Ivy Grove News (web version)

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Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)

You may have heard about the new Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) that are being set up all around the country. Here we tell you more about them.

What is commissioning?

It is important to make sure that safe, effective, high quality health care and treatment is available to everyone. Commissioners look at the health needs of people and buy services to meet those needs. They also plan and manage the local healthcare system.

Who are the commissioners?

NHS commissioning is currently done by primary care trusts – PCTs, but the government is changing this. It is giving commissioning responsibility to groups of GPs, hospital consultants and other healthcare professionals. These will be called Clinical Commissioning Groups and they will replace PCTs.

Why is this happening?

The government has a long-term vision for the NHS and believes that GPs and other healthcare professionals are the best people to commission healthcare. It also wants to put patients at the heart of everything the NHS does.

Timescales for change

By April 2013 all primary care trusts will be replaced by Clinical Commissioning Groups. These groups are being set up now and there are already 220 Clinical Commissioning Groups in England. They are working with PCTs to make sure they will be ready to take over in April 2013. Some areas of commissioning are already being given to Clinical Commissioning Groups.

The Health Bill

In July 2010 the government published a White Paper called 'Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS' which set out what they planned to do with the NHS. These ideas were made into the Health and Social Care Bill which is making its way through Parliament to become law.

What about GP practices?

Every GP practice must be part of a Clinical Commissioning Group. These groups may work with other Clinical Commissioning Groups in their area if they want to. This may make it easier when commissioning complex services like hospitals, which are used by people living in different areas.

In your local area

There are five Clinical Commissioning Groups in Derbyshire who will be responsible for commissioning most NHS services for patients. This practice belongs to the Southern Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group. SDCCG will make decisions based on local priorities which have been identified each of the locality groups.

SDCCG is made up of 58 GP practices covering parts of South Derbyshire and Derby City. The 58 practices are split into 4 locality groups and your practice belongs to the Amber Valley and South Derbyshire Dales locality. SDCCG will make decisions based on local priorities which have been identified each of the locality groups.

How will all this affect me?

You will still be able to see your doctor at your GP practice and they will send you to other places, such as the hospital, when needed. The changes mean that GPs and other healthcare professionals will decide who provides care and treatment for patients and where they are treated. This means that some of the services which currently take place in hospital may be available at your GP practice or another local place. Providing services locally can save time and may also save the NHS money, as hospitals are expensive to run. Clinical Commissioning Groups will look at the experiences of patients and the medical outcomes, which means how quickly patients get better, when deciding where to provide services.

Getting involved

A key priority for Clinical Commissioning Groups is to understand what patients need. Groups will be working with local communities and asking patients about their experiences of healthcare services. This can lead to improvements in the quality of local services.

This is where the new Patient Reference Groups (PRGs) will come into play. To be involved in improving services at the surgery, please consider joining Ivy Grove's PRG. More details can be found on our website at ivy.gs/prg

Amber Trust - Supporting Mental Wellbeing

Health Trainer Service

Would you like to improve your health and wellbeing? Do you want to:

• Feel good about yourself
• Improve fitness
• Reduce how much alcohol you drink
• Stop smoking
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Eat more healthily

We can support you to get out more and meet new people, help you to feel good about yourself and offer you practical support on a 1:1 basis. If you use or have used mental health services, are over 18 years old, live in Derbyshire and would like to find out more please contact Tracy Litchfield, Tel: 01773 599599, Email: tracyl@ambertrust.co.uk

Volunteer Opportunities

Amber Trust are currently recruiting Health Champions to support our Health Trainer Service. Feel good about yourself

More Information

This project is part of the Derbyshire Health Trainers Programme and is funded by NHS Derbyshire County and delivered in partnership with Amber Trust. For general information about the Health Trainer Initiative across Derbyshire contact the Health Trainer Programme Team on: 01246 514114 or bit.ly/derbyht (link opens in a new window).

