Primary care latest updates

In July, we will join celebrations nationwide to mark 75 years of the NHS – and we’re asking you to be a part of it. 

We’ll be sharing our NHS Stories, internally and externally, during NHS75 week (w/c 3 July).            

We’re inviting you to tell us about your NHS journey – via this MS Form – and it could be one of those we feature during the NHS75 celebrations. We want to celebrate your dedication, and inspire others to join us, and start their own NHS journey. So please take just a few minutes to fill in the survey!

How to get involved in NHS75

You can celebrate 75 years of the NHS – which takes place on 5 July – in your own unique way.

You can also share a photo or video of your team that ICB’s Communications Team could share on our own social media channels.

You could also encourage your patients to share their experiences of how the NHS has helped them in their own way.   

Perhaps you could organise a get together as part of the NHS Big Tea Party or put your best foot forward by taking part in the 5k parkrun for the NHS on Saturday 8 July or 2k junior parkrun on Sunday 9 July. You can even dress up for the occasion! Find your nearest parkrun here.

We will also be highlighting some of the amazing work happening at ICB on our channels, and celebrating recent successes whether it’s individual employees, teams, projects, or ICB as a whole.

It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our continued work to provide outstanding care for our patients, as well as honour our amazing colleagues and volunteers.

Wellbeing Festival

The NHS75 celebrations coincide with the much-anticipated Northamptonshire Virtual Wellbeing Festival – a week-long programme of exciting online events, from 3-7 June, with no fewer than 41 entertaining, inspiring, and informative sessions, including six headline speakers plus a mix of live and recorded activities offering something for everyone. All Wellbeing Festival sessions will be available free on Microsoft Teams and the Festival website exclusively for Northamptonshire health and care colleagues.

Download your NHS75 Teams background

We created an NHS75 Teams background for you to download and use during the NHS birthday week. Download the PowerPoint here and save the image as a PNG or JPEG. You can then upload it to MS Teams.

How it all started

Since the NHS was founded on 5 July 1948, it has always innovated and adapted to meet to needs of each generation. 75 years on, the NHS’s founding principles remain as relevant today as they were then.

Despite the challenges, the public still overwhelmingly support having a national health service, and it is what makes our people most proud to be British.

As we mark 75 years of the NHS, it is a time to celebrate our past, but more importantly, a time to think about a future where we continue to put patients first.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all NHS staff, past and present, who have made the organisation what it is.

Join NHS75 events

To celebrate the birthday year, NHS England is promoting a series of NHS75 events:

• Saturday 1 July to Sunday 9 July – host an NHS Big Tea
• Wednesday 5 July – NHS birthday
  • Service for NHS staff, volunteers and partners at Westminster Abbey
• Thursday 6 July 2023 – George Cross tour commences
• Saturday 8 July – ‘parkrun for the NHS’
• Sunday 9 July – ‘parkrun for the NHS’ (juniors)

If you’re celebrating NHS75 please share your photos and videos with the Communication Team by emailing them to commsteam@nhft.nhs.uk.

‘Our NHS at 75’

The shortlist ‘Our NHS at 75’ national photo competition, in partnership with Fujifilm, has been announced. Earlier this year we asked colleagues to submit photos as part of the competition. Unfortunately, no-one from ICB has been shortlisted, however you can still see some of the striking images included here NHS England » Our NHS at 75 – Shortlist Announced.

Read more about NHS75 at www.england.nhs.uk/nhsbirthday.

Read Be a part of NHS75 and share your story…

We’re excited to announce that Integrated Care Northamptonshire (ICN) is going to be launching its own Digital Skills Academy.We now need your help to shape what it will offer and help us understand what amazing opportunities we could provide for colleagues to develop and enhance their data and digital skills.

Delivered in partnership with Multiverse and open to applications from anyone working in the NHS, health or social care in Northamptonshire, the ICN Digital Skills Academy will be launching this September.

Before we make decisions on the particular courses and skills that will be offered within the Digital Skills Academy, we first need to understand the current level of data and digital capabilities across partner organisations.

Integrated Care Northamptonshire is a partnership of our health and care organisations across the county. This includes our NHS, councils, primary care organisations and other charity, voluntary, community sector organisations and trust providers.

