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Berwick Hospital development

Update on new Berwick Hospital

Temporary changes to inpatient care at Berwick Hospital as building work progresses

The building of the new £35 million hospital in Berwick-upon-Tweed is now at a stage where changes to inpatient care are needed to ensure that the new hospital will open on schedule towards the end of 2024.

A new temporary 10-bed inpatient ward will be installed in the maternity car park while the hospital works continue. This is necessary to ensure that patients can remain on the hospital site in Berwick rather than be cared for elsewhere in Northumberland.

Some patients that would usually be admitted to Berwick Infirmary will be cared for in Alnwick depending on their clinical need.

Relocation of the ward will ensure the best completion date so that people from Berwick and other local communities can access the new 20-bed hospital as quickly as possible.

Maternity, oncology, ambulatory care and minor injury unit services will remain within the Berwick Infirmary building and will not be affected.

Northumbria Healthcare is working with Northumberland County Council to ensure that maternity patients have access to parking nearby.

Once the frame of the new hospital is up, stairs and floors will be installed along with an accessible rooftop. The building will be clad and glazed externally to weatherproof it and the building will be fitted out.

Finally, the remaining old hospital buildings will be demolished, the car park and access roads will be built, and landscaping work completed.

Read more about the developments at Berwick hospital

Get in touch if you would like to tell us about a health or social care service you or a loved one have used.

NENC NHS logo

Making a complaint

Making a complaint about primary care services in Northumberland

How you make a complaint about primary care services in Northumberland is changing on 1 July 2023. By primary care services we mean GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services.

You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service.

There are two ways you can make a complaint:

  • You can complain to the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where you received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery.
  • You can complain to the commissioner of the service: this is the organisation that paid for the service or care you received.

After 1 July 2023 if you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner you will now contact the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Integrated Care Board instead of NHS England.

You can do this by:

Telephone: 0191 512 8277

Email: necsu.pccomplaints@nhs.net

In writing to the following address:

Primary Care Complaints Team

North East and North Cumbria ICB

Riverside House

Goldcrest Way

Newburn

Newcastle Upon Tyne

NE15 8NY

If you want to make a complaint directly to the provider of the primary care service, you still can – that does not change on the 1 July 2023.

Members of the public with ongoing complaints received on/after 1 July 2023 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that the ICB is now handling their complaint with confirmation of their case handler.

Members of the public with any ongoing complaints received before 1 July 2023 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that their complaint is being retained by NHS England with confirmation of their case handler.

Any complaints about secondary care can be made either to the hospital trust or to the ICB at the following email address: necsu.complaints@nhs.net

Find out more about how to feedback or make a complaint about an NHS service 

To find out more about health and social care services and support in Northumberland please get in touch.

Pharmacy shelf and iPad

Closure of Lloyds pharmacy

Lloyds pharmacy in Sainsbury’s, Manor Walks, Cramlington is due to close this summer on a date yet to be confirmed. As your independent local health and social care champion, we would like to hear from residents and those who use the pharmacy about how the planned closure may affect them.

Our team have been at Lloyds pharmacy during May 2023 talking to customers about the potential impact of the closure of the pharmacy. We will continue to collect feedback over the next few weeks and you can still share your views online.

We have already been able to take what we’ve been hearing and share it immediately with decision makers, so that they can understand and act upon the issues raised. Our Project Coordinator Derry presented our findings so far to the Northumberland Health and Wellbeing Board on 11 May. You can watch the meeting below – Derry speaks from around 18 minutes in.

Health and Wellbeing Board meeting 11 May 2023

If you would like to speak to us please get in touch.

Three people with learning disabilities talking to each other

Help make care better

Help make care better in Northumberland for people with learning disabilities

People with a learning disability and autistic people are more likely to experience poorer care and face inequalities, despite needing to use health services regularly. Their needs are not always met by the system, leaving people and their loved ones feeling diminished or ignored.

Have your say

We are working with Healthwatch England to hear more from autistic people and those with learning disabilities about their experiences of care. Please share your experience and help us make NHS decision-makers aware of what needs to change to improve access to care.

We’re completely independent and impartial, and anything you say is confidential.

Share your story

You can also provide feedback on care by giving us a call on: 03332 408 468

Laptop and coffee cup with CSP and Healthwatch logos

Online event: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

Would you like to find out about the benefits of physiotherapy and how to improve your strength?

