Posted on: 8 January 2021
Hello my name is Rob.
Happy New Year to everyone reading this.
We enter 2021 with a necessary return to national lockdown.
The Office of National Statistics estimates that between 27 December and 2 January that an average of 1,122,000 people in England had COVID-19. This equates to 2% of the population - around one in 50 people in private households in England.
This has led to a huge surge in pressure on hospitals; which meant tough action was required to stop exponential growth in cases, admissions and deaths. I would not wish on anyone our experiences in October and November where the North and here in West Yorkshire and Harrogate we had 50% more people in hospital with COVID-19 than at the height of the first peak in April. We still have dangerously high levels of COVID-19 in our community and hospitals and we must all act if we are to save lives.
Thank you to all colleagues who have been working around the clock over the festive season to keep people safe and well, including everyone involved in the West Yorkshire Vaccination Programme. Your efforts have ensured that support has been available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; and that substantial progress has been made on rolling out a vaccine.
These developments bring a sense of fresh hope and optimism now that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has also authorised the AstraZeneca (Oxford) vaccine for deployment across the UK. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that as many people on the priority list should be offered the first doses of the vaccines. The science behind this appears very solid and will save more lives.
Alongside treating people with COVID-19, long COVID and the ongoing consequences; we continue prioritising delivery of significant amounts of care to people without coronavirus. Thanks to all of our teams across the NHS, local government, the voluntary and community social enterprise sector (VCSE) and independent providers helping us deliver care to people who need it and their critical support for the most vulnerable. We have always maintained support for people who are classed as “Clinically Extremely Vulnerable” and now that shielding is back in place, we are well placed to help over 100,000 people stay well.
The power of our Partnership in meeting the mental, physical and social needs of people has been apparent throughout the pandemic. This year, we will continue to pull together and draw on our collective force to give people every chance to have the best start in life and every opportunity to age well. We will do this alongside our communities, carers and our neighbours.
We are expecting the extent of the pandemic to continue to be seen in people’s mental health and wellbeing well into this year and beyond. Dr Adrian James, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic poses the ‘greatest threat to mental health since the Second World War’ (Guardian, 28 December, 2020).
Modelling by the Centre for Mental Health forecasts that as many as 10million people will need new or additional mental health support as a direct result of the pandemic. The centre is also asking people across the country to share their story of living through the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected their mental health.
Building on existing support locally, our new mental health and wellbeing hub for colleagues will be available soon and I was pleased to hear in December that three clinical psychologists have already been appointed.
Our Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Programme has already put in place additional support for suicide prevention, for example Great Minds, bereavement support, Grief and Loss Support Service, a 24 hour helpline and boosts for mainstream mental health services.
It is also putting in place additional support for older people’s mental health and looking at how they work more closely with the VCSE to deliver additional care at a neighbourhood level. Colleagues in my Trust have put together a guide on all of the services to support people.
Building on our work to address health inequalities, as set out in our annual report published in December 2020, all our programmes are working hard to ensure that tackling health inequalities continues to be at the heart of all we do. All of which is embedded in our priority programmes, including maternity, cancer, children and young people and primary care.
At our Partnership Board on the 2 December, we received the report findings of the Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) independent review into health inequalities impacting colleagues and communities and our draft action plan which responds to the recommendations.
The report outlined 16 recommendations for action covering a number of themes. These were:
- Improving access to safe work for BAME colleagues in West Yorkshire and Harrogate
- Ensuring the Partnership’s leadership is reflective of communities
- Population planning (using information to make sure that services meet different groups’ needs)
- Reducing Inequalities in mental health outcomes by ethnicity.
This year will bring more rapid progress on these important recommendations.
