Bulletin
Your views on planned care; Launch of RM Partners Strategy; New mental health walk-in; Compassionate Care for all consultation. |
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Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin
Key points this week include:
- Improving planned care and reducing NHS waiting times in North West London: your views
- Have your say on Compassionate Care for all in north west London
- Launch of RM Partners Cancer Strategy
- Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS) now open to walk-in
- WorkWell support for residents
- Updated guidance for the management of persons exposed to animals, including birds, infected with Avian Influenza A(H5)
- Medicine Supply Notification (MSN) for Quetiapine.
Webinars and training, including:
- Rethinking pain management: A practical guide to opioids in chronic non-cancer pain
- Calling chronic pain management practice pharmacists and PCN staff
- Chronic pain in primary care and opioid harm reduction programme MDT for Brent, Harrow and Hammersmith and Fulham patients
- Training and development opportunity for GP practice administrative and reception.
If you have any submissions for this bulletin please email them to the communications inbox - nhsnwl.communications.nwl@nhs.net To view any previous editions click here |
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Improving planned care and reducing NHS waiting times in North West London: your views
This spring, NHS North West London is engaging with residents, health and care professionals, community groups and stakeholders to develop a new strategy for planned care. Planned care refers to a non-emergency health care, such as hospital outpatient appointments or planned surgery. The strategy does not cover mental health. To help improve waiting times, fair access and patient experience, we need to consider the changing needs of people in North West London, the increasing number of people who are seeking care, and how we tackle the unfair differences in waiting times and care experiences for people from different communities. The views we capture during this engagement will help shape the strategy and inform positive improvements for staff and patients. We have published an issues papers for residents which sets out our aims and the challenges. To read this paper and find out how to get involved, please visit www.nwlondonicb.nhs.uk/plannedcare. We have also published a more detailed briefing on this for professionals. We would be grateful if you could share this information with stakeholders, resident groups and colleagues so we capture a wide range of views.
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Have your say on Compassionate Care for all in north west London
NHS North West London urgently invites you to share your thoughts on the future of adult community specialist palliative care. With the Compassionate Care for All consultation on adult community specialist palliative care closing on 24 February 2025, time is running out to ensure your voice is heard. Main changes proposed:
- 46 new enhanced end-of-life care beds: These will double the existing bed capacity, providing much-needed compassionate and specialised care in comfortable, community-based settings for patients who cannot, or prefer not to, stay at home or in hospital. These beds will be staffed 24/7 by specially trained nurses and healthcare assistants, with regular access to multidisciplinary specialist palliative care teams
- Maintaining 57 consultant-led hospice inpatient beds currently available
- Specialist palliative care nursing teams available 12 hours a day (8am to 8pm), 7 days a week, across all boroughs
- 24/7 telephone support providing palliative care advice for all North West London residents
- "Hospice at Home" services 24/7 in patients' own homes
- Specialist palliative care outpatient clinics
- Improved access to psychological and bereavement support for families
- Expanded lymphoedema services for conditions related to both cancer and non-cancer causes.
How to participate:
- Complete the consultation questionnaire online or via post
- Attend an online consultation event on 4 or 5 February 2025
- Join a borough community involvement session for in-person discussions.
For more details, visit www.nwlondonicb.nhs.uk/cspcAct now to make a difference! Your input is crucial in shaping the future of compassionate care in our community.
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Launch of RM Partners Cancer Strategy
We are delighted to be launching the new RM Partners Cancer Alliance Strategy. Cancer Alliances are nationally commissioned membership organisations with a mandate to improve cancer outcomes.
We cover two ICSs (north west London and south west London). In both, cancer is the largest cause of death in adults.
Over the last few years, some of our achievements include delivering a 4% early diagnosis improvement, delivering the faster diagnosis standard and 31-day constitutional standard, and improving access to psychological care. We are excited to be launching our new strategy in partnership with ICBs, primary care and provider organisations across north west London and south west London. Our ambition is to save more lives from cancer by enhancing prevention, early diagnosis and access to timely and personalised treatment. This will be supported by our overarching commitment to eliminating variation and reducing inequality.
We are launching the new strategy with a series of interactive briefings, focused around our four strategic work programmes which will:
- Reduce preventable cancers particularly tobacco-related and vaccine-preventable cancer
- Reduce early stage diagnosis inequity, and improve early cancer diagnosis
- Ensure rapid access to treatment for all our population
- Improve survival and care outcomes.
We would like to invite you to attend the first two briefings:
- Reduce preventable cancers particularly tobacco – related and vaccine – preventable cancer: Monday 24 February 2025, 1 – 2pm
- Reduce early stage diagnosis inequity and improve Early Cancer Diagnosis: Thursday 6 March 2025, 1 – 2pm.
If you are interested in attending one or both these sessions, please email the RM Partners Primary Care Team for an MS teams invitation.
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Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS) now open to walk-in
Residents can now walk in to CNWL’s Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS) at St Charles Hospital in Kensington and Chelsea. Based at St Charles Hospital in Kensington and Chelsea, the service is open 24/7 and provides a calm, therapeutic alternative to visiting an emergency department.
This service is available to anyone aged 18 or over experiencing mental health difficulties, who does not require urgent physical health treatment, and resides in Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Brent, Harrow or Hillingdon.