You can help us by completing this short survey, which should take about five to seven minutes for you to complete.

Complete the data skills survey now at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Northamptonshire Data Academy/

Once we have the results from the survey, Integrated Care Northamptonshire and Multiverse will be running a series of information sessions with managers and colleagues on how selected training programmes can give you the digital and data skills to excel in the workplace.

We’re on a journey to build a data and digital-first integrated care system in Northamptonshire, and the involvement of our colleagues is critical.

The deadline to complete the survey is Monday 10 July 2023, but please try to complete it as soon as possible.

If you have any questions please contact matthew.hutton3@nhs.net

Frequently asked questions

Who are Multiverse?

• Multiverse provides qualifications and training to existing staff within organisations that is funded via the apprenticeship levy. This means you’ll receive training and coaching in data and digital and learn how to apply those skills in your current job. You’ll finish the programme with an accredited qualification and in-demand skills.
• All training and practice will take place during working hours, so please bear this in mind when thinking about applying. Applications processes will include engagement with line managers in relation to the commitment required (three hours of training per week). We will engage with line managers to help them understand the value of training and support available via apprenticeship, with no cost to local training budgets.

Who can apply?

• If you are involved in any aspect of patient or citizen outcomes in Northamptonshire who wants to improve your digital skills and are contracted for at least 30 hours per week.
• Even if you are unsure if you are eligible, completing the survey will help us understand the current level of digital capabilities.

Why are we launching this?

• Empower you by giving you critical data and digital skills you can use in your role, so we can achieve our strategic objectives together
• Provide you with learning pathways to advance your career within the Integrated Care Northamptonshire health and care system
• Indirectly and directly improve patient and citizen outcomes by improving data and digital skills right across ICN

What’s in it for me?

• Gain new digital and data skills to future-proof your career and become more productive with your time. You will achieve a formal qualification whilst continuing to flourish in your role. You’ll be supported by a Multiverse coach, a mentor and gain access to exclusive networking opportunities.

 

Read Help us to design our new Integrated Care Northamptonshire Digital Skills Academy…

There’s now less than two weeks before the 2023 Northamptonshire Virtual Wellbeing Festival (VWBF23) kicks off on Monday 3 July.

And if you have any burning questions you’d like to ask of any of the six headline speakers, now’s your chance to let them know!

Our inspiring daily headliner line-up includes adventurer Debra Searle and body positivity activist Harnaam Kaur on Monday, former footballer Paul Merson on Tuesday, mind coach Vex King on Wednesday, BBC presenter Ayo Sokale on Thursday and style guru Gok Wan on Friday.

If there’s anything you’d like to ask any of them, you can submit your questions now by completing this short online form.

Alternatively, just visit the VWBF23 website at www.wellbeingfestival.live and go to the headliners page, where you can find out more about each speaker and click the ‘Submit a question’ button.

You can submit as many questions as you like either choose to do so anonymously or opt to have your name mentioned if your question is used. Please note that while we will endeavour to use as many questions as we can during each headliner session, it may not be possible to use all of them due to time limitations.

If you haven’t yet explored our full VWBF23 programme of 41 exciting live and recorded sessions, all delivered online and free of charge for health and care colleagues, find out how you can personalise your festival by adding any session to your calendar. The Festival coincides with national celebrations around the 75^th anniversary of the NHS, which takes place on Wednesday 5 July.

Don’t forget there’s still time to sign up for VWBF23 updates direct to your inbox – including a daily programme reminder during Festival week – if you register for updates now.

Read Submit your questions for our Virtual Wellbeing Festival headliners…

An innovative new response service has been launched in Northamptonshire, aimed at helping those in a mental health crisis.

The Crisis Response Unit (CRU), launched by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, (NHFT) is a 24-hour response vehicle staffed by trained professionals, providing a dedicated resource to attend to mental health emergencies.

Through the ICN Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Collaborative, the new service has been developed and co-produced with service users and carers who have used crisis services in the past. With this in mind, the vehicle is not obviously identifiable as a medical response vehicle, and once inside, there is a table and seating where individuals can sit, talk or even play board games. There is also sensory lighting available to support those with sensory needs, giving it a relaxed and friendly feel.

