| In brief |
New GP section on Oxleas' website
GPs now have easy access to comprehensive information on all Oxleas' services. This includes:
- contact numbers for GPs to use
- service opening times
- referral criteria
- up to date referral forms
Please check out the new section: www.oxleas.nhs.uk/gps/
We welcome your feedback and would also like to know if you have any ideas for improving this.
Station Approach health visiting team have moved
The health visiting team formerly based in Station Approach, Welling have moved to Little Danson Clinic in Dansington Road, Welling DA16 2EA. The new telephone number is 020 8319 7015, fax 020 8319 7016.
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| Dates for your diary | |
GP masterclasses 2012
There are four free evening masterclasses, open to all GPs and practice staff in Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich throughout 2012. The second masterclass took place in April.
The remaining dates are as follows: 4 July and 3 October.
We are currently planning the July Masterclass and details of this event will be emailed directly to GPs soon.
Copies of all presentations from previous GP Masterclasses can be located here. |
| Give us your feedback |
If you have any feedback, comments, suggestions or questions regarding Fusion or any Oxleas services, please email GPfeedback@oxleas.nhs.uk and we will either respond by email or arrange to visit your practice if you have a specific need.
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Bexley edition issue 5
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May 2012
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Greetings!
Welcome to the fifth edition of Fusion keeping you, our local GPs, up to date with what's happening in your local community health, mental health and learning disability provider, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.
Thanks to everyone who attended the GP Masterclass on 10 Minute CBT last week. Feedback was very positive and we are currently planning our next Masterclass - see dates for your diary section for more information.
If you have any ideas or specific information you want included in future Fusions, please let us know. We also welcome feedback on the services we provide.
Yours sincerely
Stephen Firn
Chief Executive
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
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Community health services
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| Peer review of health visiting service in Bexley | |
In January 2012, the Department of Health initiated a peer review of Health Visiting across London to identify strengths which could be shared, contribute to the future workforce development plans and identify where support is needed to help deliver
the new service.
Oxleas' peer review took place on 14 March. During the day, the review team met managers, health visitors, parents and colleagues from the council and South London Healthcare Trust. Maria Hawes-Gatt our Head of Nursing presented on the Health Visiting service within Bexley.
The review team's feedback was very positive, describing our service as being enriched, speaking positively about our partnership arrangements within Bexley and were confident that our services were well integrated.
They also spoke highly of the way the monthly GP meetings were recorded and audited and identified the breast feeding café local and the Beyondblue services as "little gems".
The final report is expected shortly.
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| District nursing service | |
The service has experienced a seven fold increase in demand over the last seven months, of which a high proportion of referrals were for phlebotomy. To address this, we are currently setting up a phlebotomy service for housebound patients to provide this intervention more efficiently, enabling the nursing team to focus on clients with more complex care needs.
This information will be shared at future locality meetings in a joint presentation from the community directorate with the Lead GP commissioner for community services.
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Winter project
Three projects were started in February to ease pressure on acute services:
Extension of the Care Navigation Services at Queen Elizabeth to a seven day service, 8am - 8pm
To date, the team have reviewed 398 patients and prevented 75 admissions, by redirecting to alternative services within the community and setting up social care packages
Care Navigation at Darent Valley Hospital, 9am-5pm, Monday -Friday
Since starting on 6 February 2012, the team have reviewed 205 patients and prevented 41 admissions.
These two projects have been positively reviewed by our commissioners who are supporting the continuation of this service during this financial year.
Hospital discharge team
This project was set up to discharge 4-5 patients a day. However, after a month it was evident that too few patients were being identified who were suitable for care in the community.This was surprising as the balance of care survey had previously shown high numbers of patients who would have been suitable for community care. Following discussions with our commissioners, the staff were transferred to extend the capacity of the Care Navigation teams.
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New technology to improve care
Reducing falls on the Step up step down unit
Bed sensors are now being used to alert nurses to patients' movements, particularly at night, with a view to reducing the number of falls on the unit.
On admission, all patients are now assessed for their suitability for a bed sensor.
To date, the results are encouraging but not conclusive.
Telehealth
We have been working with Dr Ombarish Banerjee, GP champion based at Crayford Clinic, to refine the telehealth clinical thresholds, which has resulted in a reduced number of false positives.
