Bay Health and Care Partners Stakeholder Newsletter Issue 5
Date posted: 1st November 2021
Welcome to the fifth edition of our Bay Health and Care Partners (BHCP) newsletter where we will update you every month on the collaborative work that is taking place in Morecambe Bay’s Place-Based Partnership and the outcomes and benefits for communities.
Across Morecambe Bay, health and care professionals working in primary, community and acute, ambulance, social care and mental health services continue to manage the impact of the pandemic on people, services and care. We are so proud that our colleagues across the health and care system are continuing to pull together to deliver great local care despite the current high demand. You can read more about how partners are working together at the BHCP website here. GPs and practice staff in Morecambe Bay have launched a video to address some of the pressures they are currently facing. You can watch the video at the NHS Morecambe Bay CCG YouTube site here and read more about the pressures at the BHCP website here.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust’s has launched a new ‘We’re Here For You’ campaign to highlight the support available to colleagues working in the emergency services, health and social care, teachers, council workers, public sector volunteers and their families through the Lancashire and South Cumbria Resilience Hub. We would urge any colleagues who are struggling with their mental health due to the psychological impact of Covid-19 to use this fantastic resource.
It is great to see so many projects progressing across our Place-Based Partnership in Morecambe Bay. One of these has been the launch of a new Let’s Talk Barrow page on the Let’s Talk Morecambe Bay online engagement platform. The page will give people living in Barrow or the surrounding areas the opportunity to tell us what would make the community a happier and healthier place to live. You can register to access the page here.
It is encouraging to see that new diagnostic centres have opened at Westmorland General Hospital, Rossendale Primary Health Care Centre, Preston Healthport and Whitegate Drive Health Centre in Blackpool following investment from the government. You can read more about the investment at the BHCP website here.
Lastly, we would like to finish by welcoming Dr Lindsey Dickinson and Dr Peter Gregory who have joined our partnership as Associate Medical Directors of Primary and Community Care. You can read more about Dr Dickinson and Dr Gregory's roles here.
Dr Geoff Jolliffe and Prof Mike Thomas, Joint Chairs for BHCP
Partners transforming services
Every month we will explore a different area of our programmes of work that are transforming services. This month we are highlighting the Outpatients transformation project which has developed a poster campaign to promote electronic booking (eBooking) which gives people who have a smartphone more control over selecting the date and time of their outpatient appointment. You can find out more about the project at the BHCP website here and you can download a copy of the poster here. You can watch an animation on eBooking at the BHCP YouTube channel here.
Listening to our communities
We will listen to the voices of our communities and involve them in the development of services. Here we will highlight the work that is ongoing to engage with people across the Bay.
In this edition of the newsletter, we focus on the newly formed Health Equity Commission which wants to improve the lives of residents of Lancashire and South Cumbria. The commission is chaired by an international expert in health equity, Professor Sir Michael Marmot. This follows an agreement by Health and Community Leaders to form a regional Lancashire & South Cumbria Health Equity Commission (HEC) to improve health inequalities and help transform the
health and wellbeing of people living in the region.
The Health Equity Commission will consist of a panel comprising leaders/influencers and independent experts from across Lancashire and South Cumbria. It aims to provide local organisations, partners and place-based partnerships the support to make health inequalities and the ‘prevention agenda’ our shared priority and provide them with a clear voice in the region and across the Integrated Care System.
You can read the full story at the BHCP website here.
GP focus with Dr Amy Lee
Our GPs are an important part of Bay Health Care Partners and here our GPs and primary care colleagues have the opportunity to talk about issues and specialties that they are working on or interested in. This month, local GP Dr Amy Lee, of Captain French Surgery, advises on loneliness and highlights the amazing work of Kendal Lunch Bunch club which is bringing together some of Kendal's elderly frail residents to allow them to have a healthy meal and socialise with others to improve their wellbeing. You can read the full feature at the BHCP website here.
The spotlight on... SBS
Every month we will feature a different voluntary, community or faith sector organisation across the Bay. This time the Spotlight is on…Suicide Bereavement Support (SBS) for Cumbria and surrounding areas. The charity is currently supporting over 700 people and offers monthly face-to-face peer support meetings and a fortnightly online meeting. SBS offers a support line, a closed Facebook group offering peer support to members, a newsletter, and a website providing online resources and information. You can read the full case study at the BHCP website here.
Celebrating our teams
There are a variety of roles across BHCP and other organisations we work with in the community. Here we shine the spotlight on the people who carry out a range of roles to keep our communities healthy and supported. Mark Wilson is a Senior Health and Wellbeing Companion at The Well Communities in Morecambe. Through his role, Mark supports anyone with a dual diagnosis of mental health and addiction. You can read more about Mark's role at the BHCP website here.
ICCs update
Our Integrated Care Communities (ICCs) are integrated teams of health and care workers, voluntary organisations and wider community assets who work together to aim to improve physical and mental health outcomes, promote wellbeing and reduce health inequalities across an entire population.
In this edition, we explore the award-winning Kendal Lunch Bunch Club which is bringing together some of Kendal's most isolated residents. You can read the full story at the BHCP website here. The latest editions of the ICCs' newsletters can be read here.
Top stories from our partners
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust - Maternal Mental Health Service
- Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group - Covid-19 booster programme
- Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust - Launch of new mental health campaign
- Cumbria CVS - Latest news
- Lancaster District CVS - Latest news
- Cumbria County Council - Cumbrians urged to get their winter vaccines
- Lancashire County Council - National Cyber Force
- Barrow Borough Council - Exciting low carbon Barrow projects
- South Lakeland District Council - Latest news
- Lancaster City Council - Festival premiers light art spectacles
- Lancashire and South Cumbria H&C Partnership - Latest news
Thank you for reading our latest edition!
This newsletter is produced by the BHCP Comms and Engagement Team. If you would like to submit a story please contact Michelle Jordan, Ivan Drozdov and Karen Evans at BHCP.Communcations@mbht.nhs.uk
You can sign up for the newsletter here or send us any feedback on it here.
You can find a PDF version of this edition of the newsletter at the 'Bay Health and Care Partners Newsletters' section of the website by clicking here.