Covid-19 vaccinations – the next phase

Covid-19 vaccinations – the next phase

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The Covid-19 vaccination programme in Northumberland, led by Primary Care Networks of GP practices has been successful in offering a vaccine to those in priority groups 1 to 4 – those aged 70 and over – by 15 February 2021. Thank you to those who have had their vaccine and who are helping to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities. If you are over 70 and haven’t had your first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine yet, please contact your GP straight away or make an appointment here, or by phoning 119.

The next phase of the programme is to vaccinate those in priority groups 5 to 9 (everybody over 50 years of age) and the target date for this is 15 April 2021. This phase will also include delivering second doses of the vaccine to those already vaccinated in January and February.

If you are in group 5 (over 65 years) or group 6 (those aged between 16 and 64 who have underlying health conditions) you will be invited by your GP practice to have the vaccine at one of ten hubs across the county or you may receive a letter inviting you to make an appointment at the Centre for Life in Newcastle. If travelling to Newcastle is inconvenient for you, you can ignore the letter and choose to wait to hear from your GP about having the vaccination at a hub closer to where you live.

Read more about the NHS in Northumberland’s reassurance that people can choose to have their vaccine at a hub closer to home.

You don’t need to call your practice; you won’t be forgotten and will be contacted when it’s your turn – look out for a letter, listen for the phone and check for text messages, as you could be contacted in any one of these ways.

GP practices will be calling people on the basis of:

  • Age – this is by far the most significant factor in determining an individual’s level of risk of complications or serious illness as a result of Covid-19 infection
  • Comorbidity – individuals with a number of underlying health conditions have an increased level of risk from Covid-19
  • Ethnicity – individuals from a BAME background are more at risk from Covid-19

You can be prepared ahead of your vaccination appointment by thinking about how you might travel to the centre, make sure you arrive on time and take your NHS number with you if possible – this can be found on letters from your GP or hospital or your prescription.

Visit our Coronavirus Information Page for more on the pandemic.

Public concerns about dentistry continue

Public concerns about dentistry continue

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New data gathered by Healthwatch England shows access to NHS dentistry remains a huge problem for the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Healthwatch continues to hear concerns about dentistry which were highlighted at the end of last year in the Dentistry and the impact of COVID-19 report after a 452% rise in calls and complaints over the summer (July – September).
In a follow-up review, Healthwatch looked at 1,129 people’s experiences of accessing dental care received between October and December 2020 and found:
  • Access to dentistry was difficult for more than seven in 10 people (72%), with some people actively seeking dental treatment being told they would have to wait anywhere between a few months to, in one case, two years for an appointment.
  • Access to urgent NHS treatment was difficult for people with painful teeth, with patients being told that dental pain was not considered an “emergency”, and for those who were prescribed multiple courses of antibiotics by NHS 111 without being provided any further treatment.
  • Examples of the extreme lengths some people went to, to get treatment, include calling over 40 practices to find an NHS dentist, and pulling their own teeth out when they couldn’t bear the pain.
  • When dentists couldn’t offer an appointment, they advised people to buy dental repair kits to treat themselves.

The findings come after some MPs and the British Dental Association called on the Government to scrap its new targets for NHS dentists, which require them to deliver 45% of their pre-pandemic levels of dental activity.

There are concerns this is likely to push practices into prioritising appointments such as check-ups over emergency or more complex longer treatments.

Healthwatch’s findings also suggest that patients are being told that although NHS appointments are not available, they can be treated privately. This creates a real barrier for everyone, and in particular for people on low income, to receive vital treatment.

Tell us about your experience of dental care during the pandemic here or text 07413 385275 and one of our friendly team will call you back.

Trusted Research Environment Strategy

Trusted Research Environment Strategy

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Get involved – help develop the region’s Trusted Research Environment Strategy

Across the North East and Cumbria, the ‘Health Information Exchange’ is being rolled out. This allows authorised health and care staff to view patient information held in different clinical systems across the region, at the click of a button. This helps GPs, consultants and other healthcare professionals see all of a patient’s health information in a joined up manner, to help them make decisions about your care.

