May 2011
North Norfolk Healthcare
GP Commissioning Consortium
Patient and Partner Update
Welcome to the third Patient and Partner Update from North Norfolk
Healthcare GP Commissioning Consortium (NNH GP CC) – the new name for
North Norfolk Health Consortium. This update has been developed to help
Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and other local agencies with an interest
in health keep up to date with healthcare services in North Norfolk.
NNH GP CC is a group of 18 local GP Practices who work together to make
sure that the best possible healthcare is available for the people of North
Norfolk. As the new name emphasises the Consortium supports GP
Commissioning (GPC), which is a national idea to give family doctors more
say in how NHS resources are used. More information is available on the
NNH GP CC website at http://www.northnorfolkgp.co.uk.
Transitional Management Arrangements
Formal interim arrangements are currently being developed to take the
Consortium through the transitional period and towards 2013 when Consortia
are due to take on full responsibility for the majority of local healthcare
management. Voting has now taken place to elect the following members of
the Executive Group (previously known as the Core Group):
Anoop Dhesi, Chair GP, Stalham Staithe
Paolo de Marco GP, Fakenham Medical Practice
Alan Lee GP, Drayton & St. Faiths Medical Practice
Alasdair Lennox GP, Cromer Group Practice
Linda Hunter GP, Hoveton & Wroxham Medical Practice
Rachel Arkieson Practice Manager, Drayton & St. Faiths Medical
Practice
Tony Belham Practice Manager, Birchwood Medical Practice
Sandra Edgell Practice Manager, Hoveton & Wroxham Medical
Practice
Sara Ponder Practice Manager, Cromer Group Practice
Sally Ross-Benham Practice Manager, Stalham Staithe
North Norfolk Health Consortium – Commissioning services on behalf of NHS Norfolk
May 2011
As well as the elected members listed above, the Executive Group also
includes:
•
Dr Victoria Holliday, North Norfolk Healthcare CIC Medical Director,
•
Nigel Stewart, Project Manager
•
Clare Evans, RMC Operations Manager
•
Jan Sanders, PBC Development Officer, NHS Norfolk
•
Rebecca Champion, Health Improvement Specialist, NHS Norfolk
The North Norfolk Transitional Board (previously known as the Whole Group)
is made up of GP and management representatives from each practice and
meets monthly to keep the consortium member practices engaged and
involved. Ann Poberefsky has now joined the Transitional Board as a lay
representative of Norfolk’s Transitional Healthwatch.
Referral Management Centre (RMC)
In April the RMC processed over 2,250 referrals to hospital clinics from the 18
NNH GP CC practices. The most common referral reasons were ‘knee
problem’, ‘change of bowel habit’ and ‘breast problem’. The North Norfolk
Healthcare CIC Medical Director has started a review of the specialities and
referral reasons that show the highest referral rates across North Norfolk in
order to identify potential areas for improvement and/or service redesign.
A leaflet entitled ‘Your Choice about the role of the RMC’ is available on the
NNH GP CC website. For more information about the RMC contact Clare
Evans, Operations Manager, North Norfolk Healthcare CIC on
enquiries@northnorfolkgp.co.uk or 01263 710300.
Warfarin INR Finger Prick Testing
Patients that may be at risk from blood clotting can be treated with a drug
called Warfarin however they have to be monitored closely and regularly to
make sure that the prescribed dose is safe for the individual patient as it can
interact with other medications and some foods. This is done by blood
samples being tested for the International Normalised Ratio (INR).
Historically in many of the North Norfolk practices this would involve patients
regularly having blood samples taken from their arm (venepuncture), the
sample would then be sent away to be tested and the following day the
practice receives the results and then writes to the patient and tells them what
dose to take. Now many of the North Norfolk practices have adopted a
different method, where the patient has a finger prick test and the blood
sample is applied to a strip which is put into a special machine. This machine
then feeds information into a computer which gives dosage instructions and
the patient gets a new prescription. This is all done much more quickly, on
the same day and within the practice (or via the District Nursing service where
appropriate).
North Norfolk Health Consortium – Commissioning services on behalf of NHS Norfolk
May 2011
Frail and Older People’s (F&OP) Project
The F&OP Project is designed to support frail and older people and make it
easier for them to remain at home. This will be done by identifying older
people who are at risk of being admitted to an acute hospital (such as the
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital) and refer them to an experienced
community nurse who will act as an Intensive Case Manager (ICM). Currently
there are in excess of 200 patients being case managed in this way in North
Norfolk.
Social Services link workers have now been allocated to all practices in NNH
GP CC. They are becoming more involved with the various Multi Disciplinary
Team (MDT) meetings, along with case management staff, in the discussion
of Frail and Older People’s cases.
Other new appointments that will support this service include:
1.
A new Neurological Rehabilitation Nurse has been appointed for North
Norfolk and will be based at Benjamin Court Hospital.
2.
A Physiotherapist has been appointed who will act as a local ‘Falls’ Coordinator
and will be based at Kelling Hospital.
3.
The new Norfolk-wide specialist Palliative Care Nurse is working with
Drayton and Mundesley Practices to pilot some ideas to help improve
palliative care in the North.
More information will be available on these and other NNH services as they
develop in the On-going Projects section of the NNH GP CC website.
North Norfolk Health Improvement Forum
The first meeting of the North Norfolk Health Improvement Forum took
place earlier this month. The initiative, led by North Norfolk District Council
(NNDC), aims to promote good health and improved wellbeing, reduce health
inequalities and reduce the incidence and impact of illness and disability. It
will do this by working on agreed local health priorities with other local groups
and agencies who share these aims to improve well-being.
The Forum recognises the fact that people’s physical, social, mental and
environmental health is affected not only by disease, disability and illness but
also by education, work, finance, access to health care, environmental and
housing conditions, recreational opportunities and the communities in which
they live. Information about the work of the Forum will be made widely
available as it develops, however if you have any queries contact Sonia
Shuter Health Improvement Officer at NNDC on 01263 516173 or email
sonia.shuter@north-norfolk.gov.uk.
NNH GP CC is represented on the Forum by Health Improvement Specialist,
Rebecca Champion who is employed by NHS Norfolk’s Public Health
Department to work with the Consortium and individual practices to find the
North Norfolk Health Consortium – Commissioning services on behalf of NHS Norfolk
May 2011
best way to support specific health improvement projects and make sure that
advice on disease prevention is available when the Consortium is developing
health services.
More information on the role of the Health Improvement Specialist in North
Norfolk is available on the NNH GP CC website or from Rebecca on 01263
710315 or rebecca.champion@norfolk.nhs.uk.
Any Questions or Comments?
Any general enquiries about the work of North Norfolk Healthcare GP
Commissioning Consortium or feedback on this Update should be sent to
enquiries@northnorfolkgp.co.uk.
North Norfolk Health Consortium – Commissioning services on behalf of NHS Norfolk