Primary care latest updates

Industrial Action will cause significant pressure on local NHS services. Junior Doctors have planned action from 07:00 on Thursday 27 June 2024 to 07:00 on Tuesday 2 July 2024. Healthcare Assistants, Maternity Support Workers and Theatre Support Workers have planned action from 07:00 on Thursday 27 June 2024 to 07:00 on Saturday 29 June 2024 and 07:00 Monday 1 July to 07:00 on Wednesday 3 July 2024 (two periods of 48hrs).

The NHS is asking the public to play their part during industrial action to look after themselves, loved ones and checking in on vulnerable family members and neighbours.

Dr Nilesh Sanganee, Interim Chief Medical Officer, Northamptonshire ICB said: “The further strike action being taken by Junior Doctors and Healthcare Assistants will put significant pressure on our hospitals and is likely to cause long waiting times in our Emergency Departments.

“We will be prioritising emergency care, critical care, neonatal care, maternity and trauma. It is highly likely elective or non-emergency work will be significantly impacted.

“Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and serious life-threatening cases, and please attend appointments unless you have been advised otherwise.

"Please help the NHS by choosing services appropriately during this time to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs, and only using 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.
“We apologise to local people who are impacted by this action and thank them for their continued co-operation, patience and understanding.”

Preparing for industrial action

Please follow these steps to ensure you’re ready ahead of the industrial action period

• If you’re staying in England and are away from home and need a GP appointment for routine treatment, please call your own surgery. And if you need a prescription, they can send it to any pharmacy you choose.
• Make sure you have enough of your prescribed medications. You can easily order repeat prescriptions via the NHS App, though your GP practice website or, if you do not have access to GP online services, by calling your GP practice.
• Ensure you have a fully stocked first aid kit at home or with you. Find out what you need here https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/accidents-first-aid-and-treatments/what-should-i-keep-in-my-first-aid-kit/
   

Options available to patients during strike action with non-life threatening urgent health needs. Patients will still be able to get health support if they have urgent health concerns.

Patients with urgent health concerns
Anyone who needs urgent care should use 111.nhs.uk to be assessed and directed to the right care for them. If needed a healthcare professional will call you back and this option can save you time in waiting areas. If you do not have internet access or you are contacting 111 about a patient aged 5 or under, please call 111 instead.

Corby Urgent Care Centre is open every day between 8am and 8pm and can help with minor injuries/ illnesses such as lacerations, sprains, strains, minor burns or scalds.

GP practices will also continue to be open, including the enhanced access service (out of hours) but are also likely to be extremely busy.

Please continue to contact your GP practice if you need GP services and the out of hours service can be reached via 111.nhs.uk Remember you can also book appointments and order repeat prescriptions online or by using the NHS app.

Patients with minor illnesses and injuries
Your local pharmacy can help with minor illnesses like coughs, colds and red eye. our local pharmacy can help with minor illnesses like coughs, colds and red eye. You can also now get care for a variety of common conditions including middle ear inflammation, impetigo, infected insect bites, shingles, sinusitis, sort throats and UTIs from local pharmacies. They are open late and no appointment is needed.

Patients who need medical help or advice but are unsure where to go
Patients who need medical help or advice but are unsure where to go, should contact NHS 111 online unless it unless it is a life-threatening emergency when you should still call 999.

Patients who have an appointment on strike days
Everyone who has an appointment should attend as planned unless your local NHS provider has contacted you to reschedule. If they have not contacted you, please attend your appointment.

Patients should continue to call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E , you can visit the NHS UK website.

Read Further NHS Industrial Action will have a serious impact on local NHS services…

The National Institute for Health and Care (NIHR) Research "Be Part of Research campaign" runs from 3^rd until 9^th June. To mark this week we’re raising awareness about the difference research can make to the health, care and wellbeing of local people across Northamptonshire.

Clinical research is a cornerstone of modern medicine and healthcare, driving innovation and improvements in patient outcomes. Within the NHS, the significance of clinical research cannot be overstated, it is beneficial to patients, healthcare professionals, and the system as a whole.

This spotlight article from Dr Andre Krzeminski, a Northamptonshire GP and researcher, outlines how he integrates research into General Practice.

He said: "As a clinician, researcher, and former Biomedical science graduate, my journey into medicine has been deeply intertwined with my passion for scientific inquiry. For nearly a decade, I've had the privilege of conducting clinical research at Albany House Medical Centre in Wellingborough, seamlessly blending my love for science with patient care.

"My research journey began at Sheffield University, where I immersed myself in the world of science while working on the Human Genome Project. Despite the intellectual stimulation of wet-lab experiments and running electrophoresis samples, I realised that I craved something vital which was missing—the human connection. This realisation steered me towards a career in medicine, where I could combine my scientific expertise with direct patient interaction.

