Primary care latest updates

As you may be aware, one of UKHSA’s responsibilities is collecting numbers of cases of notifiable diseases (including whooping cough, clinically known as pertussis).

UKHSA publish analyses of local and national trends on a regular basis. In the years since monitoring began, they have seen a huge decline in whooping cough cases from peak years exceeding 100,000 cases annually in the 1950s.

Whooping cough is a cyclical disease that regularly peaks every 3 to 5 years. The team are, unfortunately, seeing increasing rates of whooping cough in the first quarter of 2024 and expect these increasing rates to last for several months.

UKHSA are publishing epidemiological data monthly, with the next data publication scheduled for Thursday 9 May 2024. This is expected to further illustrate the rise in case numbers. The data publication will also be accompanied by a UKHSA press release on the day and activity on their social media channels to raise awareness of whooping cough and the vaccine offers, with a particular focus on the maternal vaccine offer.

UKHSA have published a new maternal vaccination stakeholder communications toolkit to support stakeholders to explain and promote the NHS vaccination programme to pregnant women. This currently focusses on the whooping cough vaccine offer and will be updated with information on seasonal vaccine offers in the future.

It contains background information, statistics, key messages, social media assets and copy and links to useful information which help raise awareness of whooping cough, its signs and symptoms and the vaccine offers.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss any aspect of this email or the toolkit please email annemarie.senior@ukhsa.gov.uk.

Read Whooping cough: new maternal vaccination stakeholder communications toolkit…

As of the 1 May 2024, West Northamptonshire Council is delighted to announce Gro Health as the new adult tier 2 weight management service.  Please see links below to example flyers for more details and the self-referral link:

• West Northamptonshire Council - Gro Health tier 2 adult weight management service A4 Flyer Portrait 3 [pdf] 2MB
• West Northamptonshire Council - Gro Health tier 2 adult weight management service A4 Flyer Portrait 5 [pdf] 2MB
• West Northamptonshire Council - Gro Health tier 2 adult weight management service A4 Flyer Portrait 6 [pdf] 2MB

Residents can access directly through self-referral, or a referral can be made by health and social care colleagues for a patient.  

To be eligible residents must:

• Be 18 years old or over.
• Be a resident in West Northamptonshire
• Have a BMI of 30 or over, or a BMI of 27.5 or over for adults from black and ethnic minority communities

With Gro Health, adults can get free access to digital or face-to-face support (depending on eligibility), which includes a structured 12-week support programme to help lose weight, improve health and reach their goals. Gro Health will also provide continued support from a dedicated health coach for up to 12 months.

Gro Health’s comprehensive 12-week weight management programme, with additional support for 12 months, offers either digital or in-person services depending on eligibility and is available in up to 22 languages. The programme emphasises an individualised approach to sustainable health changes.

The new programme offers a range of resources and support from; customised educational resources, nutritious recipes, on-demand exercise classes, and both group and individual health coaching. These tools are crafted to help individuals set and achieve personal health goals while fostering long-term healthy habits.

To check eligibility and register, visit Lose weight and take control of your health (grohealth.com), or call 0330 133 0307.

The Ardens page in primary care will also be amended to detail this service on the healthy weight pathway.

If you are interested in hard copies of the publicity material, please contact Deborah.Mbofana@westnorthants.gov.uk.

Please also forward this information on to any relevant colleagues.

Details of this service can still be found on the WNC council website.

Read New West Northamptonshire Council – Gro Health tier 2 adult weight management service…

A Northamptonshire GP practice has described the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme as an invaluable service to patients. Lakeside Healthcare in Corby, Northamptonshire generated 40 referrals to the programme from October 2023 to March 2024, and they were the highest referring practice in Northamptonshire.

Part of the process that has allowed the practice to generate such a high number of quality referrals is by utilising the clinical system to search all eligible patients and inviting them to an information evening, where samples of the products are available.

The management team at Lakeside Healthcare Implemented the searches sent from the ICB to identify eligible patients. These patients were then invited by text or call to group consultations. Those contacted by text were provided a text link to which they could automatically book the appointment.

The group consultations are held in the evening to make it easier for interested patients to attend.

During the Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme group consultation, patients are given information about diabetes, the programme and how it works. Patients are invited to sample the total meal replacement products that are available for free on the programme and ask questions at this time.

Dr Sanjay Gadhia reported that patients felt more open to ask questions in a group setting, feeding off the support from fellow attendees.

At the end of the evening, patients that are interested in being referred to the programme indicate as such and are contacted later in the week confirming if the referral has been done and also about proposed medication changes they will make from day 1 of total meal replacement.

Eighty-nine percent of participants attending the group consultation, went on to request a referral, cementing the success of the information evenings.

Dr Sanjay Gadhia, GP at Lakeside Healthcare said “initially we trialed the group consultation with a smaller group but have found that 20-25 people works best. Talking to patients together has shown to be beneficial for patients but also more time efficient for the practice, by only needing 1 hour for the group consultation and then another 1-2 hours to liaise with interested patients regarding the referrals. In addition to the group consultations, all healthcare professionals in the practice have been advised of the eligibility criteria to refer patients onto the programme and there is literature available in the practice for staff to access at all times. Fellow clinicians at the practice pro-actively promote the programme during one-to-one consultations with those patients that fall into the eligibility criteria.

The Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme is invaluable in helping and educating people on improving health, diet and lifestyle to prevent further complications associated with Type 2 diabetes and in many cases put the condition into remission.

The Northamptonshire NHS Type 2 Diabetes Remission provider Xyla has committed to support all practices across Northamptonshire to deliver group consultations for their Type 2 Diabetes cohort, with expert advice and information.

From October 2023, Northamptonshire began delivery of NHS Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme via the STP contract and the programme continues to be offered across the patch. The practice is committed to ensuring patients who have been and completed the programme have an annual HbA1c check to monitor their progress in sustaining lifestyle changes.  Victoria Hallett, Diabetes Lead, Northamptonshire ICB said “the growing obesity epidemic is a huge concern for us, and type 2 Diabetes is one of the main consequences associated with this in terms of both health and cost. The Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme helps people at a critical point when we have the opportunity to prevent further problems and facilitate self-management; thus easing pressure on primary care and increasing patient wellbeing. Preventing further Diabetes complications can improve quality of life and help reduce the 6.5% year on year growth in prescribing spend alone, so we are keen to work with all our practices to ensure eligible Type 2 diabetic patients are referred onto the programme”.   

For more information contact Victoria Hallett, Diabetes Lead, Northamptonshire ICB, v.hallett@nhs.net

Read Lakeside Healthcare: NHS Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programme…

The purpose of the East Midlands Radiotherapy trials tracker is  to allow an up to date view of Radiotherapy trials being offered across the region and therefore increase the number of patients recruited to Radiotherapy clinical trials. The overarching goal from this, is of course to drive the development and advancement of Radiotherapy treatments, thereby potentially improving outcomes and experiences.

This forms one part from the core objectives included in the NHSE Radiotherapy clinical network specification.

Please see the link below the trials tracker:

East Midlands Radiotherapy Trials Tracker 

 

Read East Midlands Radiotherapy Trials Tracker…

Please find the Northamptonshire Primary Care Training Hub newsletter for April 2024:

Northamptonshire Primary Care Training Hub Newsletter April 2024

There are many important updates in the April edition including:

• Prescriber Updates
• Early Career GP Conference
• Level 2 Psychosocial Support Skills Training Programme
• ICS Library services
• Functional Maths & English skills training

Please cascade this onto any of your colleagues that may find this of interest.

Read Northamptonshire Primary Care Training Hub Newsletter April 2024…