The relationships we have with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for the area’s economic recovery plan, med-tech and the skills sector, including universities, will help us to look at what we can do together to develop and grow our workforce and support people across all sectors into better jobs via our People Board work. Better jobs results in better health and we are committed to ensuring we do whatever we can to lift the area from this economic recession, where unemployment claimant figures for November 2020 increased to 3.3% in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Healthwatch colleagues have worked tirelessly to make sure that people still had a voice during the pandemic and worked quickly to share information across the Partnership about what life for many people felt like in lock down. You can read an example of this here. A focused effort this year will be to actively listen to what has been said, around areas such as digital exclusion, personalised care and mental health, so that we can offer greater support to what I believe will be another challenging year for the 2.7million people living across the area.
Whatever 2021 brings, what I can be sure of is that our Partnership will continue to be the best it can be for everyone, including our valuable workforce who are the driving force behind it all. Their wellbeing and their extraordinary commitment is at the heart of our People Plan, which is building on our earlier Workforce Strategy. Without them we are nothing. In the middle of all of this, we continue to develop as a Partnership and to strengthen our arrangements. Over the coming months we will be preparing responses to legislative changes as set out in the NHS legislation proposals. As a Partnership we cautiously welcome the proposals for future arrangements. This welcome sits alongside a desire for greater flexibility that must survive the development of the legislation as well as the impact of structural change for our clinical commissioning groups, as set out in a piece myself and Cllr Tim Swift produced for the Health Service Journal in December which you can also read here.
Changes to organisational form may be necessary in light of legislative changes. This cannot be a distraction from our key purpose and the skills and experience of our people at both place (Bradford district and Craven; Calderdale, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield) and West Yorkshire and Harrogate level must be retained. We will continue to deliver through our partnerships in our sectors, our places and as West Yorkshire and Harrogate. What has served us well so far will serve us well into the future.
We have a shared responsibility and strong leadership across the system, with local integrated care partnerships delivering health and social care service with equal decision-makers. The importance of this approach is evidenced in our 10 big ambitions, which include increasing the years of life that people live in good health, and reducing the gap in life expectancy by 5% in our most deprived communities by 2024 - one in five people, around half a million people across our area live in the areas ranked as being in the 10% most deprived nationally. We have much to do in 2021.
In true Partnership style we are using our collective strength to consider and submit our views on the NHS proposals. Our intention is to be open and transparent throughout the process. You can read the Partnership responses on the website in the next few days. As we move forward we will continue to engage with all of you and prepare for what this means for us all. Together we will overcome the obstacles in our way.
We have demonstrated what is possible and will continue to deliver in these extraordinary times.
Have a good weekend, and stay safe,
Rob
What else has been happening this week?
National lockdown: Stay at Home
Coronavirus cases are rising rapidly across the country. The Prime Minister addressed the nation on Tuesday to announce a national lockdown and instruct people to stay at home to control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives. Find out what you can and cannot do during the national lockdown.
National vaccine programme
On Thursday the Prime Minister gave a statement on coronavirus and provided an update on the rollout of vaccinations.
More people in West Yorkshire to be offered COVID-19 vaccine
More care home residents and vulnerable people in West Yorkshire will be offered protection against Covid-19, as the new Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine starts to be rolled out to GP-centres.
Local GPs are working together to provide vaccinations to as many care home residents and patients aged 80 as possible. In West Yorkshire, 44 primary care networks are now providing vaccinations from centres with the final four expected to start next week.
Dr Phil Wood, Chief Medical Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and lead for the West Yorkshire Covid-19 Vaccination Programme said:
“It is great news that we will be able to protect more vulnerable people. We are working with partners across West Yorkshire to make sure people can get their first vaccination as quickly and easily as possible and are ready to expand the rollout as fast as supplies become available.
“GPs, nurses, pharmacists and countless other staff, partners and volunteers are working around the clock to provide vaccinations. We know people are eager get protected and may be concerned if they are in one of the priority cohorts and have not been contacted yet. However, we would like to reassure them that they will be contacted over the next few weeks.
“Services are extremely busy at the moment and we would ask people to help the NHS at this very difficult time by not contacting their local GP or other NHS services about getting a vaccination. People will not be able to book an appointment until they have been invited to do so, so please be patient and we will contact you as soon as it is your turn.”
