Working together to give our children the best possible start
Raising education standards across the borough is the aim of Councillor Tamoor Tariq, Bury Council’s new cabinet member for children and families.
He made his first official visit in his new role to Park View Primary School in Prestwich, where he was impressed with the range of facilities on offer.
Cllr Tariq said: “While school heads and governors are responsible for how each school is run, the local authority has a key role to play in driving forward school improvement and I will be working with schools and head teachers to ensure in Bury we are raising the aspirations and ambition of all our children.
“I was delighted to visit Park View Primary, which is an exemplar of good practice in ensuring children have the very best education. I am impressed with how headteacher Mr Stephens has led the school improvement efforts and how every teacher in the school is working to ensure every child is able to achieve.
“I was particularly impressed with the sensory room and the unique facility there is for young people with emotional and behavioural needs. I am looking forward to coming back to Park View in the near future.”
Headteacher David Stephens said: “It was a pleasure to receive a visit from the new cabinet member for children and families in Bury.
“Cllr Tariq attended our celebration assembly, followed by a tour of the school. He interacted with a number of children and staff and witnessed first-hand the hard work, dedication and commitment of our school team. He was particularly impressed with the positive behaviour of our children and the enjoyment they derive through exciting learning opportunities, which has a real impact in helping to raise standards.
“At Park View, we are committed to offering the best possible education to each and every child in order for them to achieve their full potential. Cllr Tariq regarded our sensory and therapeutic provision for those children with additional needs as a highly valuable resource that helps to remove barriers to learning and makes a real difference.”
- Published in General Health & Care News
Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
Congratulations to all the girl guides who work so hard making up comfort bags for relatives staying with our end of life patients in our hospitals in Oldham, Bury, Rochdale and North Manchester.
The girl guides have won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award given to UK volunteer groups, equivalent to the MBE.
The idea for introducing the comfort bags at out hospitals was championed at the NCA by Assistant Director of Nursing Fiona Murphy MBE who worked closely with a team of volunteers and the girl guides on the idea.
Fiona said: “It is hugely important that we celebrate this award given to the girl guides for the comfort bags they make for us. What a fantastic achievement, and thoroughly deserved. The comfort bags make a massive difference to relatives who have a much-loved family member nearing the end of their life.”
The Swan model of end of life and bereavement care is used to support and guide the care of patients and their loved ones that we care for at the end of life and after they have died. Find out more on our website here: www.pat.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/swan-model-of-care.htm
Swan offers dedicated support to patients in the last days of life and to their families into bereavement and beyond.
The Swan scheme is a national scheme which is present in 47 Trusts up and down the country. It was set up by Assistant Director of Nursing, Fiona Murphy MBE.
Swan Comfort bags contain travel size toiletries and essentials for end of life patients, their relatives and those important to them.
Recognising that relatives and friends may not want to leave their loved one to freshen up, these bags are gifted as a gesture of compassion at this difficult time.
- Published in General Health & Care News
Health and care changes to improve the quality of life for people in Bury
Strengthening health and care services for the people of Bury is a key aim of a £19.2 million plan to help people lead healthier, happier lives.
The programme of improvements, called the Bury Locality Plan, involves changing traditional ways of supporting and treating people, with more focus on support nearer the home and in the community.
Health and care professionals, community groups and voluntary organisations are working together closely to deliver a more joined-up service with reduced duplication, meaning people will ‘only have to tell their story once’ to receive coordinated support from different agencies.
An example of the new approach is happening in Radcliffe and Prestwich where GPs are leading pilot ‘integrated neighbourhood teams’, with social workers and district nurses working together in the same ‘hub’ or office in the communities they serve.
These neighbourhood teams will be launched across the borough this spring. GPs and their practices will work with the group to identify people who need more support to help them stay well and out of hospital. The team hubs will not be open to the public – people will still go to their pharmacists or GP surgeries/medical centres for help and advice.
This new emphasis on preventing people getting ill and needing hospital treatment will see services like physiotherapy offered in the home, rather than on a hospital ward, supporting people to live healthier lives and becoming better informed about what support is available. There will also be increased support at home to help people leave hospital as soon as they are ready.
As part of the new approach, NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Bury Council, the organisations that decide how the health and social care budgets are spent, are now working together, as a single commissioning body, called the Bury One Commissioning Organisation, making joint decisions on how best to spend the money.