Social Policy

Richard Crowther continues his series of articles with some information on Social Policy

Citizens Advice has two aims;

• To provide the advice people need for the problems they face
• To improve the policies and practices that affect people's lives

Not only do we give people advice but we also actively influence change to policies and practices at a local and national level. Each time we see something that we believe is wrong, unjust or has had a negative impact on someone's life we submit a social policy report. In the report we provide evidence of the problems people are facing which can then used by Citizens Advice to campaign for change.

For example, in 2010 we successfully campaigned to make calls to the Department of Work and Pensions free from most mobile phone networks. Most benefit claims are now dealt with by phone. Claim lines are often on 0800 numbers, which are free from landlines but can cost up to 40p per minute from a mobile. Many people on low incomes only have pay-as-you-go mobile phones and therefore couldn't afford to claim benefits. With support and evidence from Citizens Advice the DWP has reached agreements with 9 major mobile phone networks not to charge for calls to around 50 of their 0800 numbers.

At the moment we are collecting evidence about a number of issues surrounding:

• changes to housing benefit, welfare reform and benefit cuts
• problems with parking enforcement on private land
• employment support allowance and the work capability assessment

So if you have a problem caused by injustice, discrimination or that you feel is just plain wrong please make an appointment to see our adviser at the surgery and we will report it in the hope that by using this evidence we can affect change. Providing advice usually helps just one person but by taking social policy action we are able to help thousands.

Advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, sex, disability, sexuality or nationality

Appointments over Christmas and New Year

Demand for same day emergency appointments is usually high during the weeks of Christmas and New Year, whilst routine reviews and long term problems generally take lower priority.

In order to cope with the expected surge in demand at this time, the number of appointments available to book in advance will be reduced, whilst the number of appointments available to book on the day will be increased.

This change will affect the time period between December 19th, 2011 and January 4th, 2012 inclusive.

Please get your repeat prescription slips into the surgery well in time before the festive season starts.

Calls to the out of hours service are for those issues that cannot wait until the next working day.

Amber Valley Physiotherapy Clinic

A hot political topic at the moment is private health care providers working in partnership with the NHS but at Ivy Grove Surgery this has been happening for the past five years.

Amber Valley Physiotherapy Clinic has been working in close partnership with Ivy Grove Surgery since opening the treatment room at Church Farm Primary Care Centre in 2006. Five years on, the clinic now has a team of five physiotherapists offering a top class physiotherapy service.

When the clinic initially opened it was only for one afternoon a week, now however the clinic is operating from Monday to Friday offering day time and evening appointments.

We treat conditions affecting all parts of the body, most commonly back pain, whiplash and sports injuries. We are also able to offer home visits and treatment for neurological conditions.

Our sessions include an explanation of the condition, advice on how to treat it yourself and of course appropriate treatment provided by our highly skilled professionals. A range of treatments are available from the clinic including acupuncture, joint mobilisations, electrotherapy and sports massage. We will also give you advice on how to prevent a recurrence of any injury once you have completed your treatment with us.

At Amber Valley Physiotherapy Clinic all of our team are Chartered Physiotherapists registered with the Health Professions Council so you can be confident that your condition will be assessed by a fully qualified professional. You should always check that you are being treated by a physiotherapist who is registered with the Health Professions Council, this can be done at www.hpcheck.org.uk (link opens in a new window).

The team at Amber Valley Physiotherapy Clinic have a vast range of experience having treated athletes at local, national and international level in a range of sports including football, rugby, cricket and tennis. We have provided physiotherapy at the Commonwealth Games and hope to do the same at the 2012 Olympics in London.

You don't need a referral from the doctor to get an appointment with us and if you're unsure whether physiotherapy is the right course of treatment for you one of our team will be happy to discuss your needs free of charge.

We are also contracted to provide treatment with all of the major private healthcare providers such as Aviva and BUPA.

To find out more you can visit our website at www.ambervalleyphysio.co.uk (link opens in a new window).

If you would like to make an appointment or ask the team a question please contact us at: Tel: 01773 514147 Mob: 07894 686133 Email: info@ambervalleyphysio.co.uk

For free NHS physio, ring Physio Direct on 01335 230079

New Doctor!

