Phase 2 of Your Big Health Conversation has now ended – here are the first findings

Phase 2 of Your Big Health Conversation – an ongoing engagement project running across the three CCGs serving Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport, and South Eastern Hampshire –  has now ended, and an initial, high-level presentation of the findings is now available and can be found here.

The second round of engagement work focused on face-to-face discussions with patient and carer groups from across the wider Portsmouth and south east Hampshire area, seeking views about four specific topics: community-based mental health care; frailty; same-day services, and supporting those living with long-term illnesses.

Some of the insights received, to inform our thinking about how we can best deliver new models of out-of-hospital care, include:

  • A strong sense of ‘computer says no’ from people living with mental illness – they often perceive services which are designed to suit the NHS, not them, and feel that they have to fit themselves into the NHS structure, rather than the NHS flexing to meet their personal needs
  • The sense of burden that people living with several long-term illnesses may feel, confronted by systems which can often break down and leave them with the task of chasing up results, rearranging appointments, or being left in limbo between different departments with nobody able to promote their interests
  • The importance of recognising that people who are extremely frail can also be extremely isolated, and that helping them tackle loneliness can be just as important as addressing physical health needs.

A public-friendly summary of the feedback we received can be found here. (A much more detailed, full report will be available shortly.)

For more information visit www.portsmouthccg.nhs.uk/Join-In/your-big-health-conversation.htm 

 

 

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HIVE: There’s a new buzz around Portsmouth Central Library

The HIVE Portsmouth City Centre

HIVE Portsmouth is a project bringing together people from the statutory, voluntary and community sectors to build a healthier, happier and more connected city.

As well as finding innovative ways to deliver services for the people of Portsmouth, HIVE Portsmouth will also provide information, advice and support. We’re creating a shared office space in the lower ground floor of Portsmouth Central Library.

My Time, a service providing support for unpaid carers and Social Prescribing Portsmouth, a service providing non-clinical support to people struggling with a range of issues, will be first to move in.

To find out more click here

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MCP Away Day

On Friday 7 December the Portsmouth MCP programme held an away day to review the progress of the partnership and agree priorities moving forward.

The partnership, made up of Portsmouth Primary Care Alliance (PPCA), Solent NHS Trust, Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Portsmouth City Council (PCC), have committed to work together to meet the challenges facing health and care services in the city. This will be achieved through the development of new models of care that dissolve the traditional boundaries between the delivery of primary care, community health, and social care and hospital services.

The afternoon marketplace presented information on each of the projects and was attended by staff from PCC, Solent, CCG, GP practices, voluntary organisations, Healthwatch, MP’s, councillors and colleagues from health and care services in Fareham, Gosport and South East Hampshire.

Portsmouth MCP away day presentation

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Personalised care success

Personalised care means people have increased choice and control over the decisions that affect their own health and wellbeing.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ model for personalised care with the emphasis on empowering individuals who access health and care services in a way that fits them as an individual and the goals they set themselves.
Personalised care includes,
• Shared decision making – people are supported to understand the care, treatment and support options available and the benefits and consequences of the options

• Supported self-management – people are supported to develop the knowledge and confidence to manage their health and wellbeing through health coaching or peer support

• Social prescribing and community based support – people can access community connection projects to enable them to be connected in to community based support

• Personalised care and support planning – people have a personalised conversation and plan based on what matters to them including identification of their needs and their health and wellbeing

• Personal health budgets – an agreed  amount of money to support an individual’s health and wellbeing needs as identified by the personalised care and support plan

Here is just one case of how this has worked well:

Mrs A:

Client is a 93 year old female who lives alone in the North of the City.

She was referred to the Community Connector Service via the Red Cross.

Client suffered a stroke in 2017, after a long hospital stay she was discharged home with support from the Red Cross. Red Cross discharged and referred to the service.

Resulting from the stroke this client has reduced sight, which she finds frustrating. She has had a recent diagnosis of breast cancer and has had a bad fall in her garden; all this have impacted on her feeling vulnerable. The client has not been out of her home alone since July 2017. She is lacking in confidence and has anxiety.

