Community Mental Health Teams - Dudley Primary Care Trust

DUDLEY HEALTH LINK SPRING 2006
Useful numbers and information
DUDLEY
Your NHS Trusts
Dudley Beacon and Castle Primary Care Trust: 01384 366111
Dudley South Primary Care Trust: 01384 361361
Minicom: 01384 243187
Accident and Emergency Department
Russells Hall Hospital: 01384 456111
AIDS
The Guest Hospital:
01384 244820 / 244821
Sexual Health Line, 24-hour: Freephone
0800 567123
Summit House Support, Monday to Friday
9am-4.30pm, helpline Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday 7pm-9pm, Holloway House,
Martin Hill Street, Dudley DY2 8RT:
01384 243220
Alcohol Problems
Aquarius: free, confidential counselling to
people with a drink problem, their family
or friends. Clients are seen by
appointment only, and Aquarius runs a
‘dry’ house: 01384 261267, Monday to
Friday, 9am-5pm. (An answerphone
service is available outside office hours).
Drinkline, 24-hour: 0800 917 8282
Audiology
Requests and enquiries: 01384 366890
Blood Donation
0845 771 1711
Breast Screening Service
For appointments: 01384 244177
Cancer Support
Cancer Support DMB: Support for people
who have cancer and for those who care
for them. The White House,
10 Ednam Road, Dudley DY1 1JX:
01384 231232 / 238289
Prostrate Group: 01384 231232
Care and Disability Advice Line
Freephone: 08080 486486,
fax: 01384 816182,
e-mail: cadal@dudleycabx.org
Cervical Smears
A cervical smear test is available from
GPs, practice nurses or the family
planning service.
Child and Adolescent Mental
Health Services
Contact your GP if your child or
adolescent is experiencing emotional or
behavioural difficulties.
Children’s Disability Team
01384 815813
Chiropody
General enquiries: 01384 361413
Clinical Psychology
Enquiries to District Psychologist, Cross
Street Health Centre: 01384 459004
Community Equipment Service
Equipment available for temporary loan of
up to six months: 01384 813468
Community Learning Disability Teams
Brierley Hill: 01384 813930
Dudley: 01384 813363
Halesowen: 0121 602 8833
Sedgley: 01384 813360
Stourbridge: 01384 813925
Community Message Service
01384 244358 or at the
Antenatal clinic: 01384 244351
Community Mental Health Teams
Brierley Hill: 01384 366770
Dudley: 01384 813880
Halesowen: 0121 602 8862
Sedgley: 01902 575921
Stourbridge: 01384 366700
Community Midwifery Service
Community midwives can be reached at
Russells Hall Maternity Unit, Monday to
Friday, 9am-5pm:
01384 456111 ext 3358
At other times and in an emergency:
01384 456111
Community Physiotherapy
Adult service: 01384 366387
Paediatric service: 01384 361243
Continence Advisory Service
Enquiries: Northway Medical Centre,
Sedgley: 01902 574757
Diabetes
Diabetic Nurse Specialists, Diabetes
Centre, Dudley Guest Hospital (moving to
Russells Hall Hospital in the New Year):
01384 244399
Dietetics
Hospital Service - open access to general
practitioners with special clinics for
children based at Russells Hall Hospital:
01384 244017
Community Service - referrals by a doctor
for GP clinics and home visits by
community dietician: 01384 361300
District Nursing
Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, contact your
local health centre or clinic.
From 5pm-9am and weekends contact via
Russells Hall Hospital switchboard:
01384 456111
Drug problems
Counselling and support services for those
with a drug problem or their
relatives/carers. Enquiries to The
Warehouse: 01384 480058
Dudley Advocacy
01384 456877
Dudley Brook Advisory Centre
01384 239001
Dudley Carers’ Network
01384 818723
Family Health Services
General Medical (GP) and Dental Services,
Chemists and Opticians. For information
on these services, please contact the
Primary Care Trust at the start of
this guide.
Family Planning and Emergency
Contraception
Available at most GP surgeries and in
family planning clinics. Home visits can be
arranged through the family planning
service. Enquiries 9am-4pm:
01384 366466, Freephone: 0800 371 519
The Corbett Hospital: 01384 456111
Bushey Fields Hospital: 01384 366111
The Guest Hospital: 01384 456111
Ridge Hill: 01384 361361
Russells Hall Hospital: 01384 456111
Local health website:
Health Centres and Clinics
Brierley Hill Health Centre, Albion Street:
01384 366399
Central Clinic, Hall Street, Dudley:
01384 366500
Coseley Health and Family Centre:
01902 575966
Cross Street Health Centre, Dudley:
01384 459500
Elms Health Centre, Slade Road,
Cradley Heath: 01384 366951
Feldon Lane Clinic, Halesowen:
0121 550 9061
Greens Health Centre, Maple Green,
Dudley: 01384 459500
Halesowen Health Centre,
Birmingham Street: 0121 550 9061
Health for Lyfe, Lye: 01384 366333
Holly Hall Clinic, Stourbridge Road,
Dudley: 01384 459500
Kingswinford Health Centre,
Standhills Road: 01384 366666
Ladies Walk Clinic, The Priory, Sedgley:
01902 575957
Lower Gornal Health Centre, Bull Street:
01902 575957
Netherton Health Centre,
Halesowen Road: 01384 366500
Quarry Bank Clinic, Sheffield Street:
01384 366666
Westhill Clinic, Hagley Road, Stourbridge:
01384 366550
Wordsley Green Health Centre:
01384 366666
Health Promoting Schools
Project Co-ordinator: 01384 366498
Health Visitors and School Health
Advisors
Based at health centres and clinics
(see list above).