 

What is the Trusted Research Environment Strategy?

This is about allowing other key people outside of those providing health and social care, for example, universities, to view this data for research purposes. Such research would help better understand the healthcare needs of local people, leading to better treatments, care services and planning for our region. The data will only be available for the length of the project and will be anonymised so that no individuals can be identified.

 

How you can get involved

The Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria which is developing this strategy, would like to know what you think the benefits are of using information in this way, what the challenges might be, and what concerns you may have about health data being used for research in this way. If you’d like to take part or know someone who would, please contact mark.walsh@ahsn-nenc.org.uk

 

Read more about the development of this strategy

More information on the Health Information Exchange

NHS Clinical Research project

NHS Clinical Research project

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Can you help the NHS to improve services and treatments for patients?

We are working with NHS England to undertake some research on what patients, current users, non-users and those with specific health issues including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, mental health and genetic factors, think about getting involved with clinical research.

This research will be really valuable in helping the NHS develop new medicines and learn more about better health and care for the future.

We want to know how patients and the public feel about clinical research, how they can get involved in research, what digital access they might need and if there are any barriers in place for involvement.

The survey will run up until Friday 12 February 2021.

Take the survey

This survey is now closed.

Have your say on SEND services

Have your say on SEND services

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Northumberland County Council and Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group are asking for feedback on how to strengthen support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The 2020-2023 Northumberland Strategy for Special Educational Needs sets out the local partnership’s vision for developing and improving the support provided for children and young people with additional needs and their families.

The consultation will run for 7 weeks, from Monday 1 February until Friday 19 March. If you have any queries, please contact 01670 623 960.

This consultation has ended.

Covid-19 Vaccinations in Northumberland 

Covid-19 Vaccinations in Northumberland 

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Covid-19 vaccinations in Northumberland – be prepared

The Department of Health and Social Care advises everyone who is offered the Covid-19 vaccination to take it, as the best way of avoiding potential serious illness from the virus and helping to ease the current situation in the UK.

As Covid-19 vaccinations in Northumberland are rolled out for high priority groups, here are some ways you can be prepared ahead of your turn.

 

Contact Details

Make sure you are registered with a GP practice and that they have an up-to-date contact number for you or someone who they can speak to on your behalf – the first people to be called for the vaccine will be contacted by telephone, sometimes at short notice – as new batches of the vaccine arrive in Northumberland.

You won’t be forgotten

GP practices in Northumberland will be inviting people for their vaccination in strict order of age within each priority group. Your GP knows which priority group you are in and will not forget about you. Please be patient and wait to be contacted about your vaccination rather than call your surgery.

Listen out for the phone

In the first wave people will probably be contacted by telephone or text, so listen out for a call, and remember that the GP surgery’s number may be withheld when they call you. Check your answerphone regularly for messages, if you have one. Keep an eye on the post too in case you receive a letter inviting you for a vaccination at the North East hub at The Centre for Life, Newcastle.

Travel arrangements

Vaccines are being given at designated vaccination centres across the county. Make plans now for how you will get to the centre when you are asked to attend, including plans for travel at different times of the day. Please note that the vaccination centre you are asked to attend may not be the one closest to your home.

Be on time

It’s really important that you arrive on time for your vaccination appointment to keep waiting times to a minimum. However, don’t arrive too early if you can help it as you won’t be seen earlier than your appointment time. If you have your NHS number, please bring it with you. This can be found on letters sent to you by your GP or by a hospital, or on your prescription.

Booster Vaccinations

The government has asked GP practices to concentrate on giving as many patients as possible the first Covid-19 vaccination, as this approach will prevent more deaths and hospitalisations than vaccinating fewer people with two doses. Everyone will get their second vaccination but it will just take a little bit longer.

Your GP is there for you

GP surgeries are still open for business alongside the vaccination programme. If you are worried about a symptom or have an urgent issue, please don’t put off contacting your surgery for help and advice.

As the situation changes we will update this information so you know how best to prepare for your vaccination. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates on Covid-19 vaccinations in Northumberland.