Client’s mobility is restricted, she mobilises with a four wheeled trolley and walking stick indoors. She was issued a three wheeled walker for outdoors from hospital discharge but due to living on the hillslopes and having several steps to get in and out of her home it was restricting her to use the three wheeled walker, it was unused and kept in the shed.

There were several restrictions to her being able to get out of her home which creates a barrier for her to be able to access the community independently and safely. She has lived in her property for many years and does not feel that she would like to move from her family home.

Client used to mobilise independently, socialise with friends, enjoying shopping and having lunch, she was confident to use public transport but on referral feels lonely and isolated, having to rely solely on her friends to take her out.

Client does not feel safe to go out on her own and was anxious of falling again.

Goals

  • To regain confidence and reduce anxieties.
  • To join a new group and meet new people.
  • To be less reliant on her friends.
  • Improve her skills to use her walking aid.
  • To reengage with the Salvation Army Befriending service

Intervention

  • Community Connector assessed the property and arranged adaptations to be completed to the outside of the property to make it safer and accessible to get outside, this included installing clamp rails, grab rails, rehanging of garden gate and concrete infill to outdoor steps.
  • After discussion with client it was evident that she was unable to use the three wheeled walker due to its weight. A four wheeled rollator was ordered.
  • Supported to reengage with Salvation Army Befriending service.
  • Supported with walking practice with rollator and to regain confidence to use public transport and taxi service.
  • Mrs A was supported to join a new social group in the area she lives.
  • Mrs A was supported to arrange Meals on Wheels.
  • Referral to Good Gym for a befriender.

Outcome

Client’s confidence has grown to use the four wheeled rollator.

Using the newly installed rails makes her feels less anxious about falling and enabling her to access the outdoor space to the property independently also to be able to enjoy her garden again.

After confidence practice sessions to use the bus she felt that due to the distance to the bus stop and living on the hill slopes that she would feel happier to take a taxi

Client now attends a local social group, has met new people and enjoys the company, conversation and activities. She is now arranging to meet friends for lunch independently.

The Salvation Army Befriending service have reengaged and continues to visit, they have arranged for an old friend to visit for afternoon tea and client is waiting to be paired to a befriender from the Good Gym.

Client reports she now feels that she is enjoying socialising again, feeling less lonely and no longer feels that she is isolated. Client said that she feels a “great sense of achievement”.

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Shared Lives Christmas party

Shared Lives households, staff and prospective Shared Lives carers met together for a Christmas celebration last week.

The fun evening included Mulled wine, live music from The Simpsons, the infamous Shared Lives raffle and a buffet (provided by Lily and Lime).

Shared Lives carers welcome adults form the community into their own homes. They share their home life and community activities and receive a fee for the support they provide. If you know of anyone with a spare room and some spare time who would like to help someone who needs a bit of extra support then please get them to contact the Shared Lives team on 023 9261 6700

 

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Social Prescribing Portsmouth launch

Social Prescribing is a means of enabling GPs and other frontline healthcare professionals to refer patients to a link worker – to provide them with a face to face conversation during which they can learn about the possibilities and design their own personalised solutions, i.e. ‘co-produce’ their ‘social prescription’- so that people with social, emotional or practical needs are empowered to find solutions which will improve their health and wellbeing.

The Social Prescribing Portsmouth team can help in three ways

  • By giving people time to explore and define what is important for their wellbeing, helping to identify issues they would like to address
  • Walk alongside people to access services, activities and resources of community support
  • Plan for challenges and build resilience

What people say

“I just wanted to say since our first meeting I’ve felt better about my situation. I feel like a person and not a patient for the first time in my life I don’t feel my fibro is controlling me and rather the other way around and I’m living my life, so thank you”

“I wish this service had been around a long time ago”

How to access the Service

People over 18 who are living in the PO1-PO6 postcodes can be referred to the Social Prescribing Service by anyone within a GP Practice, including reception staff, as well as NHS Solent Teams. The Service also works with specific departments at QA Hospital.

Once a referral has been made, a member of the Social Prescribing team will get in touch within two days to discuss the situation and goals.

Contact Us

Please email socialprescribing@theyoutrust.org.uk

Phone 023 9206 5504

http://theyoutrust.org.uk/service/social-care-services/

We look forward to hearing from you.