Immunisation and Vaccination
An immunisation and vaccination service
is available from your GP and Community
Clinics. Do make sure you take advantage
of this for your children.
Macmillan Nurses
Macmillan and Marie Curie nurses work
as part of existing services providing
specialist nursing care to patients and
families who are coping with cancer or
other progressive illnesses.
Enquiries: Kingswinford Health Centre,
Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm or via the
District Nursing Service.
Mary Stevens Hospice
01384 443010
NHS Direct
0845 4647
Occupation Health Service
Cross Street Health Centre,
Dudley, DY1 1RN: 01384 366416
www.dudley.nhs.uk
Occupational Therapy
(Not local authority social services OT provision.)
Dudley Group of Hospitals:
01384 456111 ext 2185
Community Occupational Therapy:
01384 361374
Paediatric Occupational Therapy:
01384 366912
Learning Disabilities Occupational
Therapy: 01384 361239
Pain Helpline
01384 244735
Patient Advice and Liaison Service
(PALS)
Dudley South PCT:
Freephone 0800 073 0640
Dudley Beacon and Castle PCT:
Freephone 0800 073 0517
Dudley Group of Hospitals:
Freephone 0800 073 0510
West Midlands Ambulance Service:
01384 215674
Physiotherapy
Russells Hall Hospital:
01384 456111 ext 2430
Corbett Hospital:
01384 456111 ext 4670
Dudley Guest Hospital:
01384 456111 ext 5829
Rape and Sexual Assault Counselling
01384 366273
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
A free confidential and supportive
service for people with sexual
problems. Genito Urinary
Medicine (GUM) Department,
Guest Hospital, Dudley.
Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.
GUM Clinic Appointments:
01384 244820 / 244821
Advice and Information:
01384 244822
Speech and Language
Therapy
01384 366400
Stop Smoking Service
Dudley Stop Smoking Service:
0800 0850 652
National Helpline:
0800 169 0 169
Substance Abuse
Re-Solv: 0808 800 2345
Wheelchair Service
Information regarding short
term wheelchair hire service
and other enquiries:
01384 244793
Keeping in touch with the health news in Dudley Issue No.53 55 Autumn Spring 2005 2006
MP GIVES THUMBS UP TO
NEW £5.5 MILLION LEARNING
DISABILITIES CENTRE
Dudley South MP, Ian Pearson, is set to give the thumbs-up
to Dudley’s new Learning Disabilities Centre this week as he
teams up with health bosses to tour the new centre ahead
of its opening later this year.
The new £5.5 million centre, which will provide state-of-the-art
facilities for people with learning disabilities in the Borough, is set
to open in the autumn this year.
The centre will house a specialist unit for people who live in the
community but need intensive support for short periods of time.
A purpose-designed Therapy and Enabling Centre to support and
develop the skills of people with learning disabilities and to help
people with physical therapy services such as Hydrotherapy.
The centre is being built as part of Dudley South PCT’s Local
Improvement Finance Trust initiative and will provide a
one-stop-shop for people with learning disabilities in the Borough.
The new multi-million pound centre forms a key part of the
Government’s strategy to enable people with learning disabilities
to live in local communities and not in traditional hospital settings,
such as the one currently located at Ridge Hill in Stourbridge.
And while health and social care teams in the Borough are
currently re-housing residents from the Ridge Hill site into
appropriate homes in the community, some of the residents will
continue to need to access therapeutic care provided from the
new complex.
Dudley South Chairman, David Ibbs, said the new development
that is now taking shape will prove an invaluable asset to people
who have learning disabilities in Dudley. He said: “Patients, their
carers and clinicians have all been involved in designing the
services we are going to offer from this wonderful new centre
here at Ridge Hill.
COMMITTED TO STAMPING OUT SMOKING!
Breathing in other people’s smoke has been shown to cause serious health problems including lung
cancer, coronary heart disease and respiratory diseases and with smoking related illnesses continuing to
affect a large number of people in the Borough, both Dudley Primary Care Trusts became smoke-free
environments at the beginning of the year.
West Midlands Fire Service help
PCTs to extinguish smoking
Health Chiefs with partners and Ian Pearson MP
“The new centre will provide state-of-the-art facilities and support
for people with learning disabilities in the Borough, ensuring they
can access the care they need, when they need it right on their
doorstep here in Dudley.”
John Coyne, Chief Executive of Dudley Infracare LIFT Ltd, said:
“This, the first LIFT scheme to be developed within Dudley South,
will provide some of the most modern facilities anywhere in
the country.
“People with Learning Disabilities will be able to access a wide
range of support services right on their doorsteps, all under
one roof. The one-stop-shop principle is an important
component of LIFT - allowing people with Learning Disabilities to
be treated in their locality in a Care Centre which is modern,
convenient, easy to access and staffed by a wide range of
healthcare professionals.”
