Joined Up Care Derbyshire | Monthly Newsletter December 2024

Let’s look after ourselves and our neighbours this winter

Introduction from Councillor Carol Hart, Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Health and Communities and joint Chair of the Integrated Care Partnership

Every winter, many of us will come down with coughs and sniffles as the cold and damp weather hits.

But for some people – particularly the very young or very old and those with pre-existing health conditions – the consequences can be very serious.

Winter viruses are also more prevalent at this time of year, which is why it’s even more important to protect yourselves and your loved ones.

In our December newsletter

We aim to celebrate and share good examples of how partners across the health and care system are working together to achieve our shared missions.

This month's newsletter includes:

Advice on staying warm and well this winter
Kath and Sarah speak out on women's health
Have your say on services
Showcase for new mums' support charity
E-triage system at urgent treatment centre
Educational video created in memory of Rowan

We hope you enjoy reading about what is happening in our health and care system. If you would like to contribute an article or share your great work, please email ddicb.communications@nhs.net.

Advice and help for people in Derby city this winter

In Derby City Council area the council helps vulnerable people to keep warm, safe and well at home through the cold winter months.

For advice and support on staying warm and well in Derby, call the council on 01332 640000, or text 07774333412 if you are deaf.

The council will offer support on:

cold homes
energy bills
energy efficiency
financial hardship
food shopping and bills
homelessness or eviction
home maintenance
vaccinations

Think Which Service campaign

The NHS in Derby and Derbyshire is calling on people to help reduce pressure on NHS services this winter by re-thinking which service they opt for when unwell.

The campaign aims to help people get quicker care in the most appropriate place.

It focuses on advice to keep well, on the wide range of services available at a community pharmacy, on NHS 111 online and local urgent treatment centres.

The campaign also encourages people to self-care by taking simple steps to prevent illness such as keeping up-to-date with vaccinations, eating well, staying warm and keeping active.

It also includes advice such as checking in on vulnerable or elderly neighbours, friends or family members and keeping the medicine cabinet well stocked so people can treat themselves for minor aliments at home.

Remember, 999 and A&E are for an emergency, or life-threatening situations only.

Single or Attached: Get tested before your next match

A new public health campaign aims to increase testing for sexually transmitted infections among young people under 24-years-old.

Testing rates for chlamydia are down across England (and reflected across Derby and Derbyshire) by nearly a third in the past four years.

The "Single or Attached, Get Tested Before Your Next Match" campaign is aimed at young people, whether they are single, dating, or in a long-term relationship.

Kelly Wood, health improvement manager at Derbyshire Community Health Services’ Integrated Sexual Health Services, said: “There is growing concern that many young people are unaware they have chlamydia, are not seeking testing or treatment and are at risk of longer-term health harms, including infertility, if the infection is left untreated.”

Derby City Life Links wellness and mental health recovery service

Derby City Life Links provides a wellness and mental health recovery service tailored to meet your needs.

The service is operated by Waythrough, which has been formed from the recent merger of Richmond Fellowship and Humankind.

Its information, advice and navigation services help people achieve their recovery outcomes.

The service accepts referrals from agencies and self-referrals from individuals through email, freephone, website, and in person at the Stuart House office, Green Lane, St Peter's Quarter, Derby, DE1 1RS.

All referrals will be contacted within 48 hours, and an initial assessment undertaken within five working days.

The service also provides the Derby Safe Haven, which provides a responsive and tailored mental health service for anybody experiencing a mental health crisis or period of mental ill health and who is in need of immediate support.

Preview of new diagnostics centre

A sneak preview of the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Walton Hospital in Chesterfield has been given to colleagues from the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Project team.

Colleagues from the project team recently toured the factory that is building the shell of the new purpose-built centre. It is a £5.2m development expected to open in summer 2025.

The whole building features 15 modules that will be lifted into position by crane over a three-day period. Following this, internal walls will be constructed, and external finishes, including cladding, will be applied.

The Walton Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre is one of five new centres to serve Derbyshire, providing a range of tests and scans including:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans

• Computerised tomography (CT) scans

• X-ray

• Ultrasound

• Cardiology testing (tests to measure the function of the heart), including Echocardiogram (scan of the heart and nearby blood vessels)

• Phlebotomy and point of care testing (blood tests and testing for certain diseases)

• Respiratory testing.

