NHS News - October 2005

England - Local PCT News

Co Durham & Darlington Priority Services / Tees & NE Yorkshire NHS Trusts - Merger Consultation

A consultation has been launched by the two NHS Trusts on their proposal to merge and create a single organisation to provide all mental health, learning disability and addictive behaviour services in the County Durham, Tees Valley and NE Yorkshire area.

Melton, Rutland and Harborough PCT - Out of Hours

A new integrated, nurse-led out-of-hours service is being proposed. Specialist nursing roles will be developed to lead the new minor injury and illness services in Melton, Oakham and Harborough. Public consultation on the proposals ends in November.

Merseyside and Cheshire PCTs - Out of Hours

From October, the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service (MRAS) will ask 999 callers to answer a series of questions to determine the seriousness of their situations. If it is not deemed to be life-threatening, the call will be transferred to a "cold desk" where a team of nurses, paramedics and emergency care practitioners will assess the person's needs and decide what response is required.

Callers will then be given advice over the phone, or be referred to the PCT-commissioned out-of-hours providers who will take over the management of the call. The local PCTs have set up the scheme following DoH advice on dealing with non-emergency 999 calls. The new system is designed to respond more appropriately to an individual's needs, and also release emergency ambulance resources for life-threatening and urgent calls. Calls from public places will continue to be responded to by ambulance crews.

Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Knowsley PCTs will introduce the service in October, while PCTs in Wirral and Cheshire will follow in February 2006. They are investing ?243,000 in 2005/6, rising to ?875,000 in 2006/7. The scheme will initially take place in the "out of hours" period of 6.30pm to 8am Monday to Friday and all day at weekends, although a 24-hour service is planned from April 1, 2006.

Norfolk PCTs - Substance Misuse

Over the past year, health organisations in Norfolk have spent ?130,000 on methadone and ?190,000 on Subutex. Both are heroin substitutes, and the vast majority of the 1,960 addicts being treated in the county will be prescribed one of these drugs.

Nottingham City PCT - Appointments

Chief Executive Samantha Milbank has been seconded to the DoH for 6 months to work on the Patient Choice agenda. It is thought her selection reflects the high profile she has achieved at the PCT, which has been at the forefront of many changes in the NHS.

Southampton University Hosps NHS Trust - Wessex Cardiac Unit

Six Specialist Nurse posts which were potentially at risk because of financial constraints will now be funded by the Hospital Trust until March 2006. The Trust will work with PCTs and other funding bodies to find future sources of finance for these posts.

Southend-on-Sea PCT - PEC Chairman

Community Pharmacist, Mark Bulmore, has become Chairman of the PCT's Professional Executive Committee. His appointment coincides with the new community pharmacy contract and the PCT's plans to move some services out of secondary and into primary care.

Wales - Local Health Board News

Anglesey LHB - Primary Care Development

A new primary care provision strategy proposes the creation of four main Primary Care Resource Centres on the island. A number of surgeries will then be relocated to these centres, while other existing rural branch surgeries will be retained. The new centres would be created in Holyhead, Llangefni, Amlwch and the Llanfairpwll area. In Holyhead, for example, the three existing town surgeries could be relocated at Ysbyty Penrhos Stanley. The LHB believes a move towards reducing demand on main hospitals by enhancing primary care services is needed in the area, and a recent survey of the 18 GP practices on Anglesey showed that in most cases existing premises were inadequate to support future demand. This has led to a "hub and spoke" model, whereby the main Primary Care Centres will provide many specialist services on one site, but local services will be retained in rural areas where there are problems with transport. Further consultations are planned.

Torfaen LHB - Diabetes

Dr David Millar-Jones is Wales' first GPwSI in diabetes. He was appointed in June in Torfaen, where 4.4% of the population is diabetic, and will work in a primary care team with a Specialist Diabetes Nurse, dieticians and a podiatrist.

Torfaen LHB - Heart Failure

Torfaen LHB is using the latest in web services technology to allow GPs to access local Heart Failure Services from their own computers. Previously, it could take up to a year to see a specialist and the LHB hopes to reduce this to a maximum of 4 weeks.

Scotland - Local NHS News

NHS Argyll & Clyde - Dermatology

A new dermatology clinic for the Lomond area is being introduced in the outpatient department of Vale of Leven Hospital. The clinic will be led by a local GP, supported by a Dermatology Nurse Specialist.

NHS Shetland - Diabetes

Diabetic Retinopathy Screening is now available in Shetland, and diabetic patients will be offered annual screening. The scheme has started for Lerwick at the Gilbert Bain Hospital and will take several months to roll out across the whole of Shetland.

NHS Tayside - Anticoagulation

The rollout of the one-stop anticoagulation service in Angus continues to go from strength to strength with the announcement of a new clinic in Montrose. Around 1,500 patients in Angus have been diagnosed as being predisposed to forming blood clots, and needing anticoagulation therapy. This number is expected to rise by 10% each year and the Health Board will be investing ? 220,000 annually to develop and maintain this service. One-stop anticoagulation services have been operational in the south of Angus for over a year and feedback from patients has been extremely positive.

Rhona Guild is the Primary Care Development Co-ordinator for NHS Tayside. She said: ?The nurses and practice pharmacists who lead this service are to be commended for the commitment and enthusiasm they have shown to this service. All staff involved in service delivery must successfully complete an intensive training programme, which has been developed within Tayside for the anticoagulation service." It is expected that one-stop anticoagulation clinics in the community will be fully implemented in Angus by the end of this summer.

Northern Ireland - Local NHS News

Down Lisburn HSS Trust - Chief Executive

John Compton, Chief Executive of Down Lisburn HSS Trust, is to be seconded on a part-time basis as Chief Executive of Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust with effect from 10th October. He will remain Chief Executive at Down Lisburn.

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