This new no smoking policy, which applies to all staff, patients, visitors and contractors, supports the commitment
of both Primary Care Trusts to protect both smokers and non-smokers from the exposure of secondhand smoke.
The policy however does not intend to dictate whether people smoke, but to ensure that smoking is phased out on
NHS premises.
For all smokers in the Borough though who want help with
giving up, both Primary Care Trusts are committed to providing
support and have a specialist team of advisors to assist them.
The Dudley Stop Smoking Team offer a range of specialist advice
tailored to suit individual needs, including free one-to-one or
group support and relevant treatments such as nicotine gum or
patches on prescription. Last year the Dudley Stop Smoking
Service helped 4,500 people to stop smoking with 52% of
those having still quit one month later.
Anyone wanting help to quit should call the Dudley Stop
Smoking Service on 0800 0850 652.
Produced by Dudley Beacon & Castle and Dudley South Primary Care Trusts
www.dudley.nhs.uk
To Get In Touch
with Health Link...
Health Link is produced on behalf of the
health services in Dudley Borough and is
distributed to all households.
Anyone who wishes to respond
to Health Link, or to make a
comment or suggestion
about its contents,
should contact:
Laura Davies, Interim Head
of Communications
Telephone:
01384 366874
Mobile: 07867 530925
Email:
laura.davies@dudley.nhs.uk
Health Link is available on
audio tape. For a copy, call
01384 366217.

DUDLEY HEALTH LINK NEWS PAGE 2 DUDLEY HEALTH LINK NEWS PAGE 3
BOOST TO NHS DENTISTRY IN DUDLEY
The 1st of April marked the dawn of a new era for
NHS dentistry in Dudley as dentists and the Primary
Care Trust took on the new Dental Contracts.
The contracts bring an £8.74m investment in Dudley’s
dentistry from the Primary Care Trusts along with an
increase of 5% in dental activity commissioned by the
PCTs. This will mean that anyone who wants to see an NHS
dentist should be able to do so within 24 hours.
This is great news for Dudley with 30 out of the 33 dental
practices in the area agreeing to the new terms. The
contract seals some of the many reforms in dentistry
IMPORTANT
CHANGES TO
YOUR DENTAL
OUT OF HOURS
SERVICE
From the 1st April 2006, if you require dental
treatment between the hours of 6:30pm and 8:00am
Monday to Friday, all weekend and on bank holidays,
you need to call 01384 568792.
The call will be received by the Out of Hours Dental Team
based at Bhandal Dental Practice, 148 High Street,
Cradley Heath, West Midlands, B64 5HJ and they will
offer advice or where necessary, make you an appointment
to come and see them at the practice or direct you to the
most appropriate alternative.
This service is for urgent dental treatment and should only
be accessed if your treatment cannot wait until your dental
practice is open. You should only consider using the
Out of Hours Service if:
●
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You are experiencing severe dental and facial pain not
controlled by over-the-counter pain relief
You think you may have a severe infection in your gums
If you are unsure whether your treatment is urgent, please
call NHS Direct for advice on 0845 4647. If you have any
concerns regarding this service, please contact FHS Shared
Services on 01384 366017.
Patients in Dudley can now benefit from a new minor
injuries service which has been launched to help beat
waiting times at GP practices.
The new pilot service runs from Ladies Walk
Health Centre in Sedgley and is being
provided because many GP practices in the
Borough are at their busiest at the
beginning of the week as patients wait to
see a clinician to deal with illnesses that
have occurred over the weekend.
The service, being run by two advanced
nurse practitioners and a GP, provides help
for people suffering from minor ailments or
injuries that do not require emergency
treatment such as cuts and grazes, sprains
and strains, bites and stings, infected
wounds, minor eye infections, foreign
bodies and scratches.
And because the service does not require an appointment,
health chiefs in the Borough are hoping that patients who
are unable to get an appointment with their GP on a
Monday morning will choose to get their care from the
new centre.
bringing with it a number of benefits for patients,
including giving them a clear charging structure for NHS
dentist services and will help ensure even more people are
able to access dental services in the Borough.
The new contract will ensure that patients only pay once
for each course of treatment - no matter how many times
they need to visit the dentist to complete that treatment.
The new contract will also enable dentists to agree with
patients how regularly they need to have a check-up, with
patients with better oral health being able to visit their
dentist less frequently than every 6 months.
Andy Harrison, Director of Operations & Primary Care
welcomed the news saying: “The teams have been
working hard to ensure that we maintain our excellent
level of dentistry here in Dudley and I am pleased that so
many dentists have
chosen to continue
working with us.
This level of
investment can only
improve on this
already high standard
of care provision.”
CARE PAPER CHASE
BECOMES A THING
OF THE PAST
NEW SERVICE TO BEAT MONDAY BLUES
“Because GPs can
only see so many
people, some
patients chose to
go to A&E as an
alternative - but
often end up just
being referred
back to their GP”
Patients and carers in Dudley are set to benefit from a new streamlined way of recording health and social care
needs as clinicians and social care staff abandon reams of paperwork and roll out a new streamlined process.
April saw the beginning of the new single assessment process, which gives patients in the Borough a single set of papers
that explains the care they will receive - something clinicians and care workers can add to over time.
Until now, every nurse or care worker who provides services has had to keep their own paperwork, which has meant
that some patients have had a number of files kept on their condition -
information that sometimes isn’t shared between services.