Join us on Friday 12 May, 1pm-2pm, to hear from Rachael Wadlow from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Rachel will give an overview of the physiotherapy profession in the UK and the Stronger My Way Hub – a ‘one stop shop’ of physio-approved reliable advice and insight about strength, suitable for both healthcare professionals and the public.

The UK Chief Medical Officer’s guidance on physical activity recommends doing strengthening activities at least twice a week, but research shows too few people meet what has become known as ‘the forgotten guideline’.

The Stronger My Way Hub offers resources for the public to maintain and improve strength, including information for people living with stroke, cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain. Professionals can also access a range of strengthening resources to help empower patients to become stronger.

There will be a chance to ask questions.

Register now and we will send you a link to join closer to the event: bit.ly/HWN-online-event-physiotherapy-May-23

If you would like more information or would like to tell us about physiotherapy services you have used please get in touch.

This event has now passed

Sick child and thermometer

Healthier Together

The Healthier Together website is full of useful health advice for parents, carers, young people and health professionals. All of the information has been approved by clinicians so it’s a great place to go for reliable advice.

Topics include common illnesses in babies and children, when to keep your child off school/nursery, support for young people and a guide to how the NHS works.

Healthier Together

If you need some help finding local health and care information or support, please get in touch.

Mother and baby next to a window

Postnatal checks failing many

Thank you to everyone who told us about their experiences of maternal mental health care. Healthwatch England has analysed the responses shared by 2,693 new mothers and birthing parents since April 2020 and you can read the findings below.

The analysis suggests that not all GP practices comply with the requirement to provide six to eight-week postnatal checks. And where those checks take place, it is not clear that GP practices are aware of NICE guidance which tells them in detail how to spot mental health problems and provide help.

Key findings

  • Over one in 10 (16%) of new mothers and birthing parents who shared their experiences said they hadn’t received the six to eight-week check.
  • Of those who said they had been offered the postanal check, only one in five, 22%, were satisfied with the time their GP spent talking to them about their mental health.
  • Nearly half, 44%, of respondents felt that the GP did not spend enough time talking to them about their mental health, while a third, 30%, said that their GP didn’t mention this during the check.
  • One in seven, 15%, said they had had their six-week check over the phone, with many new parents finding it hard to verbalise their mental health struggles and discuss physical issues. In the worst cases, respondents felt the way their mental health issues were discussed was inappropriate and potentially harmful.

Six-week postnatal checks

In April 2020, the Government introduced the six to eight-week postnatal check after Healthwatch England shared the experiences of almost 1,800 women on mental health during their journey to parenthood.

General practitioners in England have since been contractually obliged and paid to assess new mothers’ mental health and wellbeing, providing an opportunity for referral to specialist services and additional support. Crucially, the checks must take place separately from a postnatal check focused on the health of the baby.

The latest research took place between October and December of 2022 to find out to what extent mental health support has improved during and after pregnancy.

Experiences of mental health support during and post-pregnancy

  • Two-thirds, 1800, of the women and birthing parents who shared their experiences had struggled with their mental health during and after pregnancy.
  • Nearly half of those, 41%, received no support to help with their mental health during and post-pregnancy.
  • Delays in accessing mental health support can have a devastating impact on new parents, with some reporting they had struggled to leave the house, bond with their child and maintain relationships.
  • First-time mothers are particularly vulnerable to developing mental health problems and are less likely to access timely care.

Louise Ansari, National Director at Healthwatch England said: “With mental ill health affecting up to a third of new and expectant mums, six-week postnatal checks are key to assessing their wellbeing after the birth. If left untreated, poor mental health can have a devastating impact on new parents and their families.

“Unfortunately, our findings show that although most new mothers and birthing parents are likely to be invited to a postnatal consultation, these are frequently carried out as a tick-box exercise, where mental health is not treated as a priority or not assessed at all.

“Monitoring the delivery of six-week checks should be the first step to ensuring there’s a consistent approach to offering quality mental health support to all new mothers. NHS England should consider what additional support and guidance it can provide to GPs so that the help new parents get is of the best quality.

“We also need to ensure that maternal mental health and peri-natal services continue to remain on the government’s agenda and a priority in workforce planning and funding budgets.”