"Upon qualifying as a General Practitioner, I found myself at Albany House Medical Centre, where I now lead the Research and Development department alongside my clinical duties. Over the years, our department has achieved significant milestones, including being the first to enrol patients globally in various research studies. Additionally, we've been honoured with awards by our local Clinical Research Network (CRN), recognising our contributions to medical research.

"One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is witnessing the tangible impact of our research on patient care. Whether it's directly through exploring new therapies for diseases or, or indirectly from the interactions and rapport built with patients, the benefits are profound.

"Research not only improves individual patient outcomes but also contributes positively to broader public health initiatives, such as the successful vaccination campaigns witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As the landscape of healthcare continues to evolve, with an increased emphasis on continuity of care, research must play a vital role in shaping the future of our General Practice plans. To enable us stay at the forefront of medical advancements, and to ensure that patients receive the best possible care, healthcare providers must embrace and prioritise research within our practice frameworks.

"At Albany House Medical Centre, our commitment to innovation and patient-centred care drives us to continually strive for excellence in both clinical practice and research endeavours.

"By embracing research as an integral part of our practice, we can usher in a new era of integrated care, where scientific discovery and compassionate patient care go hand in hand."

To learn more about the research team and initiatives, please visit the Albany House Research website

If you are interested in becoming involved in research, there are several ways health professionals can become involved.

Please contact Onyinye Ndefo, Research Lead, Northamptonshire ICB via onyinye.ndefo@nhs.net for information about potential opportunities.

More information
Northamptonshire ICB Research page

Read Research Appreciation Week…

Please find the Northamptonshire Primary Care Training Hub newsletter for May 2024:

Northamptonshire Primary Care Training Hub Newsletter May 2024

Please cascade this onto any of your colleagues that may find this of interest.

Read Northamptonshire Primary Care Training Hub Newsletter May 2024…

To mark International Nurses Day (12 May) Yvonne Higgins, Chief Nursing Officer and Mandy Staples, Director of Nursing share there thanks to our nursing community. In addition to the video message below Yvonne said ”On International Nurses' Day 2024 we want to say thank you and shine the spotlight on the true value of nursing and recognising the difference we make to people's lives each and every day Nursing is a highly-skilled, safety-critical profession. You are experts. You dedicate yourselves to ensuring you deliver the best possible care to those you care for from the moment they enter the world to the moment they leave it and every stage in between – and for that we want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU”

Watch the thank you video from Yvonne Higgins, Chief Nursing Officer and Mandy Staples, Director of Nursing here.

In addition Chief Nursing Officer for England Dame Ruth May and parkrun UK are encouraging nurses across England to take part in parkrun events this May. Register for your local parkrun event and take part on Saturday 11 May for International Nurses Day. You can walk, jog, run, volunteer or come along to cheer on others as we celebrate and recognise the enormous contribution and commitment of our nursing colleagues across the NHS, health and social care. With more than 1,240 parkrun events taking place across the UK every weekend, parkrun offers a safe and inclusive space for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to be more active and social in the great outdoors. Wear NHS blue or your most colourful fancy dress, and encourage your colleagues, patients, friends and family to come along too.

Visit the parkrun website to find your local event and register for free, on the day, don’t forget to share a photo or video on social media and include the hashtags #IDM2024 or #IND2024, and #teamCMidO or #teamCNO.

Read International Nurses Day 2024…

As you may be aware, one of UKHSA’s responsibilities is collecting numbers of cases of notifiable diseases (including whooping cough, clinically known as pertussis).

UKHSA publish analyses of local and national trends on a regular basis. In the years since monitoring began, they have seen a huge decline in whooping cough cases from peak years exceeding 100,000 cases annually in the 1950s.

Whooping cough is a cyclical disease that regularly peaks every 3 to 5 years. The team are, unfortunately, seeing increasing rates of whooping cough in the first quarter of 2024 and expect these increasing rates to last for several months.

UKHSA are publishing epidemiological data monthly, with the next data publication scheduled for Thursday 9 May 2024. This is expected to further illustrate the rise in case numbers. The data publication will also be accompanied by a UKHSA press release on the day and activity on their social media channels to raise awareness of whooping cough and the vaccine offers, with a particular focus on the maternal vaccine offer.

UKHSA have published a new maternal vaccination stakeholder communications toolkit to support stakeholders to explain and promote the NHS vaccination programme to pregnant women. This currently focusses on the whooping cough vaccine offer and will be updated with information on seasonal vaccine offers in the future.

It contains background information, statistics, key messages, social media assets and copy and links to useful information which help raise awareness of whooping cough, its signs and symptoms and the vaccine offers.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss any aspect of this email or the toolkit please email annemarie.senior@ukhsa.gov.uk.

Read Whooping cough: new maternal vaccination stakeholder communications toolkit…