Cath Molineux, Nurse Consultant said: “Monday’s have
always been the busiest days for our practices because
many patients who develop minor health problems over
the weekend wait until Monday to see their
GP. But because the GPs can only see so
many people, some patients choose to go
to A&E as an alternative but often end up
just being referred back to their GP.
“By launching the new service we hope to
get those patients off the merry-go-round
and offer a service which they can drop
into and be guaranteed to be seen and
treated. And if the trial is successful, we
may look to roll the service out elsewhere
as well.”
If you are unsure if your injury requires
A&E, please call NHS Direct on 0845 4647
or contact the Minor Injuries Centre on 01902 575909 or
01902 575910.
The centre will operate from 9am-5pm every Monday from
Ladies Walk Health Centre.
By providing a single system, clinicians and social care workers are now
able to see who is providing what care for patients, helping them to
make a better judgement about the care they provide.
Anna Stanley, project manager for single assessment in Dudley said:
“The Single Assessment Process, with its emphasis upon person
centred care, not only places the service user at the heart of the
care they receive, but enables clients and professionals to share
information thereby promoting a co-ordinated response to
their needs.
“The Single Assessment Process is designed to cut down on the
amount of paperwork health and social care staff have to use and to
help ensure that better clinical decisions are made.”
Linda Sanders, Director of Dudley Council’s Adult, Community and
Housing Services said:”The strong local partnership that has developed
the Single Assessment Process is welcomed as a way to making a
positive difference to how residents of Dudley can
access services.”
PODIATRY SERVICE
MOVES OFFICES
As from Monday 24th April, the
administrative offices of the
Podiatry service will be relocating
to 1st Floor Office Suite,
Cranham House, Amblecote,
Stourbridge, DY8 4BZ.
All appointment request slips should
be directed to this address after this
date. Telephone numbers will
remain unchanged.
It is important to be aware that we will
no longer be able to accept personal
callers at our new location. These are
multi-use offices and we do not have
reception facilities. All appointment
queries must, in future, be made by
telephone or letter.
PNEUMO JAB - DO YOU NEED IT
Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by the bacterium Streptococcus
pneumoniae, which usually lives harmlessly in the back of many peoples’ throats.
However it can invade other parts of the body and cause serious, possibly
life-threatening illnesses such as pneumonia, septicaemia (blood poisoning)
and meningitis.
The bacteria (germs) that cause pneumococcal disease are spread by coughing, sneezing
or close contact between people. The bacteria get into the nose and throat and they
may stay there without doing any harm. But sometimes they can invade the lungs or
bloodstream causing pneumonia and septicaemia, or they can reach the brain and
cause meningitis.
The symptoms of pneumococcal infection of the lungs are:
● A high fever, coughing, shaking chills, breathlessness, chest pains and confusion.
The symptoms of pneumococcal meningitis are:
● A severe headache, a stiff neck, a high fever, confusion and being sensitive to light.
Immunisation with pneumococcal vaccine helps to prevent pneumococcal disease. The
Department of Health recommends vaccination against pneumococcal disease if you are
65 years of age or over OR have any of the following medical conditions:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Serious breathing problems, such as chronic bronchitis or emphysema
Serious heart conditions
Severe renal disease
Long-term liver disease
Diabetes that needs medication
Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment such as chemotherapy or
radiotherapy for cancer or long-term steroid for conditions such as asthma
An absent or poor functioning spleen
Cochlear implant(s)
A CSF shunt
If you think you need this jab then check with your doctor or practice nurse. Side effects
are usually mild and most people will only need to have the vaccine once. However
those with a damaged spleen or problems with their kidneys may need a second dose.
You can get more information about the pneumo jab from your doctor or practice nurse,
or you can call NHS Direct on 0845 4647. You can also visit the NHS immunisation
website at www.immunisation.nhs.uk.
The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust is applying to
become an NHS Foundation Trust by November 2006.
If we do become an NHS Foundation Trust, it will be very
much up to the members of the public, patients, carers,
staff and volunteers to help shape the development of our
hospitals, and you can be part of this by becoming a
member of our Foundation Trust.
What is a Foundation Trust
All NHS hospitals will become Foundation Trusts by 2008,
but by becoming an NHS Foundation Trust, it means that
our hospitals will be run in a different way, whilst
remaining part of the NHS.
The benefits:
●
●
●
●
There is real involvement of local people in running the
hospitals through becoming members and through an
elected Council of Governors
The hospitals are accountable to local people for the
quality of services they provide
The hospitals can raise money for changing and
improving services from several sources, and are not
restricted to using only Government funds
The hospitals have to ensure they are managing their
finances in a more business-like way
STAFF GIVE THUMBS
UP TO TRUSTS AS
TOP EMPLOYERS
Health staff in Dudley have given the thumbs up to the NHS as a good employer,
with staff claiming the two PCTs have improved the way they operate by up to
half the areas they are judged against. A report published by the Healthcare
Commission at the end of March, which took into account of the views of just
under 700 doctors, nurses and support staff, puts the two Dudley PCTs in the top
20% of PCTs in the country for giving management support, providing a quality
work life balance, providing staff with job satisfaction and well structured
Appraisals and Personal Development Plans.
●
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At least 80% of staff across the two PCTs said that they had taken advantage of flexible
working options in their current job.
