Becoming an NHS statutory Body

Dr Sam Hullah, Chief Clinical Officer

Well the 1^st of April came and went and North Hampshire CCG came into being as a statutory NHS body.  The first working day was Tuesday the 2^nd and the team assembled for our first ever briefing.  As Accountable Officer it was my job to rally the troops. Organisational culture is very topical in the NHS right now and so I felt it was important to set the tone for how I wanted our CCG to work.

There is no substitute for hard work and this has characterised the organisation over the last year.  We are on a mission to improve the health and wellbeing of our patient population and hard work will be needed if we are to be successful.  We will also need self belief, and in addition, to quote a NHS buzzword, resilience.  Setbacks and disappointments are inevitable but we shall remain positive and look to turn disappointments into opportunities.

A good team spirit has built up over the last twelve months; we need to build on that and maintain high levels of trust and mutual support.  And finally we need to keep our CCG as a great place to work.  We have done many interviews over the last few months and it is pleasantly surprising how many candidates have commented on how the style of our CCG is one of the things that attracted them to the job.

So hard work, self belief, resilience and team spirit will be the characteristics of our CCG.

In that spirit we set about our first week, helped at long last by the addition of some new team members.  And it was very much business as usual but with the added excitement of knowing that now we were “doing it for real”.

Nobody at our CCG is under any illusions about the magnitude of task we face in bringing about whole system reform with the intentions of not only improving patient care but achieving that within the financial resources available to us.  Our locality has been plagued for decades with an unfair allocation of NHS money, so at the same time as we work on many clinical pathways it is my firm intention to challenge, at the highest levels, the funding formula which sees our patients get almost the lowest per head funding of any CCG in the country.

On a brighter note we are very much looking forward to moving to our new premises in Chineham Business Park, on June 13th 2013.  We have been made very welcome at Old Basing Surgery and have got used to boxing and coxing for space but we really have outgrown the space and need to move on, despite the sentimental attachment we have built up over the last 18 months.

There is much to do but I now have three days a week in which I can lead our CCG forward.  I am, and shall always be, enormously grateful to my partners at Crown Heights for allowing me to take up this once-in-a-few lifetime opportunity; the first weeks is over but the challenge has just begun!

Public’s turn to talk about the new NHS shake-up

Dr Hugh Freeman

On a glorious summer night we held the second of our summer Road Shows and we worried that the soaring temperatures would keep people away.  Thankfully we were wrong and the turnout at our Chawton Park Surgery in Alton was very good.

The theme of the evening was to share more details about what a Clinical Commissioning Group is and what it does.  We shared details about our commissioning priorities and our vision for the future.  We also showed a short film about us, available to watch on our website and as part of it had been filmed in Alton it went down very well with those who came along.

Taking questions after the presentations was fascinating because the questions were so different to those raised at the first road show at Shakespeare House Health Centre in Popley.  It demonstrated to us that there are a lot of questions out there and we need to provide the answers.

Some of the questions centred on the relationship between North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group and our local hospitals.  My colleague, Dr Sam Hullah, explained that we are working with the hospitals so that they see themselves as part of the pathway to better health care and not just as a place for surgical procedures.  This is a big change of attitude.  Sam also explained that, at the moment, we are working with Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust to change how the Emergency Department works and how it looks.   At the moment patients have a confusing choice of the Out of Hours Service, the walk-in Hampshire Health Centre and the Emergency Department.  We want to take all of these elements into one less confusing unit.

Another interesting question was about the voluntary sector and how we will work with them.  Communications Manager, Anne Phillips, explained that she has already been involved in a series of voluntary sector meetings and has more planned.  It’s an area where we really feel we can work together in a very positive way.

Anne also had a question for the audience.  She asked those gathered if they really wanted to be involved in health care.  The answer was a resounding yes, they do want to know what the Clinical Commissioning Group is up to and they want to use their voice and their experiences.

Two pharmacists from Boots the Chemist came along to the Road Show.  They asked what they could do to support us – North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group – and expressed their concern about medicine waste.  Sam supplied some shocking figures for North Hampshire – between £500k and £1m is wasted in this area alone on medicines that don’t get used.  Such a waste…and possibly the subject of another blog!

Do you want to understand the new NHS reforms?

The first of our four Road Shows kicked off this week at our Shakespeare House Health Centre in Popley. As it was the first we were feeling a little nervous about how it would go. It was a great success I am relieved to say.

 We started the evening with my colleague Dr Sam Hullah recalling the many battles to bring about Clinical Commissioning Groups like North Hampshire. It’s been a long struggle to get to the stage where we are now a shadow Clinical Commissioning Group.  Sam reminded everyone that the Health and Social Care Bill which is now an Act holds the record for more changes to a parliamentary bill than any other in the history of legislation. And we showed a short film introducing US  and explaining our vision and health care priorities.

North Hampshire CCG Road Show

 The film was a success with one person very kindly saying it was so interesting it should be shown on BBC South Today!  It is now available to view on YouTube and you can link directly from our website. 

