Archive for November, 2014

Members of the public are invited to come along to our last governing body meetings of the year on Wednesday 26 November.

Governing body meetings are held bimonthly in public so people can listen to members discussing the work of the CCGs, as well as asking questions prior to the start of the formal meeting.

The meeting begins at 1pm, following an open public session where people can ask questions shortly before the start. It takes place at the Family Life Centre, Ash St, Southport.

If you would like to come along please call to confirm your attendance.

You will find papers in advance of the meeting in the About us section of this website.

NHS Southport and Formby CCG’s chief officer has been named Inspirational Leader of the Year at the NHS North West Leadership Academy Awards.

Fiona Clark won against some extremely strong competition from the three other finalists in the category to take the top title at the awards ceremony in Liverpool on Wednesday 19 November.

She said: “I’ve made it to the shortlist for this award on three consecutive occasions and each time I’ve been overwhelmed to have made it so far. So, to go from being the bridesmaid to the bride is extremely humbling and it’s really a testament to having such a great team because without them, I wouldn’t have anyone to inspire.”

Fiona’s career in the NHS began in 1982. As a registered general nurse, Fiona went on to become a midwife and health visitor. She worked in a variety of clinical roles before moving into management in 1999 and has worked in Sefton since 2007.

Her role is a joint appointment with NHS South Sefton CCG and its clinical vice chair, Dr Craig Gillespie, said: “Fiona is truly a worthy recipient of this award. She is an exceptional leader who works extremely hard for the people of Sefton and we are extremely proud and honoured to call her our chief officer.”

Chair of NHS Southport and Formby CCG, Dr Rob Caudwell, added: “The award is recognition of Fiona’s dedication to leadership and for the inspiration she provides to those she works with. This is evident throughout the organisation and has enabled us to continue to achieve the best we can for our patients, colleagues and partners.”

The awards ceremony was a double celebration for NHS Southport and Formby CCG, as the organisation was a finalist in the NHS Governing Body of the Year category.

Rob said: “We joined a number of highly achieving organisations on the shortlist, and it is a great honour to have our work recognised in such a prestigious event.”

The NHS North West Leadership Academy Awards was held at the Isla Gladstone Conservatory in Anfield’s Stanley Park.

Don’t be left out in the cold, understand how to look after your winter ailments.

During Self Care Week, NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is encouraging people to self care for life – and understand how to take better care of yourself and your family members, especially during the winter months when seasonal illnesses increase.

Preventing ill health is important during winter and the CCG is encouraging people to choose lifestyle options that will impact positively on their physical health, mental wellbeing and self esteem.

Dr Rob Caudwell, chair of NHS Southport and Formby CCG, said: “We can all take simple steps to help beat those winter blues by making sure we eat well, drink in moderation, stop smoking and stay active.”

He added: “It’s usual for adults to have two to four colds a year while children are likely to have three to eight, as their immune system is more susceptible to viral infections.

“If you do catch a winter ailment such as a cough, cold or sore throat, treat yourself better by keeping warm and drinking plenty of fluids. Over the counter medicines can help with symptom relief and a pharmacist can offer advice if you need it.”

Free expert advice about common winter ailments such as coughs, colds, sore throats and fever in children is available from any high street chemist or online from www.nhs.uk.

Rob said: “Generally, symptoms last longer than you might think and it is helpful to know what is normal and what isn’t. It is worth remembering also that antibiotics don’t work on most winter illnesses like colds and flu as these are viral infections.

“If you have a long term condition, make sure you have had your free flu vaccination and prepare for winter by ensuring you don’t run out of your medication, many pharmacists offer repeat prescription services without the need to see your GP.”

Before you visit A&E, remember what it’s there for. It provides vital care for life threatening emergencies, such as loss of consciousness, suspected heart attacks, breathing difficulties, or severe bleeding that cannot be stopped. So, if you have a winter ailment, ask yourself, do I want to spend four hours waiting for someone to look at my sore throat?

Liverpool Community Health (LCH) NHS Trust is encouraging Sefton residents to take care of themselves as part of National Self Care Week 2014.

Self Care Week is an annual awareness campaign that aims to raise awareness of how some common ailments do not require antibiotics, and that visiting a pharmacy for advice and treatment is often your best bet.  

The campaign runs between 17- 23 November and this year’s theme focuses on ‘Self care for life – be healthy this winter’.  Self care is simply about taking care of yourself. It means keeping fit, healthy and active, as well as knowing how to take medicines, treat minor ailments and knowing how and where to seek help when you need it. Being more health conscious and choosing healthy options will have a positive impact on physical health as well as mental wellbeing and self-esteem. 

If you have a long-term condition such as Diabetes, COPD, Arthritis or Asthma, self-care is also about understanding your condition and how to live with it or manage it well. The focus is very much about what you can do, rather than what you can’t do.

Doctor’s appointments and visits to A&E rise at this time of year. One of the main causes is for cold and flu which can often be treated by having a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home. The essential items include paracetamol or aspirin, decongestants, antiseptic creams, indigestion remedies and a thermometer.  