96% of staff working for the PCTs said that they had taken part in employer-supported
training, learning or development in the last 12 months.
Staff were also asked a series of questions about how satisfied they are with various
aspects of their job including recognition for good work, support from their immediate
manager and the extent to which the Trust values their work.
With possible scores ranging from 1 to 5, with 1 representing very unsatisfied staff and
5 representing very satisfied staff, the Trust’s score of 3.74 for Dudley Beacon & Castle
staff and 3.68 for staff employed by Dudley South put the PCTs again in the highest
20% of Trusts in the country.
Chief Executive, Mark Cooke said: “The report showed that the PCTs are a good place to
work. We have worked hard to ensure that our staff have a greater say on how we
develop our services and how we run our organisation and our success in doing that
shines through from today’s report.
“It’s really important to have an organisation where the staff feel happy and valued
because they are the people who are making sure we modernise our services to improve
patient care”.
The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust
Why does The Dudley Group of Hospitals want to
become one
The Dudley Group of Hospitals provides hospital care to
everyone in Dudley and to some patients from surrounding
areas. With state-of-the-art medical and diagnostic
equipment, in impressive new facilities, the Trust now
offers the very best in hospital healthcare to its patients.
Becoming an NHS Foundation Trust gives us the
opportunity to bring up to date how we work with the
local community, to make sure we are providing services
that local people want, in the way they wish to have
them delivered.
The Government’s policy on Choice now means that from
January this year, patients going to their GP are able to
choose which hospital they want to go to for their planned
treatment and care.
The Dudley Group of Hospitals has the aim of being the
‘Hospital of Choice’ for local people providing high quality
healthcare services which respond to patients’ needs.
We recognise we cannot, and should not, achieve this
without the active support of our local communities.
Individuals and groups now have the chance to become
involved and help us to achieve this aim. We believe that,
with local people as members, and with the Council of
Governors working with the Trust Board of Directors, we
can positively improve the quality of services we provide.
A key part of this is to make our care more accessible
and more personal.
NHS Foundation Trusts can recruit members of the public
to become members of the Foundation Trust. These
members will receive regular information about the
hospitals and have the opportunity to learn more about
how the hospital works through meetings, tours and
discussions with staff.
How Can You Find Out More
To find out more about NHS Foundation Trusts or to
express your interest in becoming a Member please
contact us:
●
●
●
You can call the Membership Office on
01384 456111 ext 1419
You can send a letter to Les Williams,
Project Director, Foundation Trust Office,
2nd Floor C Block, Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley,
West Midlands, DY1 2HQ.
You can send an e-mail to
foundationmembers@dgoh.nhs.uk

DUDLEY HEALTH LINK NEWS PAGE 4 DUDLEY HEALTH LINK NEWS PAGE 5
HEALTH CHIEFS GIVE GREEN LIGHT TO HELP BREASTFEEDING MUMS
Health Chiefs in Dudley recently agreed a package of measures to give more help
and encouragement to Mums in Dudley who wish to take up breastfeeding.
A report to the two Primary Care Trust Boards earlier in the year highlighted the fact that
while the number of mums in Dudley initiating breastfeeding is on the rise, it still falls way
below the average for England.
MAKE YOUR
VIEWS COUNT
Now the Trust is responding to Government calls to increase the number of mums
initiating breastfeeding by 2% a year and have pulled together a Breastfeeding Action
Plan with key partners around the Borough.
The Trust’s Health Improvement Programme Manager, Trish Bussell, said there was strong
medical evidence to suggest that breastfeeding had positive health implications for both
mothers and babies.
She said: “Evidence suggests that there are real health benefits to breastfeeding. For the
child, it can help protect them against juvenile onset insulin dependent diabetes and
even obesity. There are benefits for mums as well as it can help protect against ovarian
and endometrial cancers.”
But the Office for National Statistics have evidence that breastfeeding uptake is lower
than average in less affluent areas, and it’s hoped the breastfeeding strategy will help
address this in poorer areas of the Borough. 85% of mums classified as in higher
occupation groups initiate breastfeeding compared to 59% in lower occupations - still
way higher than the average take-up in Dudley.
Now a Volunteers Breastfeeding Support Project has been set up using Neighbourhood
Renewal Funds which aim to provide training for volunteers who want to support other
mums to breastfeed their children and a community breastfeeding co-ordinator is being
employed to support the service.
Trish Bussell said: “We are proposing to develop the community volunteers project to
provide better support to mums and established joint infant feeding policies across the
two PCTs and the hospitals so that mums get consistent advice from the staff
supporting them.”
DUDLEY LEADS
THE WAY WITH
CHOOSE AND BOOK
HEALTH CHIEFS PLAN TO
CUT OBESITY IN DUDLEY
Health chiefs in Dudley recently gave the green light to a strategy to cut obesity,
claiming that obesity nationally has gone up by almost 400% in the last 25 years.
● Steps to Health: a programme which aims to get people to be more active by linking
GP practices to Dudley Leisure facilities and encourages people to use local parks
Around two thirds of the population in the country are now deemed to be overweight or
obese and health bosses believe that on present trends it could soon surpass smoking as
the greatest cause of premature death.