Dr Noeni Woodard joins us

I'd like to introduce myself to you all and let you know a little bit about my background.

I have recently moved to the Derbyshire area with my husband, James and son, Daniel who is nearly two now. We are all enjoying the beautiful countryside which surrounds the area and I am pleased to find that there is so much to see and do!

Prior to moving we were living in Leicester where both James and I completed our medical school training.

Having graduated in 2005, I did my foundation training in Leicestershire. I had always wanted to be a GP and in 2007 I began my GP training in Northamptonshire which I finished in August of this year. James has specialised in Medicine for the Elderly and is nearing the end of his training now.

I enjoy the mixture of symptoms and problems that are brought to me in general practice and as yet I have not forged a special area of interest.

Outside of work I enjoy seeing and spending time with my family and friends who are spread through Leicestershire and the Cotswolds. I am also keen on sewing and cooking!

I am excited to be working at Ivy Grove Surgery and have already been made to feel very welcome by both patients and staff.

We wish Noeni all the best and hope you will help her to settle in to her new job.

How to help us

Some tips for helping your consultation with the doctor to go smoothly

• Rather than wait in a long queue at the desk and risk being late for your appointment, use the check-in facility to the right just as you come in to arrive well in time
• If you are seeing us with a general health or waterworks issue, always bring a fresh sample of urine with you. We have bottles at reception
• It has been shown that presenting problems to the doctor as you leave distracts them and increases the risk that mistakes will be made and things will be missed. Always rebook a new appointment if you wish to discuss other concerns
• Appointments should be for one problem and one person only (see above point)
• Let us know if you cannot attend your appointment so that we may give it to someone else
• If you are attending with minor illness, have you viewed our website advice pages first?

Physio Direct

Just a note to say Physio Direct has changed its number to 01335 230079 with immediate effect. Physio Direct is a service where you can see a physio free of charge without consulting a doctor first. Ring them for details.

Welfare Rights

Derbyshire County Council's welfare rights service offers free, expert and confidential advice on a range of benefits you may be able to claim including Pension Credit, Working Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Income Support, Council Tax Benefit and Carer's Allowance.

For more information; Tel: 0845 120 2985 Email: welfarerights@derbyshire.gov.uk

Latest medication information

Dr Wong provides details of some recent updates

Updated dosing of paracetamol for children

Dosing of paracetamol for children has previously been subject to wide age bands, and consequently heavier children may not have been taking enough paracetamol and conversely, lighter children may not have been taking enough. By the end of 2011, all paracetamol products for children will carry the new dosing as shown below. All products will be supplied with an administration device to ensure accurate dosing. Before then, you may still follow the dosing on any current packaging.

Paracetamol infant suspension (120mg/5ml)

• Age 2-3 months for post vaccination fever (or for other causes of pain and fever if your baby weighs over 4kg and was born after 37 weeks): 2.5ml, and if necessary, after 4-6 hours, you can give a second 2.5ml dose (maximum 2 doses in 24 hours)
• Age 3-6 months: 2.5ml up to 4 times a day
• Age 6-24 months: 5ml up to 4 times a day
• Age 2-4 years: 7.5ml up to 4 times a day
• Age 4-6 years: 10ml up to 4 times a day

For paracetamol six plus suspension (240mg/5ml or 250mg/5ml)

• Age 6-8 years: 5ml up to 4 times a day
• Age 8-10 years: 7.5ml up to 4 times a day
• Age 10-12 years: 10ml up to 4 times a day
• Age 12-16 years: 10-15ml up to 4 times a day
• Adults and children over 16 years: 10-20ml up to 4 times a day

Glusartel and other forms of glucosamine no longer recommended

The drug trade name Glusartel was previously recommended in this area for knee osteoarthritis. A recent health economic analysis of Glusartel was undertaken and concluded "..the company [making it] did not present a sufficiently robust clinical and economic analysis". Subsequently glucosamine in all formulations is no longer recommended. GPs are advised not to prescribe this drug to any new patients and to review existing patients on the drug at their next medication review.