 

Watch Hilary Brown from Well Close Medical Group talk about how to be prepared for your Covid-19 vaccination:

 

Vaccination Centres in Northumberland are currently in Berwick, Alnwick, Amble, Ashington, Blyth, Cramlington, Ponteland and Hexham.

 

Priorities groups:

  • Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults
  • All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers
  • All those 75 years of age and over
  • All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals (not including pregnant women and those under 16 years of age)

If you have any questions, or would like to share your experiences, please get in touch.

More details on the vaccination programme from the NHS

Why do I have to wait for my Covid-19 vaccine? From the UK government

Mental health and young people

Mental health and young people

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Time to Talk day takes place in February each year, a day which encourages the nation to get talking about mental health. One in four adults and one in eight young people will experience a mental health problem in any given year, which is why talking about mental health is so important. This year’s event might look a little different, but at times like this open conversations about mental health are more important than ever. A small conversation about mental health has the power to make a big difference.

In addition, Children’s Mental Health Week takes place 1 to 7 February and is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on children and young people’s mental health. We are supporting both campaigns and would love to hear from you about your experiences of health and social care in relation to mental health services. Whether you currently use or have used these services directly, or are a carer for someone who currently uses or has used these services, we would love to hear your feedback.

We would like to hear from young people aged 13 – 25 years, so that we can understand what is working well and what could be improved in mental health services. What you tell us could help make these services better for everyone in Northumberland.

Share your experiences of using mental health services

Mental Health Support 

Keeping Well for Winter

Keeping Well for Winter

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Keeping Well for Winter is a new programme for people with a learning disability and those who support them, to help keep them well this winter. The programme is running from January until Easter 2021 and throughout this time there will be Easy Read information, ways to stay connected and weekly Zoom activity sessions.

Every two weeks there will be a Keeping Well for Winter bulletin with the latest updates and activities. If you would like to find out more or join any of the groups email: Stephen.thompson@skillsforpeople.org.uk

Read the February bulletin

Keeping People Connected Project

Keeping People Connected Project

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Northumberland Independent Advocacy Service is running a project called Keeping People Connected. The aim of the project, which was first delivered by People First at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, is to support people with learning disabilities and/or autism who have no other access to support from family or other agencies, to link with local services during lockdown.

The service is being run until 31 March 2021, thanks to funding from NHS Northumberland Clinical Comissioning Group. Referrals are welcome for people who have a learning disability, learning difficulty or autism who qualify for, and would benefit from, independent telephone support from experienced, friendly and specialist professionals to gain access to services throughout the county.

The organisations involved will help people to:

  • Understand what ‘staying at home’ or ‘staying alert’ means
  • Understand the guidance on how to stay safe and not catch the virus, who to contact and where to go
  • Understand and treat any symptoms and illness they might have and generally look after themselves in this difficult time
  • Decide what immediate support they might need e.g. getting food or medication, knowing how to ask for help in an emergency
  • Know where to access more support services and connect to local groups
  • Feel supported, by staying in touch on an ongoing basis, if needed
  • Solve problems if things go wrong
  • Get help from other services where needed
Escape Family Support online workshops

Escape Family Support online workshops

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Due to the current lockdown, Escape Family Support has temporarily moved their support sessions online. The situation will be continually reviewed until it is safe to return to face-to-face support.

The sessions will run via Microsoft Teams every Friday from 10am to 12pm. Anyone who is affected by a loved one’s drug and/or alcohol addiction is welcome to join in. Call: 01670 544055 or email: sarah.tannock@escapefamilysupport.org.uk to find out more.

The following workshops are coming up:

22 January 2021 – All About Me Workshop 

Understand the importance of taking care of yourself, learn how to set future goals and learn to change negative thoughts into positive thoughts.

29 January 2021 – Drug and Alcohol Awareness

Gain an understanding of the different categories of drugs and understand the short and long-term effects of drug and alcohol misuse.

5 February 2021 – CRAFT Maintenance Group

CRAFT is an evidence-based programme for families affected by substance misuse. This group allows you to practice the skills you have learned during CRAFT.

12 February 2021 – Anger Awareness Workshop 

Gain an understanding of anger and learn strategies to use when dealing with anger.