MHCAS is a calm environment where you can talk to professionals about your mental health. The experience of coming to the centre may feel upsetting, but people should feel welcome and cared for at all times. You will be seen by a specialist nurse soon after arriving. We want you to feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible. There will also be food, hot drinks and snacks available.Where appropriate, you may be referred for follow up psychological interventions, or to voluntary sector services near to your home, as well as other services to meet your individual needs.You can also contact your community mental health team or call our single point of access line 24/7 for support and advice on 0800 0234 650. Visit this page to find out more.
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WorkWell
WorkWell is a free service for people in North West London who are in a job or looking for one but need support with health-related challenges. At WorkWell, we’re here to offer early help and support. We’ll work with residents to understand any health-related issues that might be in your way and create a plan that fits your needs. We also connect with local services to make sure residents get the right help.
GPs can find a case study attached and find out more about how to share details of this service with your patients.
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Updated guidance for the management of persons exposed to animals, including birds, infected with Avian Influenza A(H5)
See the updated guidance attached.
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Rethinking pain management: A practical guide to opioids in chronic non-cancer pain
Join Dr Graham Dunthorne (Appraiser and Pain Physician, Connect Health) for an engaging webinar, “Rethinking pain management: A practical guide to opioids in chronic non-cancer pain” on Wednesday 12 March 2025, 12 - 1.30pm.
This interactive session covers a NICE update on chronic pain treatments, practical steps for reviewing high-risk prescriptions, strategies for positive patient consultations, and collaborative approaches to medicine tapering.
You will have the opportunity to put forward any questions in a Q&A.
Please register for the session.
Feel free to circulate this invite to other colleagues who may be interested.
For further information and/or to get involved with the chronic pain in primary care & opioid harm reduction programme please contact catherine.caldwell@imperialcollegehealthpartners.com
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Calling chronic pain management practice pharmacists and PCN staff
Managing chronic pain, particularly when discussing deprescribing, can be complex. Connect Health (north west London MSK Partnership provider) are offering an opportunity to enhance your approach with evidence-based strategies designed to empower your patients in managing their pain more effectively.
This tailored programme for practice pharmacists and PCN staff will enable you to:
- Develop a coaching approach to transform chronic pain management
- Communicate modern pain concepts and promote non-medication strategies.
Build confidence in patient engagement and health coaching skills.
The course inludes two interactive sessions from 1–4 pm on 11 March and 25 March 2025. A functioning camera and microphone are essential for participation. Your attendance at both sessions is essential to ensure a meaningful experience for all participants.
If you would like to participate, please register for both sessions using the links below.
Session 1: 11 March 2025, 1 - 4pm
Session 2: 25 March 2025, 1 - 4pm
Feel free to circulate this invite to other Practice Pharmacists and PCN staff who may be interested.
For further information and/or to get involved with the chronic pain in primary care and opioid harm reduction programme please contact catherine.caldwell@imperialcollegehealthpartners.com
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Chronic pain in primary care and opioid harm reduction programme MDT for Brent, Harrow and Hammersmith and Fulham patients
On behalf of Dr Graham Dunthorne (Appraiser and Pain Physician, Connect Health) and Sacha Mowla (Pain Service Lead, Connect Health), we would like to invite you to the upcoming chronic pain in primary care and opioid harm reduction programme MDT meeting on 26 March 2025, 12 - 1.30pm.
You are welcome to refer patients even if formal reviews have not yet begun or simply attend to listen to the discussions or theoretical cases presented by others.
Please register for the session.
Feel free to circulate to other colleagues who may be interested.
For further information and/or to get involved with the Chronic Pain in Primary Care & Opioid Harm Reduction Programme please contact catherine.caldwell@imperialcollegehealthpartners.com
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Training and development opportunity for GP practice administrative and reception
We are pleased to offer an opportunity from Digital Transformation and Delivery Team in partnership with NAPC (National Association for Primary Care) in north west London for practices and PCNs to take part in a new and exciting primary care training and development opportunity supporting practice and administration staff. This builds on a pilot which commenced over the summer.
What is the programme?
The four module programme will help staff to:
- Establish a consistent approach to triage and request management for the most common requests across practices
- Ensure you have the tools, skills and forum to maximise the use of digital tools to help improve access, patient and staff experience
- Gain confidence in the use of digital tools to help you do your job more effectively
- Feel better supported and empowered to navigate requests effectively, manage complexity and develop stronger personal and team resilience in challenging situations.
Who is this for?
We are looking for 2 - 3 admin and reception staff from a practice (including one person who is a decision maker in the practice and has authority to enact change (practice manager or clinician) and 2 - 3 practices across the PCN to take part in this programme which will be delivered via mixed sessions with other practices and PCNs across north west London to promote shared learning and networking.
When does the programme start?
The next cohorts are due to commence on 25 February 2025.
Where can I find out more?
To find out more, please see the attached flyer which should be shared widely within your teams and book onto one of the briefing webinars:
Tuesday 18 February 2025, 1 - 2pm
Wednesday 26 February 2025, 12 - 1pm
Please email your expression of interest to join a briefing webinar, please fill out the commitment form and contact us at nhsnwl.digitalfirst@nhs.nett
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