More information about how more people are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
27 January 2021 workshop to get digital devices to people
We know that access to digital technology can be a major barrier for people being able to access services. This has been highlighted through the pandemic as many of the ‘free access’ sources such as libraries and community centres have had to close. You can help change that by taking part in a workshop on Wednesday 27 January from 1pm to 3pm. At the workshop we’ll work together to co-design an end-to-end process to get equipment and data to those who need it most so that they can access services and prosper. The event is open to anyone with an interest in creating solutions to increase digital inclusion and who wants to make a real and lasting difference to people’s lives. It will be of particular interest to:
- Suppliers and organisations who have or can source digital equipment, including mobile phone companies, local authorities and IT teams working in NHS trusts and CCGs
- Organisations who can wipe, configure and store equipment ready to pass on, for example, voluntary and community service sector and libraries
- Community organisations who can identify those in need and who can deliver equipment and offer support, for example, community and voluntary organisations, leads for personalised care and carers programmes and people who have experience of digital exclusion.
Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment using the Eventbrite registration pages. This will be the second workshop with mHabitat and the Partnership working together to improve people’s lives.
Greater Huddersfield and North Kirklees practices praised for their work to prevent diabetes
Latest figures show that GP practices across Greater Huddersfield and North Kirklees are surpassing targets when it comes to referring eligible patients to the NHS Diabetes prevention Programme. The increase means that more people are accessing the tailored and personalised support they need to help them get active and healthy and reduce the risks posed by diabetes. The increase in referrals is largely because practices have been writing to patients at risk of diabetes inviting them to take up a free place on the programme. Between them, practices have made almost 400 referrals. We anticipate that referrals will increase in other areas when practices covering the local authority areas of Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Wakefield and Harrogate send a similar letter later this year.
Outstanding performance of everyone at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) who has supported recruitment into the RECOVERY Trial
CHFT has been recognised for their outstanding performance at a national level with acknowledgement from Chief Medical Officer for England and The National Institute for Health Research Lead Professor Chris Whitty. The research works to identify effective treatments and vaccines critical for the return to preCOVID-19 ‘normality’.
Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust – Resources for Patients, Primary and Secondary Care
Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust has launched new free resources for patients and healthcare professionals.
A new information resource for people who are offered or who have had LLETZ for cervical cell changes (large loop excision of the transformation zone) has been created in partnership with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. This follows the publication of Jo’s Trust’s ‘Not So Simple‘ report last year, which found many women and people with a cervix who had LLETZ felt uninformed about the procedure and unprepared for potential side effects. This resource provides a comprehensive guide to the procedure, the benefits, follow up and where to get support to deal with side effects such as bleeding and pain.
A new video has also been produced for women and people with a cervix who are invited to cervical screening, and for GP surgeries. It shows what it is like to arrive at a GP surgery for a cervical screening appointment, and aims to reassure patients that if they have been invited to attend, then it is safe to do so.
Launch of West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership’s Health Inequalities Academy. Wednesday 3 to Friday 5 February 2021, from 9.30am-4pm (via Microsoft Teams)
2020 was an incredibly hard year for people’s health and wellbeing. The pandemic brought a sharper focus on inequalities in our communities, alongside a demand for work at scale and pace to improve the lives of people living across our area.
