Tag: Patient Care

Allied Health Professions Day

Friday 14 October 2022

AHPs are the third largest healthcare workforce, with significant opportunities to support delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan. AHPs’ Day is an annual opportunity for AHPs to come together and celebrate being part of the AHP family, and the day gives an opportunity to showcase to others the impact they make to the delivery of high quality care. The collaborations in services, organisations, trusts, regions and nationally enable:

  • Improved awareness of the role of the fourteen allied health professions
  • Showcasing the achievements of local services and their impact on patient care and population health
  • Integrated working with other services and organisations.

Read more here

The Patients Association

Shared decision making from the perspective of clinicians and healthcare professionals

Source: The King’s Fund

This report finds health care professionals are positive about shared decision-making – a way of working with patients to decide treatment options. But the report also finds professionals’ ability to practice shared decision-making regularly is limited by the current crisis in the NHS. The report makes a number of recommendations and The Patients Association will now look to partner with NHS England, the Personalised Care Institute and other organisations to support professionals’ call for more support to practice shared decision-making.

Royal College of Psychiatrist

Eliminating inappropriate out of area placements in mental health

Source: Royal College of Psychiatrist

The government’s deadline to eliminate inappropriate out of area placements for adult acute patients by the end of March 2021 has now been missed by a full year. Sometimes hundreds of miles away from home, patients are unable to access their usual support networks while at their most vulnerable, often finding their care seriously disrupted, with long-term implications for their recovery. The NHS spent £102 million on inappropriate out of area placements in the 12 months up to and including March 2022 – the equivalent to the cost of the annual salary of more than 900 consultant psychiatrists. This briefing sets out the urgent action the NHS should take to ensure all patients get the care they need from properly staffed, specialist services in their local area.  

Saving and improving lives

The future of UK clinical research delivery

Source: The King’s Fund Health Management and Policy Alert

This policy document outlines the government’s vision to unleash the full potential of clinical research delivery to tackle health inequalities, bolster economic recovery and improve the lives of people across the UK.

The future of clinical research delivery sets out the vision for a more patient-centred, pro-innovation and digitally-enabled clinical research environment, which builds on the successes and the lessons we have learned in response to COVID-19 and harnesses the UK’s potential to capitalise on cutting-edge innovations across all treatments and technologies, all phases of research and all conditions.

Their vision puts clinical research delivery front and centre of our plans to build back better so we can tackle the healthcare challenges of the future and patients across the UK and around the world benefit from better health outcomes.

The 5 key themes underpinning the vision are:

  • clinical research embedded in the NHS
  • patient-centred research
  • streamlined, efficient and innovative research
  • research enabled by data and digital tools
  • a sustainable and supported research workforce

The goal is to create a clinical research delivery ecosystem which will shape the future of healthcare and improve people’s lives for years to come.

Improving Patient Care

How PCNs are working in partnership to support mental health


Source: NHS Confederation; 2021.

This briefing was developed jointly by the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network and PCN Network and provides examples of three models of partnership working that are currently underway in primary care to support mental health at place level.

Key points include:

  • A seamless referral system between primary and secondary care is important for patients who have mental health needs.
  • Early interventions for young people can be very cost effective and improve access and outcomes in mental health, wellbeing, and physical health.
  • Working in partnership across the community, and pooling knowledge, resources and assets is important for improving access to services, providing cost effective interventions, and improving outcomes.
  • Joining up primary care and mental health services is essential. Primary care can help people who have milder mental health issues access support and reduce referral to secondary mental health services.

NHS Confederation Mental Health Network

Working together to improve patient care: how PCNs are working in partnership to support people’s mental health

Source: The King’s Fund; Health Management and Policy Alert

Mental health disorders are one of the common causes of morbidity in England and primary care plays a key role in supporting patients’ mental health and wellbeing, so it has become a priority for many primary care networks (PCNs). This briefing provides examples of three models of partnership working that are currently under way in primary care to support mental health at place level.

‘Vital’ staff flu

The NHS has launched a flu vaccination drive

Frontline colleagues across health and care sectors are being urged to get a flu vaccination as early as possible. The health service is aiming for every single member of eligible staff to get a flu vaccine this year.

Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England said;

“Every year we urge our colleagues to protect themselves, their families and their patients by taking up the free flu jab, and every year more and more do – but this year’s call is the most vital we have ever made.

“The flu has a serious impact on the health of thousands of people every winter, and with the added risk of Covid-19 this year the NHS needs as many of its staff as possible to be fighting fit over the coming months.

“And even more importantly, just as we are making every effort to stop the spread of coronavirus in our hospitals, so we must also do the same for flu. Getting a vaccine is the single most effective way every member of our staff can contribute to this.”

To find out more click here.

We all need to be prepared to face the Winter, book your place for a flu jab by contacting the relevant department as below:

VenueDateTimeContact nameContact details
Sceptre Point Meeting Room 521/099.30am  – 11.30amLCTHQ Reception01772 695300
Lantern Centre Seminar Room21/091pm – 3pmDonna Andrews – Garlick01772 773500
Lancaster, DeVitre House Clinic Room22/099.30am  – 11.30amLouise UdallLouise.Udall@lancashirecare.nhs.uk 
Lancaster, DeVitre House Clinic Room22/091pm – 3pmLouise UdallLouise.Udall@lancashirecare.nhs.uk
The Harbour Skills Room22/099.30am-11.30amHarbour Reception01253 447700
The Harbour Skills Room23/099.30am – 11.30amHarbour Reception01253 447700
Pendle View, RBH Seminar Room24/099.30am-11:30amBeverley FieldingBeverley.Fielding@Lancashirecare.nhs.uk
Pendle View, RBH Seminar Room24/091pm – 3pmBeverley FieldingBeverley.Fielding@Lancashirecare.nhs.uk
The Harbour Skills Room25/099.30am – 11:30amSkills Room01253 447700
The Harbour Skills Room25/099.30am – 11:30amSkills Room01253 447700