Obesity is associated with both physical and psychological health
conditions including coronary heart disease, diabetes, kidney failure,
osteoarthritis, back pain and hypertension.
And in a report on obesity presented to Dudley South PCT Board earlier
in the year, Director of Public Health, Dr Tony Collins, said that one of
the underpinning reasons for obesity was a lack of exercise an that
physically active leisure had been gradually replaced with pastimes such
as television, computer games and the internet.
The report calls for more action to be taken to encourage more people
to take up physical activity in the Borough, including:
●
●
●
●
Schools and workplaces to adopt active travel plans and provide
would-be walkers and cyclists with cycle storage and
showering facilities
Support for more local shops to stock fruit and vegetables
Redesign of street and community layouts to make walking and
cycling safer
Kids in schools should be able to enjoy the national
recommendation of physical activity provision and provide healthy
school meals
The recommendations come on the back of
a number of initiatives that have already
been developed by the Trust in
partnership with others, including:
“Taking the
stairs rather than
using a lift, can
burn as many as
15 times the
amount of
kilocalories:
simple steps like
that can
make the
difference
to leading a
healthier
lifestyle.”
●
for exercise
Take 5: rewarding takeaways to provide healthy food and developing community
cafes such as the one on the Sledmere estate
Director of Communications, Rob Checketts, said: “Becoming more active isn’t
necessarily about doing marathons or going to the gym every night -
there are plenty of things we can do to burn more calories.
“For example, taking the stairs rather than using a lift, or washing
the car manually instead of going to the car wash, can burn as many
as 15 times the amount of kilocalories: simple steps like that can
make the difference to leading a healthier lifestyle.”
Your views are important to us as they help us to shape our services for the future
healthcare in Dudley. Below are some of the many ways in which you can get
involved and express your views on the services we provide.
You can write to us at the following address:
Communications Department
St John’s House
Union Street
Dudley
DY2 8PP
Email: listen@dudley.nhs.uk
Patient Advice & Liaison Service: Contact the Patient Advice & Liaison Service on
Freephone 0800 073 0517, Fax: 01384 366622 for Dudley Beacon & Castle Primary
Care Trust or 0800 073 0640 for Dudley South. Email: pals@dudley.nhs.uk
Voices for Health Network - The Voices for Health Network is made up of service
users/general public and representative organisations from the North of the Borough who
meet every 6 weeks to discuss issues which they feel should be addressed and to help
shape the future of services for primary care and mental health in Dudley.
Contact Sara Mackinnon on 01384 366136 if you would like to attend this forum.
Health Panel - A group of patients from the South of the Borough who
meet bi-monthly to discuss any issues which they feel need to be
addressed and to help shape the future of services for primary
care in Dudley. Contact Janice Cunningham on
01384 366131 if you would like to attend this forum.
PPI Forums - The Dudley South and Dudley Beacon and Castle
PPI Forums hold regular joint meetings. Members of the public
are welcome to attend to share their views on health and find out
more about Patient and Public Involvement Forums. For further
information, please contact the Forum Support Organisation on
0121 5613845 or email ppih@bcha.co.uk.
More patients in Dudley are taking advantage of Choose and Book than any
other area in Birmingham and the Black Country.
Figures revealed by the Department of Health earlier this year show that the effort being
made by many practices across the two PCTs to roll out Choose and Book has pushed
the number of patients using the service beyond the 1,800 mark.
The figure - which combines patients from Dudley South PCT and Dudley Beacon and
Castle PCT - now means that Dudley residents using the system account for almost 32%
of patients using Choose and Book in the region.
The latest figures come as every GP and GDP in the Borough have signed up to offering
patients choice from the beginning of the year.
The success keeps Dudley as the top performing area in the patch - a standard we set
when we became the first Trust to take a patient through the Choose and Book system
in July last year.
Sue Lane, the Implementation Manager for Choice in Dudley said the success was down to
the hard work and efforts of both the GPs and Practice Staff in the two PCTs and also the
hard work and efforts of the Local Call Centre at Russells Hall Hospital, who receive the
majority of the calls to offer patients a choice of date and time for their appointments.
She added: “Everybody should feel proud of the hard work and enthusiasm that has led
to this achievement so far.”
●
Get cooking: providing people in the community with
sessions to raise skills and awareness to be able to buy,
prepare and cook healthy nutritious food on a budget
PROMISES PLEDGED FOR A SUPA TRIKE
Staff at Dudley Beacon his muscle weakness Ethan has never been able to pedal a conventional bicycle, and as
and Castle Primary such his physiotherapist recommended a Supa Active Pedal Power trike.
Care Trust pledged
promises for an The trike, which costs £750, has a unique gearing system that is fully adjustable to
online staff auction Ethan’s requirements and also has trunk, ankle and hip supports.
to help raise funds
for a Supa Trike for Many activities took place to raise money, including staff ‘pledging’ promises and items
local youngster for an online auction, which included a gardening session from a Director, the design of
Ethan Couldrey. a personal website and cinema tickets.
Ethan, aged six, was
diagnosed with
hereditary muscular
dystrophy at the age
of three following an
operation to a poorly
formed hip. Due to
Trust Chairman Rachel Harris said: “It’s great to see all staff pull together to support a
worthy cause.”
Ethan’s dad, Paul Couldrey, who is the Confidentiality and Security Manager at the Trust,
said: “It’s a joy watching Ethan being able to fully participate in games with his friends.