Greater Manchester is leading the way nationally with this new health and care partnership approach, which follows the historic devolution deal between the city region and central government, and allows the area to take charge of its £6 billion health and social care budget.
Bury has committed to investing £19.2 million from devolution’s Greater Manchester Transformation Fund and has invested additional money locally to create services fit for the 21st century.
Dr Jeff Schryer, chair of Bury CCG and a Prestwich GP, said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make huge improvements to how we look after people in Bury and encourage them to look after themselves.
“By working together, we can make sure we get help faster to those who need it the most, reduce the pressure on hospitals and help thousands of people remain well for longer than is currently the case.”
As well as bringing health and care services closer together, the Locality Plan will focus on getting every child ready to start school, mental health services and encouraging people to look after their own health and wellbeing.
Geoff Little OBE, Chief Executive at Bury Council and Bury CCG Accountable Officer, said: “The Locality Plan, spearheaded by the planned launch of the neighbourhood teams across the borough, is the start of a new way of supporting each other and making sure we fulfil Bury’s potential, giving children the best start in life and older people the chance to live better lives for longer.
”We’re looking at everything, from eating habits to exercise, as well as the ability to earn a decent living, and want everyone to play a role, helping us to use our health and care budget carefully by taking care of their health.”
A body called the Bury Locality Care Alliance has been established to implement the Locality Plan, bringing together the separate organisations which provide health and care services in Bury, including Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Care Alliance, using one budget and one way of working. Its name will change to Bury Local Care Organisation in April this year.
- Published in Bury Local Care Organisation News
Start of a new health and care era for Bury people
A new organisation has been launched which aims to transform health and care services for people in the borough.
The Bury Local Care Organisation (Bury LCO) was launched on 1 April, 2019 and has the aim of supporting improvements in population health and wellbeing, providing improved health and care to the people of Bury.
The formal alliance of organisations includes Bury Council, Bury GP Federation, BARDOC, Bury Voluntary, Community and Faith Alliance, Northern Care Alliance NHS Group (Salford Royal and Pennine Acute Hospital NHS Trusts), Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust and Persona Care and Support Ltd.
These organisations have made a commitment to work together as a single, innovative new body within the public sector, responsible for the transformation and delivery of a group of services. They will work as one joined-up team rather than separate organisations, leading to more coordinated help and support, getting the best value for public money.
The Bury LCO will be responsible for the majority of health and care services provided outside hospital, with a team of approximately 600 staff, with an operating budget of £27m, working across the borough, including district nurses, social workers, health workers and therapists.
A key aim of the group is to focus health and care services in the home and the community, with hospital or care homes only being used for those whose needs cannot be met elsewhere.
There is also a big focus on tailoring services for different areas of Bury which have different levels and types of demands, as well as encouraging people to have healthy lifestyles. For example, Prestwich has a high proportion of older people and so we will be carrying out more strength and balance training here to help reduce the number of injuries caused by falls.
The borough has been divided into five areas to help bring services closer to communities and will be carried out by ‘integrated neighbourhood teams’, which are teams of health, social care and Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector (VCFS) professionals, who will work closely together to deliver more joined-up care support.
Kath Wynne-Jones, chief officer of Bury LCO, said: “The launch of Bury LCO marks the start of a new era for health and care services in the borough. We want to enable our workforce and our population to be the best they can be. We want to remove barriers for staff that cause duplication, stress and uncoordinated care.
“This is a completely new way of delivering help and support for our people and each partner organisation is determined to make a difference and improve services.”
Greater Manchester is leading the way nationally with this new health and care partnership approach, which follows the historic devolution deal between the city region and central government, and allows the area to take charge of its £6 billion health and social care budget, tailoring services for the people they serve.
Each borough has produced a plan on how to do this – called a Locality Plan – and Bury LCO will contribute to implementing Bury’s plan. Bury is investing £19.2 million from devolution’s Greater Manchester Transformation Fund in order to create services fit for the 21st century.
Geoff Little, Chief Executive of Bury Council and Accountable Officer for Bury One Commissioning Organisation, said: “Bury LCO has a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives.
“We now have all the professionals we need to deliver health and care services working together in one organisation, following one over-arching vision and plan.”