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Portsmouth Learning Disabilities Partnership Board re-launch

Portsmouth Learning Disabilities Partnership Board re-launch

The Portsmouth Learning Disabilities Partnership Board is being re-launched next week. The Board will bring together anyone with an interest in improving services for adults with Learning Disabilities: service users, parents, carers, providers, professionals and commissioners. Board meetings will give service users a greater voice and help identify any unmet needs.

The meeting is on Monday 19th November, 10.00am – 12.30pm in the Menuhin Room, 3rd floor Central library, followed by a buffet lunch.

Christopher.noden@portsmouthcc.gov.uk for details

 

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Shared Lives event

Shared Lives event on Thursday 29 November

On Thursday 29 November at 3.30pm -5.30pm the Portsmouth Shared Lives team will be holding an event at Southsea Library. This will be an opportunity to ask any questions that you have about Shared Lives. There will also be a chance to speak to existing Shared Lives carers.

If you would like to find out more about Shared Lives before the event, you can learn more here.

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Patients welcome new extended access scheme for Portsmouth

Patients have welcomed a new integrated 24/7 primary care service to improve patient care and access to services across Portsmouth.

The scheme, which offers patients registered with a city GP an improved choice of out-of-hours care, was used 2,968 patients in September – almost exactly the 3,000 people a month that were expected to use it before its launch on June 29.

NHS Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which plans and buys a range of health services, commissioned the Integrated Primary Care Service (IPCS) from the Portsmouth Primary Care Alliance (PPCA), which represents GP practices.

In a pioneering new-look approach, patients can not only access routine appointments in-hours at their own GP surgeries as they did previously, but now also make weekday evening and Saturday appointments at a GP hub at Lake Road Health Centre, in central Portsmouth.

As well as additional routine appointments the service offers urgent same-day appointments every day from 6.30am to10pm, 365 days a year.

It has linked three services for people needing urgent out-of-hospital care. These are the:

* Acute Visiting Service (AVS) – a home visiting service for all Portsmouth GP registered patients needing urgent but non-emergency care
* The extended access service – to provide routine medical provision from Mondays to Saturdays to registered patients outside of core hours until 8pm, and urgent, same-day appointments until 10pm every day
* and Out-of-Hours provision – accessed through the NHS 111 service, with GP care provided overnight from 6.30pm to 8am.

Feedback has been extremely positive. The patient survey shows that more than 91% of patients who completed the survey in September agreed that that they received a ball back quickly. Some 6% were uncertain, and 2.5% disagreed.

Some 76% said they were seen quickly after arriving for their appointment. 13% were unsure and nearly 11% disagreed.

Also 99% of patients said the staff were helpful and courteous. 1% were uncertain.

Importantly around 95% of patients were happy with the outcome of their consultation, compared to nearly 1.5% who were not. Nearly 3% of patients were unsure.

Dr Linda Collie, the CCG’s clinical lead, said: “The scheme has not had long enough to settle down for us to come to any major conclusions, but the early signs are encouraging.

“We have had the number of contacts we were expecting and very importantly for us, the number of face-to-face contacts required by the patients has not been as high as we thought it might be because more issues were resolved to a patient’s satisfaction over the phone.

“This means that GPs then have more time to deal with the next patient. This is crucial at a time when there is such huge pressure on our GP practices because of the increasing demand for their services.”

Dr Rumi Chhapia, the Clinical Director for the service, said: “We are pleased with the development of this service to date, and with the positive impact it is having on people living in Portsmouth.

“By having access to the patient notes in the GP practice as well, we are able to ensure good decision-making, based on what individual patients need.”

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NHS 70th Birthday Celebrations

Join the Lord Mayor, health staff and children from across the city on Thursday 5 July to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS.

The council and Portsmouth CCG are hosting an event in Guildhall Square to celebrate the NHS.

From 10.30am until 2pm there will be expert advice and interactive facilities about all things health, including smoking, alcohol, weight, mental wellbeing, tooth cleaning and oral health, and life-saving. You’ll also have the opportunity to find out more about the Lord Mayor’s Small Changes Big Difference campaign.

Find out more here.

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