The trike has given Ethan his independence and some street cred too!”
OUT OF HOURS GP SERVICE
0845 145 1800
Patient Forums - Many GP surgeries also have patient forums for you
to attend and discuss any issues you feel are important to you. If you
are interested in attending one of these groups please ask at your GP
surgery’s reception.
We have made it easier for you to be able to access the GP Out of Hours service in your area by making our
services a single telephone call away. If you need to see a doctor or a nurse urgently between 6:30pm and
8:00am, Monday to Friday, or anytime on Saturday and Sunday (and Bank Holidays),
please telephone: 0845 145 1800

DUDLEY HEALTH LINK NEWS PAGE 6 DUDLEY HEALTH LINK NEWS PAGE 7
WAITING TIMES SLASHED FOR CHILDRENS SERVICE
Dudley Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
(CAMHS) has slashed waiting lists by 67% in less than
12 months and reduced the longest waiting time to
just 8 months compared to the 18 month wait that
some patients had this time last year.
The move follows a cash injection of £180,000 into the
service to increase staff and develop a new screening
system to help ensure that when children are referred to
the service they see the right staff for their condition.
The service is run by mental health and social care staff and
helps young people and their families in the Borough to deal
with issues surrounding mental health. Waiting times had
grown for the service in the last few years, but additional
investment and clearer referral guidelines have enabled
clinicians and social care staff to see more children faster.
Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs)
There are five CMHTs based in Dudley, and their
responsibility is to provide community mental health
managers, this will enable effective Team Management and
is a very positive development for our communities.”
care for service-users who are experiencing a severe
and enduring mental health issue or those who may
Sedgley CMHT based at Ladies Walk Centre
be in need of short term care.
Team Manager: Archie Shearer
The teams include community psychiatric nurses (CPNs),
social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists,
doctors and support workers, and are currently based in
Sedgley, Brierley Hill, Dudley, Halesview and Stourbridge to
give advice/support, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
The recovery-focussed service offers a person-centred
approach in order to support service users in achieving
their personal goals within their communities.
The overall aim of the teams is to enable service users to
build on their strengths and resources and develop ways of
coping to reduce symptoms, improve health and
social functioning.
Between the five teams, the Dudley Borough already has
over 1,000 users of the service.
Neal Lamb, who manages the service, said: “The additional
investment into the service has helped us to increase the
number of staff in the team, ensuring that we can see
more patients in a shorter period of time. We’ve also
worked hard to make sure staff in the local health and
social care services have a better understanding of the
services we can offer, which has meant that when patients
get referred to us they get to see the right person with the
right skills to help them most.”
Simon Thompson, Director of Mental Health & Social Care
said: “Having a child with mental health issues can place a
huge strain not only on the child but also on their family
and their carers - especially when the child has very
challenging and complex needs. That’s why the CAHMS
service is so important, and the work that we’ve done to
redesign the service now means that children with very
Each team operates a duty system, meaning that service
users can approach the CMHT directly. In addition, a
service user can contact their GP to access the service.
Also, a link worker is available (who is a member of the
CMHT) in a health centre or GP surgery. The link worker is
available to promote positive Mental Health and to help
the service user access the most appropriate service
for them.
During the last six months, each team has been appointed
a Senior Practitioner, who has brought an increased
expertise of clinical knowledge, supervision and support
into the teams.
Liam Dolan, Deputy Community Service Manager/Senior
Team Manager said of the service: “The CMHT Managers
are utilising a ‘TEAM’ approach and are now working
better together to ensure consistent quality mental health
care across our communities.
“CMHT’s have an important, and indeed integral, role to
play in supporting service users and families in a
community setting. By having five dedicated CMHT
If you claim for help with NHS health costs, you will
be asked for proof of why you do not have to pay.
Patients found to have wrongly claimed help with
NHS health costs will face a Penalty Charge and in
some cases prosecution, under powers introduced
by the Health Act 1999.
Help with health costs includes claims for free NHS
prescriptions, free NHS eye tests, help with the cost of
glasses or contact lenses and help with NHS dental care.
You may receive some help towards your NHS dental
and optical costs (not prescriptions) if you are named on
an HC3 (Partial help) Certificate - under the NHS Low
Income Scheme.
The two Dudley PCTs recently gave the thumbs up to a sustainable procurement strategy.
The decision made at March’s Trust Board meetings means that estates and facilities teams will be working to ensure that the Trusts not
only get best value for money but that, wherever possible, the goods and services that the two Trusts purchase do not have an adverse
affect on the environment.
The strategy also means that far more emphasis will be placed on making sure that services and goods are purchased from
the local area and that the Trust supports small businesses in the area to make them suitable suppliers to the PCT
for the future.
Geoff Nixon, Head of Procurement and Supplies said: “We are one of the biggest employers in the area and each year we
spend lots of money buying goods and services. We recognise that by making a few small changes to the way we work can
make a real, positive contribution to social, environmental and economic issues.”
challenging issues
can get the care
they need almost
straight away and
those who need
more general help
no longer have to
wait 18 months to
get referred into
our service.”