To help embed understanding, share learning and accelerate our collective response to addressing health inequalities across West Yorkshire and Harrogate, the Partnership will launch its Health Inequalities Academy through a series of workshops held over the three days from 3 to 5 February. At the launch, attendees will hear from local and national speakers about the work taking place, before and during Covid-19 to tackle health inequalities. It will also include the launch of the Reducing Inequalities in Communities Programme, a collaborative approach to closing the health gap in central Bradford. The event is open to all, including colleagues working for the Partnership and the voluntary community enterprise sector. Book at https://
Guest speakers and panel members include:
- Robin Tuddenham, Co-chair of our Improving Population Health Programme
- Dr James Thomas Co-chair of our Improving Population Health Programme
- Sarah Muckle, Director of Public Health, Bradford City Council
- Dr Owen Williams OBE CEO for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
- Alison Lowe Chief Executive, Touchstone, Leeds
- Lord Victor Adebowale Chair, NHS Confederation
- Professor Dame Donna Kinnair, CEO, the Royal College of Nursing
- Professor John Wright, Bradford Institute of Health Research
- Pip Goff, Volition Director and VCSE representative for Improving Population Health
- Professor Kate Pickett, Professor of Epidemiology, Deputy Director of the Centre for Future Health, University of York
- Emily Parry-Harries, Consultant in Public Health, Kirklees Council and Chair of West Yorkshire and Harrogate Prevention Network
- Professor Chris Bentley, Equity and Health Inequalities Teams of Public Health England and NHS England/Improvement
- Professor Edward Kunonga, Consultant in Public Health, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust; Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Dr Sohail Abbas, Chair of West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health Inequalities Network
- Professor Mark Gamsu, School of Health and Community Studies, Leeds Beckett University
- Toni Williams, Consultant in Public Health, Public Health England, Yorkshire and Humber
- Dr Shahed Ahmad, National Clinical Director, Cardio Vascular Disease Prevention, NHS England
- Mark Burns-Williamson OBE, Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire.
You can read more about the work of colleagues in our Improving Population Health Programme Annual Report.
Our Neighbours Episode 4: A New Year
Looking out for our neighbours is a social movement that inspires neighbourly action to make a difference to the wellbeing of our population. In episode four, neighbours from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate reflect on self-care and send New Year messages for the year ahead. This is the final instalment of the current series.
Since phase three of Looking out for our neighbours launched on 16 November there have been 2,504 visits to the website, Facebook video adverts have reached 52,305 people and YouTube ad content has been watched by 27,439 people. Please promote this new episode so we can inspire more positive action across West Yorkshire and Harrogate. The new episode is available along with services and support at http:/
Partnership leads the way with new model of care
Collaborative working across West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership in specialised mental health, learning disability and autism services known as NHS Lead Provider Collaboratives has resulted in successful initiatives coming to fruition. Building on existing ways of working, Lead Provider Collaboratives enable specialist care to be provided in the community from partners working together to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and support for people to leave hospital sooner rather than later so they can safely regain their independence. Lead Provider Collaboratives aim to drive improvements in patient outcomes and experience, address health inequalities whilst putting the person’s voice at the heart of improving the quality of care provided. Across West Yorkshire and Harrogate this includes:
- Adult eating disorder services
- Children and young people mental health inpatient services
- Adult low and medium secure services.
Find out more about how the Partnership is leading the way with new models of care.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub for all staff working across the Partnership
At the end of last year, £500,000 was awarded to the Partnership following a successful bid to NHS England to fund a Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub for all staff working in West Yorkshire and Harrogate Partnership. Staff wellbeing is a top priority across our partnership with many leaders highlighting concerns about staff wellbeing through the pandemic.
Our Hub ambition is to work together with all organisations and services, and build on the existing provision that is already in place at a local, regional and national level, to ensure that our entire workforce can access appropriate support for their mental health and wellbeing needs. In the next few weeks, using a stocktake of current support in place that was undertaken in autumn, we will identify what additional support is needed to supplement what happens locally, so anyone working in Partnership organisations can access the same level of support, wherever they live or work.
The hub is beginning to take shape and clinical and other professionals have been recruited into the project team. We are keen to connect with a full range of people in our organisations to ensure all voices are heard and needs identified, including those who may be disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic. If you are interested in becoming involved in the hub development, please email jo.
Check-in’ campaign aims to reduce staff suicide
Our Partnership’s ‘Check-in’ campaign aims to reduce staff suicide and promote wellbeing as well as providing training, resources and signposting for support.
All our partners are able to register and sign up to access free resources and guidelines ready for the campaign launch in February at https://staffcheck-in.co.uk