The first new centre was opened last summer at Whitworth Hospital, Darley Dale. The other sites are Ilkeston Community Hospital, Florence Nightingale Community Hospital in Derby, Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital in Tamworth.

See more pictures and find out what else is happening at Chesterfield Royal Hospital by reading #TeamCRH News magazine.

"Your voice is important" – women urged to have their say

Health leaders are urging women to share their experiences of women's health services through an online survey before 5 January.

Dr Kath Bagshaw, clinical lead for the improving women's health project, and Sarah Barley-McMullan, a patient and public voice partner, have shared video messages online.

Sarah said: "We know that women have different and unequal experiences of accessing service for women's health issues.

"There are differences depending where you live and which community you are from. For example, we know that experiences can be quite different if you are Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic group, or if you are LGBTQ+, or if you are a refugee.

"Your voice is important, so please do have your say through the survey or in your local community."

Dr Kath added: "Our aim is to create an open, inclusive, and valuable health service that truly meets the needs of women in Derby and Derbyshire."

Perinatal support team and volunteers welcome ICB Chair Dr Kathy McLean for visit

Dr Kathy McLean, Chair of Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board, has spent time with volunteers and staff at not-for-profit organisation Connected Perinatal, who support new parents.

The organisation carefully recruits and trains volunteers to provide evidence based, non-judgemental peer support to new and expectant families.

This can be provided on a one-to-one basis during pregnancy, at labour and birth if required and until baby is between three or six months old with a community offer that runs up to five years old.

People can self-refer or referrals are taken from health and social care professionals. The volunteers are trained in many areas and in some cases attend labour with the new mum.

Kathy said: “Mums and their new babies are some of the most vulnerable members of our society and need as much support as we can offer. It was insightful and hugely helpful to get closer to this work and understand more about the offer that’s available for families. As we know the first 1001 days of life are so important to the rest of the life of the child, so this is crucial work.”

The NHS 10 year plan – your chance to have your say in Derby and Derbyshire

Look out for workshops, meetings and events in January to have your say over the future of the NHS.

Change NHS is hearing views, experiences, and ideas which will shape a new 10 Year Health Plan for England. Thank you to people who have contributed their views already.

In Derby and Derbyshire we're planning events during January so you can have your say locally.

We're also reviewing what people have told us previously through engagement, feedback, listening and from our Healthwatch in Derby and Derbyshire.

We will focus particularly on the three "big shifts" identified by the government:

Hospital to community
Analogue to digital
Treatment to prevention

Keep in touch via our social media to hear when the venue dates and locations are announced.

Last chance to influence new fertility policy

Hundreds of people have shared their views about a proposed new unified policy for NHS fertility treatment across the East Midlands.

There is one final event for Derbyshire – on 7 January at 5.30pm – before the listening exercise closes on 10 January.

Currently, fertility policies vary across the East Midlands, with differences in factors like age, Body Mass Index requirements, the number of NHS funded treatment cycles, and eligibility for same sex couples, individuals with children from previous relationships, and single individuals.

This review aims to create a consistent fertility policy for the entire East Midlands, ensuring equal access to fertility treatments based on unified criteria.

You can give your views via a survey, or by attending the online meeting.

Responses on learning disabilities short breaks being considered

A "pre-engagement" listening exercise about the future provision of short breaks for people who have learning disabilities will continue until the end of February.

During a series of workshops, the proposals for the future of the service were presented, giving people the opportunity to review and provide further input.

Attendees were also given further opportunity to define the criteria that will shape the next steps.

NHS Derby and Derbyshire is now in the process of collating all the findings from these sessions, along with any new feedback, and this will be used to influence the development of the future options.

Views on stroke rehabilitation services to shape new service

More than 100 people across Derby and Derbyshire have given their views on stroke rehabilitation services.

The views and contributions of 108 people who took part in a listening exercise will now help to inform future options for the service.

A series of face-to-face workshops were held around the county during October and November, and people were able to respond to a detailed survey.

eTriage comes to Derby Urgent Treatment Centre

A new e-triage system will revolutionise the check-in process for patients visiting Derby Urgent Treatment Centre.

Designed to ensure the most unwell patients are seen more quickly, the system will see the installation of five eTriage kiosks.

Patients will enter details of their condition so clinical teams who can see, at a glance, who needs to be seen quickly.

