Dudley Strategy for Tackling Health Inequalities 2010-15

DCS has some key performance targets relating to public health and healthinequalities in our community contract and CQUIN targets which we will be deliveringin 2010/11 these include; Breast Feeding, Smoking Cessation, Obesity,Our Learning Disability Specialist Health Service continues to address the healthinequalities of clients/patients with a learning disability with the provision of over 1700specialist training places this year for staff working within learning disability servicesand generic health and social care providers. In addition training is provided to GPsand their surgery staff in support of the DES health screening.We have redesigned the Community Team for Learning Disabilities to ensure thatthe nursing resource are able to target patients health needs and link with thedelivery of care continued with the individual „Health Action Plans‟Our LD Health Access Service continues to support clients to access cancerscreening programmes, e.g. Breast, Cervical and Bowel screening and makinginformation as accessible as possible to help mainstream stream services makereasonable adjustment. Within the Acute Hospital this service has had influence toensure a new system to identify LD patients who need additional support andconsideration is implemented, together with the introduction of a Champion withintheir ED services. This year has also seen the further development of our olderpeople‟s dementia service and continued developments within mental health with theprogress of the Green Light and equality of access.Timely access to a musculoskeletal service is important to the return of an individualto everyday activities including work. Our physiotherapy musculoskeletal service hasintroduced a centralised booking system for patients some from areas of highdeprivation. This system has enabled these patients to access the service faster byoffering the next available appointment rather than the next appointment at a nearbyclinic.Our Community Diabetes Specialist Service is able to provide a service for patientsthat is culturally sensitive. The service is able to encourage the education of not onlythe patients but also their families. In doing this the service is able to educate a widergroup of people in the risks associated with diabetes and the strategies needed toreduce the incidence.The podiatry service is receiving targeted service improvement to improve access tothe service especially for the „housebound‟ patients requiring care at home.DCS are working with the Strategic Health Authority (Project 9) and ourWolverhampton University partners to develop the workforce in the delivery ofspecified pathways. The selected projects are:- Diabetes- Stroke- COPD- End of Life care187