Recommendations

Healthwatch England has made five recommendations to help ensure every new mother and birthing parent receives the six-week check, and that it is of the highest quality:

  1. Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) should monitor the delivery of six to eight-week postnatal consultations as part of their primary care commissioning responsibilities.
  2. The Medical Licensing Assessment being introduced from 2024 should check understanding of the importance of postnatal mental health and the mental health element of postnatal checks.
  3. The section of the GP contract on delivery of postnatal consultations should be updated to include mention of signposting to specialist and community mental health services and point to best practice guidance around carrying out open-ended discussions.
  4. As part of its Maternity Transformation Programme, NHS England should consider what additional support and guidance it can provide for GPs to have quality conversations about mental health at the six to eight-week postnatal consultation.
  5. Deliver the Long-Term Plan commitments on improving access to specialist community perinatal mental health services.

 

Find maternity and parenting information and support

Get in touch to tell us about your experiences

Eating Distress North East (EDNE) logo

Online event: Eating Distress North East

Join us for our next free lunchtime event on Friday 14 April, 1pm-2pm, to hear from Maria Lavelle of Eating Distress North East (EDNE), who will talk about the early identification of eating disorders and how best to support those who have one.

She will cover how to recognise signs, symptoms and potential triggers of an eating disorder; practical strategies for working with people with eating disorders; and increase your knowledge of local support services in Northumberland and the North East of England.

This session is suitable for anyone living or working in Northumberland. There will be a chance to ask questions after the presentation.

Register now and we will send you a link to join closer to the event.

If you would like to tell us about your experience of accessing support for an eating disorder or would like help finding local support services please get in touch.

This event has now passed

Felton and Widdrignton surgery proposals

New Felton surgery FAQs

Following a public meeting at Felton Village Hall on Tuesday 31 January regarding the development of the new Felton GP surgery, further responses have been added to the Frequently Asked Questions on the project website. These new FAQs address some of the questions raised in the survey responses with answers from the developer, Assura.

Questions include car parking, emergency access for ambulances, when the building will be complete and the space available in the new surgery.

Read the FAQs

If you would like to leave feedback or ask a question about the development you can do so via the project website or by emailing: hello@assura.co.uk

Events

Here to Hear drop-in December 2023

Drop-in session Prudhoe

Healthwatch Northumberland drop-in session Prudhoe December 2023

Call in to our monthly Here to Hear drop-in sessions and speak with one of our friendly team, in confidence, about your experiences of care services. You can also find out more about local services with our free Information and Signposting Service and pick up one of our fantastic giveaways! Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at the Spetchells Centre, Prudhoe, NE42 5AA on the third Thursday of the month, 11.00am – 1.00pm.

We also hold Here to Hear sessions in Alnwick, Blyth, Bedlington and Morpeth. Full details of all of our drop-in sessions

Here to Hear drop-in December 2023

Drop-in session Blyth

Healthwatch Northumberland drop-in session Blyth December 2023

Call in to our monthly Here to Hear drop-in sessions and speak with one of our friendly team, in confidence, about your experiences of care services. You can also find out more about local services with our free Information and Signposting Service and pick up one of our fantastic giveaways! Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at Blyth Community Hub, Unit 6, Keel Row Shopping Centre, Blyth on the third Wednesday of the month, 10am – 12pm.

We’ll be joined at this session by the social prescribing team from Marine Medical Group and Northumbria NHS Trust will also be there to listen to your experiences of care.

We also hold Here to Hear sessions in Bedlington, Alnwick, Prudhoe and Morpeth. Full details of all of our drop-in sessions

 

Here to Hear drop-in December 2023

Drop-in session Bedlington

Drop-in session Bedlington December 2023

Call in to our monthly Here to Hear drop-in sessions and speak with one of our friendly team, in confidence, about your experiences of care services. You can also find out more about local services with our free Information and Signposting Service and pick up one of our fantastic giveaways! Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at East Bedlington Community Centre, 16-17 Station Road, Bedlington NE22 7JN on the first Friday of the month, 10.00am – 12.00pm.

We also hold Here to Hear sessions in Alnwick, Blyth, Prudhoe and Morpeth. Full details of all of our drop-in sessions

Online event menopause

Online event – Menopause

Join us at our free online event to hear from Jenny Haskey from The Menopause Charity. Jenny will talk to us about what the menopause is, its impact on our future health and the treatment and lifestyle options which can help to manage symptoms. She will also give us information about useful support and resources provided by The Menopause Charity. There will be a chance to ask questions after the presentation.

The session is suitable for anyone wanting to know more about the menopause and what support is available, including those experiencing menopause and their partners, friends and family members. It is also suitable for professionals who want further information about how to support those affected by the menopause.