Contact details: 01902 575921
Brierley Hill and Kingswinford CMHT based at
Poplars Centre
Team Manager: Bev Williams
Contact details: 01384 366770
Dudley CMHT based at Castle Court
Team Manager: David Scott
Contact details: 01384 813880
Halesowen CMHT based at Halesview
Team Manager: Steve Jones
Contact details: 0121 602 8862
Stourbridge CMHT based at Hill House
Team Manager: Pat Hulme
Contact details: 01384 366700
The following benefits on their own DO NOT entitle
you to help with health costs:
● Incapacity Benefit (IB)
● Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
● Contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Our Local NHS Counter Fraud Specialist, Jo Burrows,
frequently checks that those people claiming to be
exempt from NHS costs are legitimate. If you are found
to be submitting fraudulent claims, you will receive a
penalty notice up to £100.
If you are unsure if you are exempt from NHS costs,
please ask your Pharmacist, Dentist or Optician. If you
require a leaflet with further information, either visit
www.dh.gov.uk or call 0845 850 1166.
TRUST GIVES THUMBS UP TO GREEN APPROACH
DOUBLE VISIT SUCCESS!
Community nursing teams in Dudley are She also met with the Assertive Case Managers who, along with our Nurse consultant,
leading the way towards an NHS reform work hard to support people in the Borough with long term conditions, working
that will see patients effectively being proactively with patients to help them to manage their condition and keep them out of
treated in the community, closer to home, hospital. These nursing teams have reduced emergency admissions to the acute services
and this is a success story that has not with one case manager alone preventing 88 admissions to hospital since she started in
gone unnoticed by the lady in charge of August.
the NHS, Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt.
Rt. Hon Patricia Hewitt has visited Dudley
twice in the last few months to see how
doctors, nurses and other community health
staff are providing care closer to home.
The visits came after the publication of the
Government’s flagship health and social care
white paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say
which calls for the development of more local
care to support people to remain independent
wherever possible.
The Secretary of State visited Keeling House
Surgery in February and in April she decided
to bring along the national media to show
them just how Dudley’s Primary Care Services
are making a difference to lives of patients in
Dudley as she visited Lower Gornal
Health Centre.
The visits over the last few months allowed the Secretary of State to see the range of
new and improved services that have been developed to help GPs keep patients out of
hospital by providing more services closer to people’s homes. She met with nurses,
patients and staff from across the Borough including the heart failure team who provide
new services available in health centres, clinics and, where necessary, in patients own
homes. The new services have resulted in emergency admissions avoidance for heart
failure patients with Emergency admissions in this area down 16% since the service
launch in 2004.
Palliative care services on the whole focus on cancer care, but heart failure is the biggest
killer in the Borough and this team of community nurses ensure that patients no longer
have to travel to hospital to monitor and control their condition and can now use
community-based services, which helps develop education around their condition,
monitor their condition, alter their medication and keep them out of hospital.
Claire Old, Director of Quality & Nursing said: “We have worked hard in Dudley to
change the way in which we deliver services to ensure that wherever possible, we can
support people to live independently in their own home. We have now got teams of
community nurses and case managers providing care closer to home, not just helping to
improve people’s health but their quality of life also.”
The Secretary of State, Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP, called for other areas across the
country to follow Dudley’s example at our Citizen’s Summit, whose ideas have helped us
shape the services close to where they live: “Today in Dudley I have seen a great example
of the health service helping people live as independently as possible in their own
homes. This is what we want to see across the country.”
PRIVATE FOSTERING
Is your child being privately fostered Are you a private foster carer If so, you need to tell someone about it!
Exactly how many children are privately fostered is unknown. One of the reasons for this is that many parents and carers who have made 'private arrangements' to
look after a child are not aware that the arrangement is in fact private fostering and that, under Government legislation, they are required to notify the local
authority. In the Dudley Borough this would be Dudley Council’s Children's Services.
In July 2005, the legislation for private fostering was strengthened by the introduction of the Children Act 2004 which amends the original provision in the Children Act 1989 by
placing a new duty on local authorities to promote awareness in their area of the notification requirements.
Pauline Sharratt, Assistant Director for Children’s Social Care, said: “Many people are not aware of the legal requirement for private foster carers and the parents of a privately
fostered child to notify us. The reason for notifying us is so that we are aware of situations where children are not living with their parents so that we can ensure that the child or
young person is receiving appropriate care. We can offer advice and support to the carers to help them with their caring role.”
Private fostering refers to a private arrangement between the parents of a child and the private foster carers which is made to care for a child under the age of 16, or 18 if the
child is disabled, for a period of 28 days or more.
The private foster carers may be from the extended family or a friend of the family, or the
parents of a friend of the child. The carers may be unknown to the family but willing to
privately foster a child.
Private fostering situations include children who have been sent to this country for
education or healthcare, children living with a friend's family as a result of parental
separation, divorce or arguments at home, or teenagers living with the family of a
boyfriend or girlfriend.
Cllr David Vickers, Lead Member for Children’s Services, said: “I would encourage any
parent who has placed, or is planning to place, their child in a private fostering
arrangement, or anyone who thinks they may be a private foster carer, to contact the
council and notify us of the arrangement.
“The legal requirement is there to protect the welfare of the children and ensure that
they and their carers receive the best possible support from the council and other
statutory and voluntary organisations in the Borough.”
For further information or to notify a private fostering arrangement, contact Children’s
Services on 01384 814225.