 My presentation about the nitty gritty of commissioning health care provoked almost an hour of questions. The questions were robust, intelligent and challenging from ‘how do you prioritise’ what health care to commission to ‘how do you take responsibility for patient experience and delivery of service beyond primary care’.

We prioritise what health care to buy for North Hampshire by knowing what the needs of the local population are. We are helped with this task by fantastic public health research. We use a tool called the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and this helps us identify what our local population needs. So what I’m saying is that we prioritise based on local knowledge and needs.

And yes we do take responsibility for patient experience and delivery of service. The question was based around hospital care. So I explained at the Road Show that we as a CCG buy hospital services and so it’s important to know that the patient outcomes were good and we got value for money. We have systems in place to make sure we know what happens to patients and that a good service is delivered, but we will be looking to improve the way we gather first hand experience from patients.

 I think one of the most fascinating comments last night was about ‘feedback’ and how some see feedback as just a way of complaining when really it should be the good as well as the bad. Feedback from patients is crucial. We need to know what works and what doesn’t so that together we can bring about change.

 All in all it was a good and positive start to the Road Shows. Looking forward to the next one tonight at  Chawton Park Surgery in Alton.  Do come along. And there are two more next week so plenty of opportunities to learn about local health care and what it means to you.

Do you want to know more about North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group?

Dr Hugh Freeman, Chair, North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group

We are now just a week away from the first of our Road Shows.   The Road Shows are our chance to share what’s happening at North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

The NHS reforms have shaken up how everything happens.  GPs and clinicians are now at the forefront of decision making.  Come along to one of the four Road Shows to learn more.

Or click on Operating Plan to learn in greater detail about what is happening in North Hampshire.

At the Road Shows we will answer any questions.  These are changing times and we – as a shadow Clinical Commissioning Group – are still under the guidance of the Primary Care Trusts until next April.

As we move into this brave new world of GP led decision making it is probably good if I share with you some of our priorities for North Hampshire.

• We will be concentrating and working in the following areas to bring about improvements.
• We want to see greater emphasis on prevention and staying healthy.
• We want to improve the management of long term conditions and end of life care. If someone is terminally ill we want that person to choose where they want to die.
• We want to improve services for those with mental health problems and to support carers to help patients remain independent.
• We want to work with our partners in the local and wider community to provide the best quality maternity services.
• We want to improve access to children’s therapies.
• We will share and promote national screening campaigns like those already in use for bowel and breast cancer.
• We will support national immunisation programmes and run our own ‘Stay Healthy’ campaigns.
• And we will also be working hard to improve the first stop in health care – the GP surgery.

Our aim is to keep North Hampshire healthy.  Come along to one of our Road Shows to find out more and to see how you can use your voice to influence local health care.

How To Change The Lives of People With Diabetes

Dr Hugh Freeman, Chair, North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group

One of the things I am really enjoying about the new NHS reforms is working even more closely with the local community on health care decisions.

 

Diabetes is a huge problem nationally and it is of great concern in North Hampshire.  Nationally 5% of the adult population has diabetes –  in North Hampshire that figure is double at 10%.  A worrying statistic.

 

Recently my colleagues have been meeting with Diabetes UK to see how a national charity and we at North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning  can work together to improve the lives of people living with diabetes in North Hampshire.

 

One of the first ways is to support Diabetes UK in its recruitment of a Diabetes Service Champion for North Hampshire.  This is a volunteer role, but full training will be provided and the Service Champion will have help from a regional manager.

 

The closing date for applications is July 2nd and this is a role we at North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group would like to see filled.    The Service Champion will canvas local opinion on services for those with diabetes and will be offering up suggestions for improvements.

 

As North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group examines diabetic care to see if the right care, at the right time, in the right place, and at the right cost is being delivered locally then the Service Champion could play a key role in this debate.

 

This is an opportunity to change lives and futures for people with diabetes in North Hampshire so if you think you or someone you know could fill this volunteer role there is more information in News & Events on our website North Hampshire CCG or contact Jill Steaton at Diabetes UK  for an application form.

 

We have shared goals – like Diabetes UK –  North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group wants to make sure people with diabetes receive high-quality care and that they know what care to expect.

 

Is diabetes something you care passionately about?

 

Sometimes the press say good things about the NHS!

Dr Hugh Freeman, Chair, North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group

Dr Hugh Freeman…

I think we’ve all been aware of the recent NHS reforms – the biggest shake up in 60 years – and the rocky ride through Parliament of the Health and Social Care Act.

The media coverage was – by and large – negative.   So it’s refreshing – but we are not about to get complacent – to report that your local Clinical Commissioning Group has had some very positive coverage in recent weeks.

Last year Odiham Cottage Hospital closed its doors amidst a huge hue and cry with protests coming from all quarters.  We – North Hampshire’s Clinical Commissioning Group  – took this protest onboard and moved in quickly to work with the community and other healthcare providers to see what could be done to turn the situation around.

