme commenced in 2019; with 69% remaining in health or social care or pursuing higher level qualifications. A rotational Level 3 Pre-Registration Pharmacy Technician apprenticeship has also been developed which will see apprentices support patients and staff across Mental health, Community pharmacy, General Practice, Primary Care Networks and Secondary care.
NHS Staff Survey 2022 – the results are in and it’s another great year for North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust (NSCHT)
The NHS Staff Survey 2022 results were published in March and once again, Combined Healthcare achieved leading results and scores compared with its comparison group of mental health and learning disability Trusts. The staff at Combined delivered the best scores in the two People Promise themes of ‘staff engagement’ and ‘staff morale’. You can watch the Staff Survey results 2022 video and read more here.
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Digital mental health support to children and young people
Children and young people experiencing anxiety, depression and other mental health issues are being offered digital emotional health and wellbeing support through a pioneering new partnership service.
Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s (MPFT) Children and Families services have teamed up with digital mental health provider Cerebral to offer a range of online support for young people living in South Staffordshire, dependant on their need.
MPFT is the first NHS trust to partner with Cerebral, which uses online technology to make therapy and web-based support more easily accessible to children, young people and families without the need for travel.
This support is available via Cerebral’s Sandbox website and self-referrals are welcome (the consent of a parent or carer will be required for children under 12, or those 12 and over with a special education need or learning disability). Further information can be found here.
Cannock meets top standards
Cannock Chase Hospital has now been awarded national accreditation as part of a pilot scheme to ensure the highest standards in clinical and operational practice.
The scheme, run by NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, assesses hubs against a framework of standards to help them deliver some of the most common surgical procedures, such as cataract surgery and hip replacement, more quickly. It also seeks to assure patients about the high standards of clinical care.
Cannock, which is part of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), was recently visited as one of eight hubs selected for the pilot to be assessed by the GIRFT team for accreditation and recognition that the hub is working to a defined set of clinical and operational standards. Read more.
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Staffordshire and South Cheshire men urged to come forward for free life-saving UHNM screening service
Staffordshire and South Cheshire men are being encouraged to attend life-saving Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening provided by University Hospitals of North Midlands.
The AAA screening service, based at community based locations, checks the aorta, which is the main blood vessel that supplies blood to the body, for weakening or widening, using simple ultrasound scanning.
The wall of the aorta in the abdomen can become weak and stretch to form an abdominal aortic aneurysm. There is a risk that an AAA may split or rupture putting a patient at a high risk of dying.
The screening service is available to all men aged over 65. Further information can be found here.
Children and Young People urged to have their say
The Violence Reduction Alliance are engaging with children and young people aged 11-25 years old, living in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. The consultation aims to understand the views and concerns of young people, and how we can work together to improve community safety across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. The findings will inform the development of the VRA strategy, identify support required locally for young people and help direct future awareness campaigns.
The survey has received over 1000 responses from children and young people; however, the number of responses are considerably lower in Stoke-on-Trent, Tamworth, Newcastle and Stafford. It is important to have good representation across the whole of the county in order to best inform the review of the strategy, identify support required in each local area and to help direct future awareness campaigns.
Please find below social media links to promote the survey - the survey link will be open until midnight on Sunday 16 April 2023. Please re-share/tweet to ensure each young person is given the opportunity to share their views.
Twitter
Facebook
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More than 25,000 residents supported and over 50,000 meals distributed this winter in Stoke-on-Trent
The Stronger Together through Winter campaign has been co-ordinated by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in partnership with VAST, which supports the voluntary and community sector in the city, and a number of other charities and public services.
The campaign offers targeted support and provides a single point of information on a wide range of individual, financial and mental health support and wider community activities.
The Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline, established by Stoke-on-Trent City Council with Brighter Futures, provides callers with a safe space to talk about issues they are facing. They can then signpost callers to the most appropriate support service.
Over the coming months the city council will be making funding available to support those most in need with the cost of food, energy and water bills and other associated costs.
Residents can continue to access information on cost of living support at http://sottogether.vast.org.uk.
Free activities for low-income families over the Easter holidays
Families on a low income will be able to choose from various activities as new providers join Staffordshire County Council's Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme.
The scheme is available to eligible children aged between five and sixteen on benefits related free school meals.
The programme includes physical play, fun activities, nutritional advice, and a healthy hot meal where possible. More information can be found here.
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Staffordshire Police launched their 'Don’t choose to abuse' campaign in March. The campaign encourages men to recognise if they are displaying unhealthy or abusive behaviour within a relationship.
In a two-minute video - aimed at perpetrators, the reaction of friends, family and work colleagues is shared when finding out that someone they know is responsible for domestic abuse. It emphasises that this behaviour will be, and quite rightly should be, called out by others, and is not acceptable.
Further information and the video can be viewed here.
To stay tuned with our campaigns, make sure you follow us on Twitter and Facebook via @StaffStokeICS for the ICS accounts and @StaffsStokeICB for ICB accounts.
Previous editions of this newsletter can be viewed on the ICS website here.
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