- Published in Bury Local Care Organisation News
Shining a Light on Suicide campaign launch*
We are proud to have been involved in the development of a new Greater Manchester suicide prevention campaign, which launched on 1 May.
Shining a Light on Suicide aims to encourage people to start talking about suicide and to promote the support that’s available.
A new website has been launched for anyone affected by suicide, click the links below to find out more:
• Are you feeling suicidal?
• Are you concerned about someone?
• Are you bereaved by suicide?
Learn to save a life
This short training session could help you to save a life by learning to talk about suicide. Click here to find out more.
Suicide – the facts
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 49 and women aged between 20 and 34. More than 200 people a year take their own life in Greater Manchester.
For every suicide that occurs, there are up to 20 more suicide attempts and one in five of us have had suicidal thoughts.
Together we can help to prevent suicide.
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 49 and women aged between 20 and 34. More than 200 people a year take their own life in Greater Manchester.
For every suicide that occurs, there are up to 20 more suicide attempts and one in five of us have had suicidal thoughts.
Together we can help to prevent suicide.
*A press release from our partner Pennine Care Foundation Trust.
- Published in General Health & Care News
Calling all carers – come and help shape services in Bury
Unpaid carers from across Bury are once again being invited to come and have their say on future services and support for them.
Defined as somebody who provides support or looks after a family member, partner or friend, there are around 3,000 ‘official’ unpaid carers in the Borough with many, many more performing the role on an unofficial basis.
Bury Council and NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group have been consulting with carers as they plan services for the future.
Now they are running a series of further sessions to let people know what’s happened so far, feedback on proposals and to hear again what carers themselves think.
The first session is this coming Tuesday in Prestwich, with two further sessions in the centre of Bury to follow.
A Bury Council and Bury CCG spokesperson said: “At the outset, we were keen to acquire a collective understanding of current carer services, what is currently available and what services and support carers feel there should be in Bury.
“This was to enable us to identify any gaps and give us the opportunity to develop commissioned and community services to meet the needs of carers in Bury.
“We will be undertaking a final round of engagement sessions to confirm what we know to date. Bury Council & Bury CCG are very much open to further ideas on how to deliver carers’ services and welcome thoughts on how we shape the future of carers service in Bury”
The sessions will be held at:
Tuesday 14th May, 2:00pm – 4:00pm Memorial Hall, the Longfield Suite, Prestwich Wednesday 15th May, 9:30am – 11:30am The Box studio, The Met Theatre, Market Street Bury Monday 20th May, 5:30pm – 7:30pm The Lancaster Room Elizabethan SuiteKnowsley Street, Bury BL9 0SW
If you would like to attend or require any further information, please book on to your preferred session by email: engagement@bury.gov.uk or ring 0161 253 5439.
- Published in General Health & Care News
Find out how research improves patient care in the NHS
Local residents and Trust members can find out how research improves diagnosis, care and treatment for patients in the NHS at a free talk at Fairfield General Hospital.
The event is one of a series of Medicine for Members sessions, which are aimed at giving an insight into key elements of the hospital’s daily work.
It will take place on Tuesday 21 May from 2-3pm in the Auditorium at Fairfield General Hospital’s Education Centre.
Among the speakers will be Professor Jimmy Limdi, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Fairfield General, who has an international reputation for his research to help improve the lives of people with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He will explain why research into these conditions is so essential and how it can make a huge difference to patients’ lives.
Research Nurse Dawn Johnstone will talk about her involvement in one specific trial and how the results from this trial have ultimately led to better treatments for patients with prostate cancer.
And Professor Steve Woby, Director of Research Operations, will explain how research is an everyday part of every NHS speciality and why he wants to see more patients involved.
The event is free and open to all, but we do ask you to reserve your place by emailing membership@pat.nhs.uk or calling 01706 517302. Please also let us know if you have any special requirements.
Notes for editors:
- The Northern Care Alliance is an NHS Group that incorporates Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and provides services for over 1 million people.
- Follow Northern Care Alliance Research & Innovation on Twitter and like us on Facebook
- The latest media videos are on our YouTube page
- Our website is NCAresearch.org.uk
Media enquiries to:
Claire Mooney
Communications Officer
Tel: 0161 206 5110
Email: claire.mooney@manchester.ac.uk
- Published in General Health & Care News
