At our recent Talkfest events local community members provided us with valuable feedback regarding some of the barriers they face around self-care, this was mainly around local community members not always aware of what services are available and how to access them. Following this feedback, we are holding a community engagement fair this week, bringing together local organisations to showcase who they are and what they do. See the section below for more information. 
 
As you are hopefully aware in St Helens we are working as part of a local care system called St Helens Cares which brings together a wide range of statutory organisations working together to improve the lives of the people of St Helens. Organisations Include Health and Social Care (NHS and Local Authority), Housing, Police, Fire, Healthwatch, Probation, Voluntary Community Action. As part of this work we have developed and launched a Shared Care Record.

Many people think that their GP health record is available to all health and social care workers involved in their care, but this is not always the case. At the moment, each person you see keeps a separate record. This can mean some important information is not communicated between health and social care services as well as it should. The St Helens Shared Care Record sees all local GPs, hospitals, community, mental health and social care services working together to make it possible for health and social care workers to look at relevant information about you to make the best clinical decisions.

For more information on St Helens Cares and the Shared Care Record please visit our website.  

During 2019 we will have a number of opportunities for the community to get involved and have their say on the work of the CCG and St Helens Cares. All engagement opportunities are promoted through the CCG website. If you would like more information on any of the opportunities or would like to get involved please do not hesitate to contact me at paul.steele@sthelensccg.nhs.uk or on 01744 624596.

Criteria Based Clinical Treatment - Phase Three

We are continuing our review of more treatment policies to ensure that our resources are used on the treatments that work best and provide the best long-term health outcomes for local people.

From June 2017, we, together with the NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups in Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Southport and Formby, South Sefton and St Helens have been reviewing several treatment policies to:

• ensure that the latest medical guidance and techniques are being used so the best treatment is being provided to each patient
• ensure that NHS resources are being used in the best possible way for all patients and;
• provide equal access to healthcare and treatments, where possible, across the Mid Mersey area

Phase one and phase two of the review were completed in 2017 and changes implemented following on from engagement with local people. 

Now, more policies are being looked at in line with national guidelines under phase three of the project. 

These policies are:

• Botulinum Toxin A&B
• Continuous Glucose Monitoring
• Cough Assist Devices
• Insulin Pumps
• Secondary care administered peripheral steroid joint injections
• Surgery for Prostatism
• Transanal Irrigation

Free accredited training – Understanding the Health and Social Care Environment

Places are available on the Understanding the Health and Social Care Environment (UHSCE) online training course which is accredited by Certa and is available to current NHS volunteers. The course is divided into three sections: about the stakeholders, about tools and methods for influencing health and social care, and about how you can present your community issues to have maximum impact for positive change. The course starts on 12 March 2019 and ends with a full day of assessed presentations where participants have an opportunity to share their projects they have been working on as part of the course, gather practical advice on how to develop their work further, and to network. For more information about the course and how to apply please email: england.ppve-learning@nhs.net .