August 2019
Welcome to the latest edition of the NHS West Suffolk CCG newsletter
Dr Christopher Browning, Chairman
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Monday August 26 is a bank holiday so GP practices and some pharmacies will be closed. Nearer the time we'll send you a list of pharmacies open that day. If you use repeat prescription medicine please make sure you'll have enough to last over the holiday weekend.
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The CCG's Dr Garratt joins Jo Churchill MP to shine a spotlight on mental health services
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Earlier this week Health Minister and MP for Bury St Edmunds, Jo Churchill, visited the Wedgewood House mental health inpatient unit, which is on the site of West Suffolk Hospital, accompanied by the CCG's Chief Executive, Dr Ed Garratt, and Jonathan Warren, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust's Chief Executive.
Dr Garratt said: “It was pleasure to be part of this visit and pleasing to witness the good work that is taking place at Wedgwood House.
“I know that Jo Churchill is a passionate advocate for improving mental health services in west Suffolk and is supportive of the NHS’s commitment to transforming local care. This visit enabled her to see first-hand how things are changing for the better.”
Pictured above L to R: Dr Ed Garratt, Jo Churchill and Jonathan Warren
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New independent chair appointed to Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System
Professor William Pope, says: “I am very much looking forward to working together with colleagues from across the NHS, local authority, primary care, voluntary organisations and communities to put in place those joined up health and care services that we know people want."
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Welcome......
We are pleased to welcome Garry Joyce to the CCG who has joined from NHS St Helens CCG and Council as the Associate Director for Children and Young People. This is a joint post with Suffolk County Council with Garry leading on our commissioning and transformation work including our key priorities on children and adolescent mental health and special educational need work.
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Progress on construction of Mildenhall hub
Construction of the Mildenhall Hub has now reached its first milestone, with the completion of the steel framework which will house the new health centre, library and public sector offices.
This initial framework will form part of the state-of-the-art hub, which is set to be a national exemplar, bringing together a number of operational services to provide easier access to better facilities and to support the local community.
The CCG's Head of Primary Care, Lois Wreathall (pictured above right), attended a recent event to mark the construction progress.
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A bird's eye view of progress on the Mildenhall Hub
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Read the proposals and please give your views
Proposed new model for mental health services for children, young people and families
We want to know whether you think the plans to transform services in east and west Suffolk are on the right track.
After gathering your feedback and listening to what you’ve said, click below to read what we think the new proposed model would be like - and we would like to know your views.
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Primary Care Networks – what are they?
Primary Care Networks (PCNs) involve staff from GP practices and other local health and social care providers working in close partnership, as one team.
PCNs, which have been formed as part of NHS England’s Long Term Plan, are groups of practices with between 30,000 – 50,000 patients, bringing practices together in order to offer care on a scale which is small enough for patients to get the continuous and personalised care they value, but large enough to be resilient, through the sharing of workforce, administration and other functions of general practice.
These networks are an important part of our CCGs commitment to best support people to live long and healthy lives.
The benefits of working together are:
- Longer opening hours
- Sharing staff
- Better access to specialist health professionals
- Services closer to home
- Ability to share information and technology
In west Suffolk six PCNs have been established:
Bury St Edmunds
Blackbourne
Sudbury
Haverhill
Forest Heath
Wickhambrook, Guildhall, Glemsford, Long Melford
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Got any questions about PCNs? - email Lois Wreathall, the CCGs Head of Primary Care at lois.wreathall@westsuffolkccg.nhs.uk
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New prescribing committee for the Integrated Care System
The first Suffolk and North East Essex Area Prescribing Committee was held on August 13. This is a new and vital group which will enable joined up safe, high quality and cost effective prescribing for our patients across our system. We spend over £200 million on medicines across our system. The first meeting included Chief Pharmacists from East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust, West Suffolk Foundation Trust, Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, North East Essex CCG, West Suffolk CCG and  Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG. The terms of reference for the group were discussed, and standing items on the agenda include drug safety, antimicrobial stewardship, Integrated Care System (ICS) formulary development and ICS wide shared care agreements. A number of task and finish groups are to be established to feed into this new committee, including a formulary group, a shared care group and a drug safety group.
Pictured is Catherine Butler, NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG's Head of Medicines Management
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Better supporting our young people
Young people in west Suffolk are set to benefit from better access to mental health support thanks to new funding.
The money will pay for a mental health team to be established to provide a range of mental health and emotional wellbeing support.
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Haverhill Big Day Out - a big success
It was fantastic to have a presence at Haverhill's recent Big Day Out where to spoke with many local people on topics including
consenting to share one's health record, atrial fibrillation, ear hygiene and 'bus links to West Suffolk Hospital.
