Connect | e-Newsletter

Welcome to the next edition of Connect, our monthly update covering key news and developments from Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust.

The last couple of months have seen a significant increase in demands on urgent care services, including on our community hospital and community nursing teams which we run across Worcestershire. This has been due to a combination of winter related pressures and an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Supporting those urgent care pressures takes the effort and hard work of a broad range of staff and teams, including some you may not be so familiar with. You can read more about our Community Equipment Service below, which is just one of a number of teams who are doing really important work under the radar and away from the headlines. They work day and night equipping peoples’ homes with kit and equipment so they can either stay and continue their treatment at home, or return home as soon as they can after a stay in hospital. Keeping people out of hospital where possible, and ensuring minimal delays to hospital discharges are a key priority for our system, and this simply wouldn’t be possible without the contribution of a wide range of teams like them.

As you know we also provide mental health services across Herefordshire as well as in Worcestershire, and I want to mention our new Children’s Mental Health Website which we launched this month. We know that accessing mental health support can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, and it can be hard to know which is the right service for you. So hopefully the website will not only help children and their families with useful advice, links and resources, but will also support them to navigate to the team which is right for them.

There’s more information on the site below, so please have a look and let us have any feedback so we can continue to develop and improve it, and also please pass it on to friends or family who may find it useful.

Thanks,

Mark Yates - Chair, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

CAMHS launch new mental health website for children in Herefordshire and Worcestershire

A new website has launched to support children and young people’s mental health in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

There is lots of services and information within child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and feedback suggests navigating support can often be difficult. The new site will act as a one-stop-shop for children, young people, families and professionals across both counties who are seeking advice, support and links to appropriate services.

The site has been designed in collaboration with mental health professionals from CAMHS and young people. Read the full press release.

To view the site visit: www.camhs.hacw.nhs.uk.

Equipment Service makes record-breaking number of equipment deliveries in December

Our Community Equipment Service had a record breaking month in December making 828 emergency deliveries of equipment to people in Worcestershire to support them to be discharged from hospital or avoid hospital admission. This is 200 more emergency deliveries compared to December 2019.

The service has benefitted from additional investment to support the changing models of service delivery from clinical teams across the county to ensure they can get the right equipment to the right patient at the right time and the team have worked tirelessly to change their practice and be flexible to meet the expectations and needs of the clinical prescribing community

Great BIG Lunch Break

Schools and colleges across Herefordshire and Worcestershire are invited to hold a 'Great Big Lunch Break' to promote mental health awareness among children and young people.

'The Great Big Lunch Break' campaign has been developed by the Trust to help start conversations about mental health in local education settings.

Schools and colleges are able to sign up for a free campaign pack full of resources to help them run a fun and thought-provoking events themed around mental health. We already have over 100 schools and colleges across Herefordshire and Worcestershire signed up to take part.

The free resource pack contains age-appropriate materials, engaging mental health themed activity ideas and extras to brighten your event space like colourful bunting.

Schools and colleges can register for a free resource pack by emailing WHCNHS.communications@nhs.net.

State of the art dental facility re-opens in Worcester

A refurbished community dental clinic in Worcester has officially re-opened.

The Trust has updated Moor Street Clinic to become a modern, purpose-built dental facility in Worcester city.

Moor Street Clinic now boasts spaciou s dental consultation rooms featuring new specialist equipment such as hoists and adaptable chairs to enable people who use wheelchairs to easily access care.

The clinic is home to Worcestershire Community Dental Services who deliver consultant-led specialist dentistry to people of all ages with complex medical or mental health needs, learning disabilities or behavioural conditions, such as dental anxiety, which can make it difficult for the patient to attend a general dental practice. Read the full press release.

Temporary beds commissioned to ease current NHS demands

Additional community rehabilitation beds are being made available on a temporary basis in Worcestershire in response to current pressures on the county’s hospital services.

A combination of winter pressures and COVID-19 cases has increased demands on local acute and community hospitals in recent weeks. In response, 8 additional beds will initially be available on Harvington Rehabilitation Ward in Kidderminster which has been recently refurbished, having previously been a mental health ward that was decommissioned in 2014.

The beds will support people who are ready to be discharged from one of the Acute Hospitals across the region but need additional help before they can go back home.

Think, Minor Injury Unit (MIU)

Our Minor Injury Units are run by experienced clinicians who treat non-life threatening injuries, such as sprains and strains, minor breaks, cuts,  minor burns and minor eye injuries. Located in Bromsgrove, Malvern, Evesham, Tenbury and Kidderminster, local MIU’s are open 7 days a week, including bank holidays.

Patients requiring treatment are encouraged to use the NHS111 online service or call NHS111 to discuss their injury. Trained advisors will identify the most suitable health care service for their need and if required, can book an appointment to attend for treatment.

To find your nearest Minor Injury Unit visit hacw.nhs.uk/miu.