Five portable monitors are available for patients following an A&E attendance. These patients will be screened by the care navigation team.
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Stroke rehabilitation
The Stroke Rehabilitation service started on 2 April 2012, and aims to ensure the safe and timely discharge of patients from the Stroke Unit (or HASU) at the Princess Royal University Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This will provide a seamless transfer from hospital to home, and enables stroke survivors to receive stroke specialist rehabilitation in their own home.
However, the service is also available, via GP referral, to Bexley patients who are about to be discharged from the Stroke Unit at Darent Valley Hospital. Access to this service requires the GP to complete the referral form as soon as possible after discharge. This can be completed electronically in Word and emailed, or printed off, handwritten and faxed to 020 8319 7106. You can access a copy of the referral form on our website, please click here.
The specialist stroke team will:
- contact the patient within 24 hours of their discharge home
- carry out an assessment of rehabilitation needs within 3 days of discharge home
- commence treatment programme within 7 days of the assessment
The specialist stroke treatment programmes will differ in duration and intensity, with the most complex programme lasting up to 13 weeks. If further rehabilitation is required, it will be provided by the Community Rehabilitation Team.
The Stroke Rehabilitation Team includes occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech & language therapy staff with specialist stroke skills and experience, as well as generic skills, plus rehabilitation assistants. Access will be available to dietetics, psychology and nursing if a need is identified by the team.
The team is based at Goldie Leigh, but the rehabilitation will be provided for patients in:
- their own home or temporary residence with a family member within the borough of Bexley
- nursing homes
- residential homes
The service operates 9am-5pm. Monday to Friday, but will link with out-of-hours providers as needed.
To contact the team, telephone 020 8319 7138 or email
oxl-tr.bchs-StrokeTeam@nhs.net.
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| Alzheimer's disease shared care agreement - Donepezil, Galantamine, Rivastigmine and Memantine | |
The above shared care agreement has been developed by NHS South East London, Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich Business Supportt Units and Oxleas.
The shared care agreement outlines suggested ways in which the responsibilities for managing the prescribing of the above drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease can be shared between the specialist and GP. GPs are invited to participate. If GPs are not confident to undertake this role, they are under no obligation to do so. In such an event, the total clinical responsibility for the patient for the diagnosed condition remains with the specialist. If a specialist asks a GP to prescribe this drug, the GP should reply to this request as soon as practicable.
This agreement formalises the structure that enables GPs to work with our services to provide the most effective way of treating people with dementia, with medicines that preserve abilities and skills for as long as possible. It is important that GPs share prescribing with our services as almost all our patients are on several medicines and it is essential that both services always have a complete list of all medicines being given. It will also allow some increase in the capacity of the Memory Service to see more new referrals for assessment and diagnosis of memory problems.
To download the new Alzheimer's disease shared care agreement, please click here.
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Forensic and prison services
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| Integrated healthcare services in prisons and forensic units | |
Oxleas is now providing integrated healthcare services to West Kent prisons and forensic units in Maidstone and Dartford, taking over the role in December 2011.
We are working in partnership with the Medical Centre, Maidstone through a new organisation, the Kent Healthcare Consortium to provide these services. The consortium provides primary healthcare services to Her Majesty's Prisons at Maidstone, Blantyre House and East Sutton Park, and in addition, the service also supports specialist psychiatric units in Maidstone and Dartford.
In 2010, Oxleas began providing mental health services in eight Kent prisons and the Dover Detention Centre.
This new contract supports our commitment to providing the best healthcare, whether it be physical or mental health, to service users in prisons and forensic units. As a consortium, we are now responsible for providing a full range of physical healthcare services in addition to the mental health services already provided by Oxleas to West Kent Prisons.
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Learning disability services
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| Accessible health information | |
Easy-to-read and accessible information about health conditions and procedures, including accessible guides to cervical screening, hospital stays and ultrasound scans can be accessed and printed from Oxleas' website. They can be found here.
There is also guidance on health checks for GPs available, as well as accessible appointment letters and easy read health check information here.
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If you have any feedback, comments, suggestions or questions regarding Fusion or any Oxleas services, please contact us.
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