Thank you to everyone who dropped by and to those who manned the stall including the CCG's Community Engagement Group member Michael Simpkin who is a true star and tireless worker for the local NHS and Amanda Webb-Heath, the brilliant Alliance Locality Co-ordinator for Haverhill.
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A great example of alliance working in west Suffolk
Physiotherapists from hospital and community services are working closely together to care for some of the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust’s (WSFT) youngest and most vulnerable patients.
Specialist paediatric physiotherapists Kathy Hammond, who usually practices at the West Suffolk Hospital, and Caroline Fitzjohn, a community colleague based at Bury’s Child Development Centre, are working more closely due to a recent innovation to join up the care for babies and children. The WSFT provides care in the hospital and a broad range of specialist care to children across Suffolk through the integrated paediatric community service.
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East of England Ambulance Service
The recent inspection of the ambulance service by the Care Quality Commission concluded that the service retains its overall 'requires improvement' rating.
Inspectors commented that: “Despite factors such as high service demands and frequent callers, staff strived to always provide care that was compassionate, respectful, supportive, never time-rushed and met patients’ needs.” They also noted that the Trust’s emergency service consistently performs better than the national average on the NHS Friends and Family Test, scoring between 95% and 100%.
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Dr Ed Garratt, Chief Executive of WSCCG, one of the lead commissioners on behalf of a consortium of 19 CCGs in the area, said: “The paramedics, technicians, control room staff and volunteers should be rightly proud of the work they do. People call the ambulance service at some of the worst times of their lives, so to retain ‘Outstanding’ for care and move to ‘Good’ for being responsive is important progress. While there is much to do, the new chief executive and chairman are making clear improvements.”
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Great volunteering work by CCG staff
As a locally focused organisation we actively encourage our staff to get involved in volunteering opportunities in the west Suffolk community.
Here CCG staff Jo, Vicky, Rachel and Emma are pictured mucking in to help clear an elderly lady's overgrown garden in Fornham All Saints.
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Do you live in Haverhill or the surrounding area?
The Voluntary Network operates a bus service to West Suffolk Hospital.
If you hold a concessionary pass the journey is free and you can be picked up from any bus stop in Haverhill.
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Come and work with us - latest jobs
Project Manager - Personal Health Budgets
Medicines Management Technician - Dementia
Nurse Co-ordinator
The CCG is proud of being an Investor in People Platinum award winner - the highest possible accreditation which recognises an outstanding level of staff engagement.
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Suffolk Rape Crisis is recruiting volunteers
Could you spare some time to support the good work done by this fine organisation?
Contact i.booth@srchelp.org.uk for more information
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St Nicholas Hospice weekly drop-in group
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West Suffolk Hopsital is top in the east for doctors' training for two years running
The hospital has once again scored top in the East of England for doctors' overall training satisfaction in acute trusts, in the General Medical Council’s national training survey 2019.
The doctors surveyed by the GMC rated their overall satisfaction at 82%, a 3% increase on last year.
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New book published
West Suffolk Hospital's Chief Executive, Professor Stephen Dunn, has written a book - "An NHS Baptism of Fire: My First Years as an NHS Chief Executive". You can purchase on Amazon for £3.99 with proceeds going to the hospital's My Wish charity.
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The Sun - Who Care Wins Health Awards
Nominations are now open - a chance to give our NHS heroes the recognition they deserve.
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Will you please vote for our friends at Headway Suffolk.
Headway Suffolk's Brainy Dog scheme trains rescue dogs to be well trained companion and pets to people with a neurological condition. The dogs under our supervision are trained by prisoners, people with mental health problems , teenagers excluded from school and the homeless.
The project is funded by the Big Lottery. The Big Lottery is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and is trying to find their best project. Out of 700 nominations Brainy Dogs is through to the final ten. In order to win £10,000 and to appear on the BBC's One show they need public votes.
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Do you know a young person with a career ambition of working with racehorses?
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County lines criminal exploitation of children and adults
The term county lines refers to urban gangs supplying drugs to suburban areas, as well as market and coastal towns, by using dedicated mobile phone lines or “deal lines”. Gangs use children and vulnerable people to move drugs and money to these areas. Once caught up in county lines, exploited individuals are at risk of extreme physical and/or sexual violence, gang recriminations and trafficking.
Learn more and read about the signs to look out for.
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Meeting in public of the CCG's Governing Body
The next meeting will take place on Wednesday September 25 at West Suffolk House in Bury St Edmunds.
The meeting begins at 9.15 a.m. and you have the opportunity to speak with Governing Body members from 9.00 a.m.
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