Please note the session is not intended to provide specific individual clinical advice.

Register now and we will send you a link to join closer to the event.

Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about upcoming events.

Here to Hear drop-in November 2023

Drop-in session Blyth

Healthwatch Northumberland drop-in session Blyth November 2023

Come and see us at Blyth Community Hub, Unit 6, Keel Row Shopping Centre, Blyth on the third Wednesday of the month, 10am – 12pm.

Call in to our monthly Here to Hear drop-in sessions and speak with one of our friendly team, in confidence, about your experiences of care services. You can also find out more about local services with our free Information and Signposting Service and pick up one of our fantastic giveaways! Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

If you’re a patient of Marine Medical Group, come to our free drop-in session to get advice and support with managing your health online. We’ll be joined by staff from the surgery to show you how to register for GP online services, how to use eConsult, or how to download and use the NHS app, and help you be fine online!

If you’re not online and would like to be, we can point you in the direction of local digital skills support.

We also hold Here to Hear sessions in Bedlington, Alnwick, Prudhoe and Morpeth. Full details of all of our drop-in sessions

 

Here to Hear drop-in November 2023

Drop-in session Bedlington

Drop-in session Bedlington November 2023

Call in to our monthly Here to Hear drop-in sessions and speak with one of our friendly team, in confidence, about your experiences of care services. You can also find out more about local services with our free Information and Signposting Service and pick up one of our fantastic giveaways! Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at East Bedlington Community Centre, 16-17 Station Road, Bedlington NE22 7JN on the first Friday of the month, 10.00am – 12.00pm.

We also hold Here to Hear sessions in Alnwick, Blyth, Prudhoe and Morpeth. Full details of all of our drop-in sessions

Here To Hear drop-in Morpeth August 2023

Drop-in session Hadston House

Drop-in session Hadston August 2023

Call in to our monthly Here to Hear drop-in sessions and speak with one of our friendly team, in confidence, about your experiences of care services. You can also find out more about local services with our free Information and Signposting Service and pick up one of our fantastic giveaways! Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us at Hadston House, Bondicar Road, Hadston, NE65 9SR on Wednesday 9 August, 11.00am – 1.00pm.

We also hold Here to Hear sessions in Blyth, Prudhoe and Morpeth. Full details of all of our drop-in sessions

A woman sits with a cup of tea talking to a man with his back to the camera

Online event – Social Prescribing

Join us for our next free online event on Friday 11 August, 1pm-2pm with Lianne Watkins and Christine Mitchell, Living Well Coordinators for West Northumberland Primary Care Network, who will talk about social prescribing.

Many things affect our health and wellbeing, not just medical issues. In some cases your doctor, or other healthcare professional, may refer you to the social prescribing service. Social prescribers can direct you to services that can help with things such as counselling services, arts and creative activities, employment and training and financial advice.

In the session Lianne and Christine will share information on the referral criteria and process and how the service works.

This session is suitable for anyone who is registered with one of the 12 GP practices within the West Northumberland PCN.

There will also be a chance to ask questions.

Find out more about the Living Well Coordination service.

Register now and we will send you a link to join closer to the event.

Healthwatch Northumberland drop-in sessions September 2023

Drop-in session Alnwick

Drop-in session Alnwick September 2023

Call in to our monthly Here to Hear drop-in sessions and speak with one of our friendly team, in confidence, about your experiences of care services. You can also find out more about local services with our free Information and Signposting Service and pick up one of our fantastic giveaways! Just call in or if you’d prefer to make a specific appointment for one of the sessions, please get in touch.

Come and see us in the cafe at Weavers’ Court, Swordy Drive, Swordy Park, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1SZ, 10.30am – 12.30pm.

We also hold Here to Hear sessions in Blyth, Prudhoe and Morpeth. Full details of all of our drop-in sessions

SeaFit health drop-in event in Amble

SeaFit health drop-in event in Amble

We’re joining the Fishermen’s Mission‘s health drop-in event in Amble on Wednesday 26 July, 1pm-3pm. SeaFit events bring together organisations providing health information and health screening for fishermen and the wider community.

Call by and pick up some information, leave feedback about using health and social care services and grab yourself some of our giveaway items.

Also there on the day will be an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and/or HCA, health and wellbeing coaches, First Contact physiotherapy, a mental health practitioner, pharmacy technician, and a Social Prescribing Link Worker.

If you can’t make the event but would like to speak to us in confidence please get in touch.