DHU Healthcare, which has recently taken over operation of Derby Urgent Treatment Centre, is making the change after using it in Loughborough.

Dr Sole Garcia said: “It reduces waiting times whilst quickly identifying the patients most in need of treatment. This means we can very quickly prioritise their care.

“It also means that we can identify and give advice to those patients who would be more appropriately treated by a different health provider, for example a pharmacist in the least urgent cases or the emergency department in the most serious instances.”

Closer working proposed between health and social care

People are invited to have their say on proposals for closer working between health and social care partners designed to help more Derbyshire residents stay living independently at home.

Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust already work closely together to support people to remain living independently at home, helping them to get home from hospital and preventing hospital admissions.

The two organisations are now running a joint public consultation and would like people’s views on proposals to join forces more formally to create a single service delivering a range of assessment and reablement services and to increase the number of people they can support.

The joint public consultation runs until 16 January 2025.

Rowan's story inspires training video for new parents

A family, whose baby boy tragically stopped breathing at home, have supported the creation of a training video to help new parents.

Rachel and Christian Pepper have worked with University Hospitals Derby and Burton and the Derby Family Hub to create an educational video that tells the story of their son Rowan and which demonstrates how to perform infant CPR in simple steps.

Like many new parents, Rachel and Christian Pepper didn't know how to perform infant CPR when their baby boy Rowan suffered a cardiac arrest at home in October 2022 aged only one week old.

Despite NHS staff trying to save him, he sadly died from sudden infant death syndrome a week later.

Rachel said: "We hope you never need to perform CPR on a baby or infant, but we firmly believe that knowledge is power, and we want to spread this video far and wide and by sharing Rowan's story, we hope to demonstrate the importance of knowing what to do in an emergency."

Team's support for work experience students wins award

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust has been recognised with a regional award for its work in encouraging school and college students to get a taste of working in the NHS.

The trust's work experience team was named regional T Level Employer of the Year at the National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards 2024.

T Levels are two-year courses for young people who have completed their GCSEs and are equivalent to three A Levels.

Alice Dalton, Work Experience Facilitator, said: "T Levels work as a stepping stone into an apprenticeship or into employment with the trust, enabling our future workforce to get the skills they need to either go to university, start an apprenticeship, or an entry level position within the organisation.

"We aim to get them work ready, giving them mock interviews and offering ongoing support to help them reach their potential."

Derbyshire Dialogue

Derbyshire Dialogue is an opportunity for our local residents to discuss what matters most to them about health and care services, what's working well, and what we can improve.

Recent

GP Access – This session covered how many GPs we have, how many appointments they offer, and why getting a GP appointment can sometimes be difficult. We discussed how we are implementing the national plan to improve access to a GPs, and what we are doing locally.

Urgent and Emergency Care System – This presentation gave an overview of the Urgent and Emergency Care Services that are available, and showcased how we are working to deliver improvements in how we support people in our communities in accessing urgent care services more effectively, in the right place and at the right time.

Upcoming

22 January: Children and Young People's Mental Health – crisis prevention support options – This conversation will be an opportunity to talk about the community support available for children and young people to prevent them reaching mental health crisis, for when they feel that they are 'tipping' into mental health distress or are experiencing mental health distress. We will outline how partners are working together to deliver improvements in how we support children and young people in our communities to access support at these difficult times.

Book your place and find details on upcoming sessions on the Derbyshire Dialogue page.

Public and Patient Insight Library latest reports

The Insight Library is our local source of patient and public insight gathered across Derbyshire health, care, statutory and voluntary organisations. You can search reports by theme, service type, district, and several other categories.

It is open to a wide variety of professionals to help share reports and learning across the system and inform decision-making. Recent reports include:

Perinatal Pelvic Health Service (PPHS) Survey Report – The NHS Long Term Plan aims to improve access to postnatal physiotherapy and ensure women have access to a team of health professionals who run pelvic health clinics across England. The goal is to reduce the number of women living with pelvic health problems postnatally and later in life to enhance women's wellbeing and quality of life, and this report aims to help us achieve that goal in Derby and Derbyshire.

All reports entered in the library are tagged so that they can be sorted by theme, service type, district, and several other categories. It is also now easier than ever to submit reports to be added to the library via our online form.

Submit reports via our online form or ddicb.engagement@nhs.net. Please ensure you provide permission for us to share the report, as well as details such as the publish date and author name(s).