In March Odiham Cottage Hospital re-opened to provide day-care beds.  The service is now growing and is increasingly popular with the local community.

Working together as a community with other health and social care teams helped achieve this re-opening and it was captured by Meridian and BBC South cameras, reported on BBC Radio Surrey and on the pages of the Basingstoke Gazette.

 Last week we were pleased to see another North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group  joint initiative with working partners across Hampshire attracting positive media attention.  Something called a Gold Care card was launched for terminally ill patients in North Hampshire.

It’s a pilot scheme and it’s hoped the Gold Care card will help terminally ill patients stand out in the system as in need of urgent attention without too much explanation.

All our patients are important but the terminally ill need to stand out.  This pilot scheme attracted positive attention from the Basingstoke Gazette and the Basingstoke Observer.  If you want to know more about the Gold Care card click on the YouTube icon on our home page at  www.callevaccg.com where a short film will share some useful information for patients and carers.

But the good press hasn’t gone to our heads!  We are not about to rest on our laurels.  We are a new Clinical Commissioning Group and we want to do what’s best for the people of North Hampshire.

But we can only do that with the help of patients, the public and our many working partners across Hampshire.

And to know how we are doing we need feedback – have you got time to send a comment in the box below?  Your feedback is so important.

Shouldn’t GPs look after their patients before they start running the NHS?

Dr Hugh Freeman, Chair, North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group

I’ve been a GP for more than 30 years and I never get tired of answering questions.  Maybe that’s why I became a GP because I like problem solving and I like sharing information.

 

  But the question of  ‘GPs looking after patients before they start running the NHS’ is a good one…

It’s triggered by the new NHS reforms with patients and public hearing that GPs now have more power and budgets and are going to planning meetings –  instead of doing their ‘real’ job.  Well, this is not quite what’s happening. 

GPs in North Hampshire have banded together to form what is called a Clinical Commissioning Group.  These groups – and I will avoid calling them CCGs as jargon is banned from this blog – have been set up as part of the reforms outlined in the Health and Social Care Act to offer a more ‘bespoke’ service.

It means GPs will work closely together in a geographical area – using their knowledge of that local community – to provide better health care.

At the moment we – North Hampshire’s Clinical Commissioning Group – are at the shadow stage and will be until next April.  We have powers and responsibilities and a budget to spend but we are being shadowed by the Primary Care Trust until we find our feet.

Our role as a band of GPs working together is to commission – in other words buy – what’s needed for patients in North Hampshire.

This doesn’t mean every GP is spending time making these decisions and it doesn’t mean patients are being neglected.  In fact it’s quite the opposite.  Patients will have more chance than ever before of getting involved in their own healthcare and in the bigger local healthcare decisions.

So just as patients are saying they are worried about GPs being distracted by all this ‘power and responsibility’ – we as GPs are a little concerned that some patients won’t bother to use their voice to make themselves heard in this brave new world.

Are we right to be worried?

Are we really on the verge of a patient revolution?

Dr Hugh Freeman, Chair, North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group

I think the answer to this is YES.    

I’m Dr Hugh Freeman, chair of North Hampshire’s Clinical Commissioning Group.  This is my first blog and I am hoping it will become a regular forum for sharing and exchanging information.

As a GP I am asked questions all the time and one of the questions of the moment is ‘what’s all this about a patient revolution?’

Well, we can only have a revolution if patients rise up and take on the challenge.  The gauntlet – thrown down by the new NHS reforms – is for patients to not only get involved in their own health and wellbeing decisions, but also to have a bigger voice in how your local NHS evolves.

‘Are you ready to take charge of your own health and use your voice? …would be my question.  These are exciting and challenging times.  We must all take better care of ourselves and care enough about the NHS – our NHS – to get involved.

There are many ways to get involved just ask at your local surgery about Patient Participation Groups.  Just ask your GP what you can do to improve your own health.

As David Cameron said recently ‘getting society to take more responsibility’ is a big challenge.  It’s a challenge we face in the NHS. We all have to take better care of ourselves and not see the NHS as a magic wand with infinite resources.  It’s a precious resource and needs to be used wisely – by all of us for all of us.

A lot of the media coverage of the NHS reforms was gloomy, but if you look at what’s happening here in the Basingstoke area – all of us in North Hampshire now have a Clinical Commissioning Group that is committed to providing a more ‘bespoke’ service.  And because  North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group – has a solid knowledge of the local community we believe we really understand our patients’ needs.

Providing the right health care, in the right place, at the right time and at the right price is what drives us.  Putting patients at the centre of health care decisions is our goal.

And if you now have questions about ‘what is a clinical commissioning group’ I can always tackle that one in my next blog!

I’m told it can be lonely if you blog and no one sends you any feedback.  Surely someone has some questions for me?  You can do this by clicking ‘leave a comment’ in the box below.