The new service is made up of a number of professionals. In addition to the Service Manager, the service is supported by senior clinicians, support workers, peer support workers, co-ordinators, lived experience leads, co-production, and a business support manager.

Bob Fletcher, Crisis Response Unit Service Manager said, “When someone is experiencing mental ill health and needs an urgent response, they may be in some distress, and their physical environment may also be chaotic. The response vehicle provides a calm space where the individual can spend some time with the support of trained professionals, in a quiet environment.”

Currently, when an individual calls 999, the case is triaged and when there is a physical or mental health emergency, it is given to the ambulance service. For the mental health patient, this can mean long waits in hospital while they are referred to the correct agencies for support, and for the ambulance service, this can mean patients with physical health needs have longer waits for care.

The launch of the Crisis Response Unit means that patients experiencing mental ill health that requires an urgent response, will receive more appropriate care for their needs, more quickly, by appropriately trained professionals. Where carers are involved, they too will receive support and guidance in supporting the patient.

Upon arrival, the team will carry out a comprehensive assessment of the mental health needs of the patient and develop an onward plan for support and, or treatment, with the aim of preventing the need for attendance at hospital Emergency Departments to access mental health support. Care plans, safety plans and packages of care will be developed to support the individual and carer in their own setting. 

Richard Tweed, Acting Head of Service for Crisis Pathway and Criminal Justice Services said, “We are delighted to launch our Crisis Response Unit service, after months of planning, coproduction, and work with partners, we are really excited to launch the service and start helping those who need us the most, at the point of crisis.

“Earlier this year, the Prime Minister described our mental health crisis and community services as ‘trailblazing’. The launch of our Crisis Response Unit is a further demonstration of our innovation and commitment to delivering coproduced services which meet the increasing and ever changing needs of our services users and carers.

The service is currently in its infancy, but it is hoped that a second vehicle will be introduced next year, providing additional support and capacity. The CRU will be working closely with the East Midlands Ambulance Service and the Integrated Response Hub to triage calls appropriately and ensure that support is allocated to those in greatest need.

NHFT already provides a range of mental health crisis services including the 24-hour mental health number which can be called any time of day or night any time of the year on 0800 448 0828. A number of crisis cafes also run in partnership with Northamptonshire Mind, details of locations and opening times can be found here Crisis cafés | NHFT

Read New mental health crisis response service launched in northamptonshire…

Integrated Care Northamptonshire (ICN) has subscribed to the Employers for Carers (EfC) Digital Resource for Carers.

This unique package, designed by Carers UK, brings together specially designed digital products and online resources that assist organisations to provide comprehensive information, and get the best support for their working carers. 

The package is accessible free of charge to managers and working carers within the ICN partnership.

Research by Carers UK shows that 1 in 7 of the UK workforce is caring for a loved one, and 2.6 million have resigned from their jobs to care for a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill, with nearly half a million leaving their jobs in the last two years.

The Digital Resource for Carers package will enable organisations to combine Carers UK’s digital products with their own information.

This will create a truly comprehensive support resource for working carers within organisations and will also help to support the increasing number of staff with caring responsibilities to stay in the workforce.

Benefits of the package for carers include the ability to:

• Find targeted information
• Build networks of support
• Develop personal resilience
• Manage care more effectively

Benefits for organisations include:

• A continuously updated, tailored and joint-branded platform hosting Carers UK’s products and resources combined with your own information and support for carers
• Use of all the resources on the platform for free as often as you want
• Material to help you promote the Digital Resource for Carers including leaflets, posters, template emails and a rollout toolkit

Northamptonshire Carers will be ICN's administrators for the Digital Resource for Carers package.

On Thursday 27 July 2023 at midday, Northamptonshire Carers will be arranging a Microsoft Teams briefing session on how to access the digital package and will also provide further information about the package. Additional briefing sessions will be arranged if needed. To register your interest in attending a briefing session, please email Jacqui Falconer-Blake at jacquib@northamptonshire-carers.org.

For any wider questions about the Digital Resource for Carers package, please email Diana Belfon, EDI Specialist, at diana.belfon1@nhs.net.

Read Free digital resources for working carers…