Dr Akpan, Consultant in Community Geriatric Medicine at Aintree University Hospital and Associate Medical Director at LCH said: “Self-care is incredibly important and can help local NHS services during the busy winter months. One in four people who access A&E could have either self-treated or used another service such as their local pharmacy, Doctor or Walk in Centre for advice or treatment of minor injuries and ailments.” 

Dr Akpan continues “We want to encourage people to take control of their health, take care of minor ailments, manage more serious conditions and choose healthy options.  Prevention is a major part of delivering high quality health care and we want more people to be aware of the wide range of services available that will help them live longer, healthier lives.”

Liverpool Community Health also offers a wide range of Public Health and Health Promotion services to support individuals and families to improve their health and wellbeing, including alcohol awareness, smoking cessation, community food workers, ‘healthy eating’ courses and physical activity programmes. To find out more about the range of support services available in Sefton please visit: http://www.healthysefton.nhs.uk/

Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust was voted number one for quality in national awards.

The Trust’s Come Dine with Me dining companion project was winner in the local improvement category of the 2014 Health Quality Improvement Partnership Awards.

The project was also voted the national Gold Award winner out 25 entries, including those from NHS teaching hospitals and medical royal colleges.

Come Dine with Me was launched last year following feedback from a national dementia audit. Volunteers are trained to sit with patients at mealtimes and give help to those who need it. There are now 21 companions volunteering at Southport and Ormskirk hospitals.

Matron for Performance and Standards Sue Johnson who received the award with Janette Mills, Head of Audit and Effectiveness, on behalf of the Trust said: “Come Dine with Me is a deceptively simple idea but it really made an impact on the delegates who voted it gold award winner.”

Angela Kelly, Interim Director of Nursing and Quality, added: “As well as helping with eating, the dining companion can chat, encourage patients to eat and help alleviate the boredom and loneliness that can be experienced while staying in hospital. 

“This is vital support for some patients who don’t receive any visitors and may be lonely or anxious or suffering from a form of dementia or Alzheimer’s.”

HQIP Chief Executive Jane Ingham said: “The HQIP Quality Improvement Awards received a record number of entries this year and standards were extremely high. We congratulate all of the winners for the excellence they have shown in their field.”

Anyone interested in becoming a Come Dine with Me volunteer should contact Chris Pilkington, volunteer coordinator for the project, on or email . Training for the role is provided and volunteers must be available at meal times.

 

As the winter nights start to draw in Sefton Council, in partnership with Sefton CVS, have launched the Sefton Cares campaign to encourage people to look in on a relative, friend or neighbour for a brew and a chat to help them feel less isolated.

Cllr Paul Cummins, Cabinet Member, Older People and Health said “Spending just a few minutes with someone you know can help them feel less isolated; you may be the only friendly face they see from one day to the next.” He continued “There is a lot going on in local communities to reduce social isolation and to encourage people to be active, healthy and well.” 

As part of the campaign we have developed a web page on Sefton Council website that provides some useful links to other web pages and sites. There is also a link to the Sefton Directory which is full of useful information on a wide range of services and opportunities to keep you and your family active, healthy and well. It also provides details of clubs and activities for people to take part in within their local community. So, if you take the time to look in on someone you know who may be feeling lonely and isolated why not let them know about some of the great things that are going on locally that they could get involved in.

You can find out more about the campaign and help support it by visiting : www.sefton.gov.uk/cares

Let’s all help reduce social isolation this winter and show that Sefton Cares!

Sefton council is urging local residents to get themselves registered to vote online.

 The new system now means that you will need to register to vote individually, providing your national insurance number and date of birth as identifying information.

Register to vote now!

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is holding a second event inviting local people to tell inspectors what they think about care at Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust.

People’s views and experiences gained at the two events will help inspectors decide what to look at when they begin their formal inspection of the trust starting on 10 November.

To ensure the views of patients and the local community are properly heard, the inspectors are holding this additional drop in event at Ormskirk District General Hospital on:

• Friday 14 November, 11am to 12pm, Room 1, Education Centre, Ormskirk District General Hospital, Wigan Road, Ormskirk L39 2AZ.

The first event takes place on:

• Wednesday, 5 November from 6.30pm at the Royal Clifton Hotel and Spa, The Promenade, Southport, PR8 1RB

People are being encouraged to attend the listening events to tell the team about their experiences of care from the past year and to say where they would like to see improvements made in the future as well as find out more about the inspection.

If you are unable to attend either session there are a number of other ways you can make sure your experiences are heard. You can give your views to the inspection team at any time:

• By completing an online form
• By emailing –
• By writing to – CQC, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA
• By phoning – 03000 61 61 61

The trust is being inspected and given an overall rating under radical changes which have been introduced by the Care Quality Commission and it will be given an overall rating as a result of the inspection.

The Chief Inspector, Professor Sir Mike Richards, announced last year that he will lead significantly larger inspection teams than before, headed up by clinical and other experts including trained members of the public.

A full report of the inspectors’ findings will be published by the Care Quality Commission later in the year. The trust will be one of the first to be given one of the following ratings:  Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate.