Posted on: 11 October 2019
This week’s leadership message comes from Martin Barkley, CEO for Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and CEO Lead for the Partnership’s Innovation and Improvement Programme.
We also have a special feature on Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) who work across our area and who will be celebrating the work they do starting from Monday 14 October.
Hello, my name is Martin
Innovation is transforming health and care across our Partnership. As a health and care system we have a track record for innovation and as a region we have a wealth of assets, including a thriving university sector, over 250 HealthTech businesses, and a strong Academic Health Science Network (AHSN). Capitalising on this means people will receive the benefits of innovation as it drives faster, more convenient, higher quality care which is delivered by services that are digitally connected and continually striving to make improvements.
We have been ambitious in our approach to innovation and improvement for the 2.7million people living across our area.
Back in October 2018 our partnership identified 21 innovations that we felt could improve the quality of care. These spanned health and care settings and ranged from innovations in housing to improvements in emergency surgery.
We set ourselves challenging aspirations for the adoption of these evidence-based innovations across the region by March 2020. We have already met, or even exceeded, our aspirations for 13 of these innovations. And with this achievement comes real benefits for people. The full list is extensive but in brief; our work has prevented over 1,000 readmissions into hospitals, one case of cerebral palsy, 125 strokes through the introduction of mobile ECGs (an electrocardiogram is a simple test that can be used to check your heart's rhythm and electrical activity), 10 heart attacks and another 14 strokes through the roll out of the Healthy Hearts programme.
These impacts not only make a huge difference to people’s lives but also make best use of NHS funding. For example, preventing readmissions through our Connect with Pharmacy Innovation saved Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust £6m in 2018/19. Each stroke avoided - most importantly saves people’s lives - but also saves the health and care system at least £12,225. Each case of cerebral palsy avoided saves the health and care system £5m over their lifetime.
One of our partners in adoption and innovation is Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network (@YHAHSN). Working in partnership speeds up improvements in care. It also drives inclusive economic growth and productivity across the region, i.e. brings more jobs into the area.
We are advancing a mutually beneficial approach to the development and testing of innovation with our framework for working with the MedTech industries which is hosted by Leeds Academic Health Partnership. Together these activities will position the region as an area of expertise, growth and productivity that will deliver high quality outcomes and clear benefits for people – which is after all what we are all about.
Of course we are not stopping there. There is no resting on your laurels if you are inspired by innovation, quality improvement, and saving lives, like I am.
There are more evidence based innovations to spread and evaluate in the real-world. We will be spreading a new test for pre-eclampsia to protect mums-to-be, treating intensely painful cluster headaches, protecting people with hereditary high cholesterol, managing disabling multiple sclerosis and diagnosing people with bowel cancer earlier.
We will also be exploring how innovation and improvement can improve safety for people with living with mental health conditions and how it can support how we personalise care for individuals. As a Partnership we are committed to transforming how we provide out-patient care and giving people more options on how to access care; embracing digital solutions. Key to this is ensuring we take staff and people accessing care with us on testing our thinking.
We will be taking what we have learnt so far to accelerate our efforts to deliver ever-better care.
I continue to be excited by the opportunities that are ahead of us and I’m grateful to have the backing of such energetic and knowledgeable partners. I hope you are too.
Have a good weekend,
Martin
Celebrating Allied Health Professionals
Monday 14 October, is national #AHPsDay. This is a day to celebrate the contribution that allied health professions (AHPs) make to the health and care of people across our area.
With that in mind, the Partnership AHP Council thought it a good idea to write a leadership blog this week to share a little about who we are, what we have been doing and what will be happening in each of our six local places on the day (Bradford District and Craven; Calderdale, Harrogate, Leeds, Kirklees and Wakefield).
There are 14 allied health professions (AHPs), covering art therapists, dramatherapists, music therapists, chiropodists/podiatrists, dietitians, occupational therapists, operating department practitioners, orthoptists, osteopaths, prosthetists and orthotists, paramedics, physiotherapists, diagnostic radiographers, therapeutic radiographers, speech and language therapists.
Since December 2018, AHPs within the Partnership have been working together to establish a forum that can be a reference point for support. We have ensured there is an opportunity for every organisation and all 14 professions to have representation at the AHP Council. If you’re not sure who your AHP representative is please do get in touch.
As a council we are committed to providing an innovative contribution to ensure Health and Care is sustainable and communities have the chance to live healthier, happier lives as part of the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan and the Partnership’s Five Year Plan. We have been making links with the existing partnership work streams. The Long Term Plan makes over 20 commitments that reference AHPs!
We are working on some of these and a group of us are considering how we can deliver at least one first contact practitioner (FCP) physiotherapist for each of the new 56 primary care networks across the area. There is also a group linking to the work on mental health and workforce.
The work of the AHP council is supported by a strong AHP network in each of our six local places. This is demonstrated in the range of activities that will be happening on and around the 14 October.
So what’s happening?
Bradford District and Craven AHPs are taking over Keighley Parkrun on 12 October where not only will we be running/ walking/ ambling the course, but also promoting the professions and sharing public health messages and advice for keeping well. Senior managers have been invited to spend the day with AHPs on the 14 October and if you want to know more contact Cathy Wright, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, Cath Gregson at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.
Harrogate will be celebrating two of their innovations this year: Integrated working and the #EatMoveImprove campaign. The Harrogate and Rural Alliance (HARA) integrated working for AHP’s across Health and Social Care uses technology (video conference facilities) to support staff with daily huddles across health and social care, manage day to day operational issues and host weekly multidisciplinary teams to discuss hot cases across the community (health, social care, primary care). For more information contact Claire Arditto at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.
Kirklees AHPs are hosting afternoon tea and inviting colleagues to see for themselves how fantastic AHPs are. They will be sharing the work they have been doing over the last two years to support the workforce, bringing them together to network. The lead contact in this area is Carrie Beaumont at Locala.
Leeds has already hosted a series of AHP Hack events to understand what we need to do next to support the delivery of the Leeds Plan. For #AHPsDay we are hosting an event at Horizon Leeds that will include presentations for AHPs, feedback on AHP Hack events and a speed dating session. If you want to know more, the contacts are Maureen Drake at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Janice Martin at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Marie Clare Trevett at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Trust.
Various events are also happening across Wakefield sites on the day. At the Pinderfields Hospital site executive directors will be shadowing various AHP professions; showcasing the AHP contribution to high quality health and social care in the atrium and information in the education centre.
Community AHP’s in Wakefield are holding a coffee morning with a ‘show and tell’ approach aimed at strengthening joined up working across, health, the council and housing. If you’re inspired to learn more about AHPs, the annual therapy conference is taking place on Wednesday 16 October at Dewsbury Hospital the Theme is ‘innovation and research’. Check out last year’s happenings here. For further Information please get in touch with Deirdre Linnane at The Mid-Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust or Steph Gillis for Adult Community Services.
If you are interested in knowing more please do get in touch or stop by, have a chat or join in the conversation at #AHPsDay on Twitter.
Have a good weekend from us all!
What else has been happening this week?
Unpaid Carers Programme Board
The Unpaid Carers Programme Board met for the first time last Thursday in Huddersfield Town Hall. There are two co-chairs: Richard Parry, Strategic Director for Adults and Health for Kirklees Council and Karen Jackson, CEO for Locala. The Board includes representatives from councils, hospitals, a GP Federation, Healthwatch and other programmes, for example population health management and digital. The Board discussed the progress of the programme to date and the importance of having community and voluntary organisations as equal partners around the table.
The Board also explored how we can further involve carers in our work to learn from their lived experience and share their views. There was a commitment to being open and honest with what is being discussed, including sharing the board papers on the website and all the members have agreed to feedback in their local places (Bradford District and Craven; Calderdale, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield) any working proposals for wider input. Young carers were high on the agenda with an update regarding the proposed young carers shadow board and the career events planned across the area. Board members were also asked for their contributions to the Partnership’s Five Year Plan and Healthwatch report.
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Workforce Action Board
A one day conference took place on Monday to reflect on the work which has taken place over the past 12 months to support the workforce. The West Yorkshire and Harrogate area is supported by the West Yorkshire and Harrogate LWAB and is co-chaired by Mike Curtis, Regional Director, North East and Yorkshire and Brendan Brown, Chief Executive, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. On Tuesday the Local Workforce Action Board met to set the priorities for the coming year. The aim is to ensure that our workforce is a positive enabler for achieving our ambitions for health and care in West Yorkshire and Harrogate. They help ensure health and care services are built around the needs of people living across our area and local providers. You can find out more by reading ‘A healthy place to live, a great place to work’ – our workforce strategy.
Local Place Planners
The Local Place Planners from across the area met on Tuesday (Bradford District and Craven; Calderdale, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield). Each gave an update on the development of their local health and care plans, which are owned by the Health and Wellbeing Boards in each area. There was an update on the development of the Five Year Plan, and their contributions and views were sought on the draft public summary. The aim of this document is to summarise the plan and to set out what makes West Yorkshire and Harrogate unique in terms of outcomes for local people and diversity of our communities and their needs. We hope to public both documents in December.
Kirklees will be the second area (Wakefield was the first in 2018) to go through the West Yorkshire and Harrogate peer review process.
Colleagues in the meeting also discussed the important links to their local economic strategy and the work of local Health and Wellbeing Plans.
