Integrated Care Board (NHS)

Have your say on how health services are delivered across West Yorkshire

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R.Webster & C.Elliott (landscape + smile)

NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (NHS WY ICB) is asking people and communities to come forward and share their views on how health services should be delivered to them locally, and across West Yorkshire.

More information here

With the passing of the Health and Care Act 2022, there is a requirement for integrated care systems (like the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership) to develop an integrated health and social care strategy and for integrated care boards to develop a joint forward plan to deliver the NHS components.

Building on the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP) Five-Year Strategy ‘Better health and wellbeing for everyone’ published in 2020, the Partnership has coproduced a refreshed draft strategy. The Partnership is now seeking people’s views on how its ambitions for the NHS will be achieved in a new joint forward plan for the area. The plan will be published by the 30 June 2023.

People can have their say by completing a short survey online at https://bit.ly/wyviews

or by contacting their local Healthwatch by Monday 20 February 2023 to answer a few questions. More information is available on the WY HCP website at wypartnership.co.uk/your-views

Be on the lookout for symptoms of ‘Scarlet Fever’ in children

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Parents and carers in West Yorkshire asked to be on the lookout for symptoms of Group A streptococcus, or ‘Strep A’, in children (commonly called scarlet fever)

For more information on scarlet fever please visit the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/

Parents and carers in West Yorkshire are being asked to be on the lookout for symptoms of Group A Streptococcus, or ‘GAS’, in children (more commonly known as scarlet fever). Symptoms include sore throat, headache, fever and a fine, pinkish or red body rash. On darker skin the rash can be more difficult to detect visually. It will have a sandpapery feel when you rub your hand over a child’s skin.

Parents and carers who identify these symptoms should contact NHS 111 online, call NHS 111 or their GP because early treatment with oral antibiotics is important to reduce the risk of complications, such as pneumonia or a bloodstream infection.

If your child has scarlet fever keep them at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment to avoid spreading the infection to others.

Parents and carers are advised to call 999 or go to A&E only if your child is having noisy or difficulty breathing, there are pauses in your child’s breathing, your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue and/or your child is floppy, drowsy and or will not wake up.

The UK Health Security Agency advises that Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common bacteria, which lots of people carry in their throats and on their skin. It doesn’t always result in illness. However, it does cause several infections, some mild and some more serious. Whilst infections are still uncommon, there has been an increase in cases this year, particularly in children under 10.

For more information on scarlet fever please visit the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/

Take antibiotics seriously this World Antimicrobial Awareness Week

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[ Excerpt – read full article here ]

The NHS in West Yorkshire will be joining health organisations around the world to raise awareness of the global problem of antibiotic resistance and to encourage people to pledge to tackle it.

According to the World Health Organisation, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to global health. Drug-resistant infections killed 1.25 million people in the world in 2019, including 141,000 patients in high income countries like the UK. This is estimated to rise to 10 million deaths per year by 2050 if we don’t act now.

Antibiotics kill bacteria or prevent them from spreading, but because bacteria are adapting to survive them, these medicines are becoming less effective. If antibiotics stop working to treat infections, this might stop us from carrying out common healthcare activities such as doing major operations or giving cancer treatments where infections are common, and we need effective antibiotics to prevent them. We may see more premature babies, children and adults on intensive care dying from infections.

That’s why healthcare professionals across the region are supporting Seriously Resistant (www.seriouslyresistant.com), a campaign originally developed in Leeds that aims to raise awareness of antibiotic resistance and educate people how they can help to keep antibiotics working.

“You can pledge to make better use of antibiotics and help save these vital medicines from becoming obsolete by becoming an Antibiotic Guardian – antibioticguardian.com/”

“To find out what you, your family and friends can do to help tackle antibiotic resistance and to help keep antibiotics working, please also visit www.seriouslyresistant.com”

NHS West Yorkshire partnership organisation meets in public 15 November

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The NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) will meet in public for the third time on Tuesday 15 November at the Briar Court Hotel, Halifax Rd, Birchencliffe, Huddersfield HD3 3NT.

The Board is part of the legislation set out in the Health and Care Act 2022, which came into force on the 1 July 2022. It focuses on improving outcomes for people by addressing health inequalities, the difference in care received and effective use of budgets across the area. It is part of West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP), an integrated care system.

The board’s role includes agreeing a plan for health and care services in West Yorkshire that delivers the five-year strategy. Most decisions about circa £5billion budget and the services delivered locally are made in the five local places of West Yorkshire, via its strong local place partnerships in Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield District.

The board also works alongside care provider collaboratives, such as The West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts, the Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Collaborative, Community Care Collaborative and hospices working together.  The board has an independent chair, Cathy Elliott.  Its Chief Executive is Rob Webster CBE.

The meeting on the 15 November will include an update report from Cathy and Rob, as well as items on primary care, winter planning and updates from the five local place partnerships.

People are asked to contact westyorkshire.ics@nhs.net before Monday the 14 November at 9am if they would like to attend or submit questions. They can also call 01924 317659 to submit questions or to book their place to attend.

People can also read the papers, or watch live online by visiting www.wypartnership.co.uk/meetings/integrated-care-board