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System (LMS)
The West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System aims to be a first choice place to work at, attracting and retaining a highly effective workforce that will be well led, innovative and will continuously learn. To enable the LMS to meet its vision and to deliver the recommendations highlighted in the Better Births report (2016), the NHS Long Term Plan for the NHS (2019), the Interim NHS People Plan (2019) and Health Education England Maternity Workforce Strategy (2019), a multidisciplinary workforce task and finish group, was established. Membership of the task and finish group includes representation from the NHS Trusts, Health Education England, Local Workforce Action Board, Royal College of Midwives, Universities, Neonatal Operational Delivery Network, clinical networks and other partnership organisations. Following engagement with stakeholders, a programme of work was agreed to ensure we have a workforce that can respond to maternity transformation. One of the priorities for this programme of work was the adoption of a common standardised West Yorkshire and Harrogate LMS preceptorship programme for newly qualified midwives. This was identified through a table-top comparison of the current packages provided by the six NHS Hospital Trusts in the LMS. This exercise identified considerable variation in the content, the support offered and duration of the preceptorship period. Following the great work of the LMS Preceptorship sub group they have developed a standardised LMS preceptorship package which is now available for all newly qualified midwives to support them through their preceptorship period. You can read more in this article by Royal College of Midwives.
Primary Care Network Clinical Director Event
The first Primary Care Network Clinical Director Event takes place today (11 October) in Leeds. There are 56 Primary Care Networks (PCNs) across West Yorkshire and Harrogate. They are a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan, with general practices being a part of a wider network, typically covering 30,000-50,000 people. The networks will provide the support for services to be developed locally, in response to the needs of people living in their surrounding neighbourhoods. PCNs are important because they will build on strong local partnerships already in place. Working effectively with councils, community organisations, and local elected members in the development of the PCNs is important – they also know what keeps local people healthy and well. Dame Barbara Ann Hakin will open the event, she is a former Deputy Chief Executive of NHS England. Carol McKenna, CEO Lead for the Partnership’s Primary and Community Care Programme and Chief Officer for Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Group and Chief Officer for North Kirklees Clinical Commissioning Group will give an overview of the work taking place across West Yorkshire and Harrogate. Other guest speakers include Dr Karen Kirkham, National Clinical Advisor Primary Care NHS England and Improvement and Clinical Lead Dorset Integrated Care System. Karen will present on the Evolution and Development of PCNs.
£55k funding to support eye care services in West Yorkshire and Harrogate
One of the key aims for the Partnership’s Improving Planned Care Programme is to transform eye care services across West Yorkshire and Harrogate so that people receive the same high standards of care when they need it and in the most appropriate place.
Essential to achieving that aim is an adequately skilled optometry workforce that is able to manage people with increasingly complex sight loss conditions in more community settings that are easier for eye care patients to access.
With that aim in mind, the Partnership is delighted to announce that West Yorkshire and Harrogate has been awarded £55,000 worth of funding which has been made available by Health Education England (HEE) through its workforce development fund. HEE invited healthcare organisations to bid for a portion of the funding by explaining how they would use the money to develop their workforce in 2019/20.
The money for our region will give local community and hospital-based optometrists the opportunity to undertake the ‘Professional Certificate in Medical Retina and Independent Prescriber’ training at the University of Bradford’s school of Optometry and Vision Science. You can read more here.
‘Looking out for our neighbours’ campaign is back
We are hoping to launch phase two of #ourneighbours campaign mid-November. This will include messages of support for elderly people during the winter months. Please register your support for #OurNeighbours at https://
What's happening next week?
The Joint Committee of Clinical Commissioning Groups, Public, Patient Involvement Assurance Group meets on Monday.
- West Yorkshire and Harrogate Personalised Care Programme Board meets on Wednesday.
- Health Education Loneliness Symposium, including a presentation on ‘Looking out for our neighbours’ takes place on Wednesday.
- Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism Collaborative Board meet on Friday.
- The Area Partnership Group (which includes union representation across the area) meets on Friday.
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust are counting down the days until they visit 167 of Yorkshire's secondary schools to provide free cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to 40,000 students on Restart a Heart Day - 16 October 2019.
The focus of this year’s World Mental Health Day on Thursday was the scale of suicide and the role that each of us can play to help prevent it. To mark the day lots of activities took place across the area including Calderdale Council welcoming Dame Carol Black to talk about mental health and South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust officially opening their new Unity Centre.
Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have recorded a special one-off podcast featuring a conversation between:
- Josef Faulkner – Community Mental Health Service Manager at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Leeds Rhinos’ Stevie Ward – the founder and editor-in-chief of Mantality magazine
- Chris O’Connor – a Leeds-based writer whose recent plays tackle men’s mental health
You can read the full news article and listen to the podcast. Or catch up on all activity across our area and beyond on twitter #WorldMentalHealthDay2019