PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020 COVID-19 VACCINATION PROGRAMME This information is based on the current plans for the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme. However, there are frequent changes and is not the final version. It is important to understand the different vaccines: The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine was the first to be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The government has purchased 40 million doses and supplies are slowly arriving in the UK from the manufacturing site in Puurs, Belgium. It is important to appreciate that 40 million doses will vaccinate a population of half that number, as each patient needs two doses. It has been thoroughly tested and no serious side effects occurred. Patients can have some minor side effects in the first 24-48 hours after the injection, like local reactions, flu like symptoms or a mild fever. Patients will need two vaccinations, three weeks apart. Immunity is achieved seven days after the second injection. It is very important to understand that everyone will need the two vaccinations, a single vaccination is not effective. The COVID-19 vaccinations need to given at least seven days after a flu vaccination (if given recently) and the flu vaccination cannot be given in the 21 day period between the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. There is currently no data available about how long immunity will last. It is assumed to be a minimum of one year, but it might be shorter or considerably longer. The biggest problem is the difficult logistics to handle this vaccine. It needs to be kept at below -70 degrees Celsius. Consequently, the vaccine can only be stored at specialist sites such as hospital pharmacies. As a result of this, it was decided to administer this vaccine only from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, where staff, inpatients and patients who attend outpatient clinics and fall into the eligible categories will be able to be vaccinated. There will also be a programme to vaccinate higher risk NHS and care home staff at the hospital. It is not possible to administer this vaccine in care homes due to its restrictions. The vaccine will be administered by some Primary Care Networks (PCN). Without the specialist very low temperature equipment, the PCNs will hold the vaccine in a thawed state in a refrigerated setting but this limits the “shelf life” to 5 days and each batch of 975 doses needs to be administered in this period - another logistical aspect that has to be rigorously administered. The only PCN administering the vaccine locally at present is in Bridgnorth. The other vaccine expected to be approved shortly is the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. It will also need to be given as two doses, but it is much easier to handle and only requires normal fridge temperatures to be stored. Because it has not been approved yet, we have less information at the moment regarding side effects etc. The Government has purchased 100 million doses of this vaccine, but supplies will only arrive in very small numbers this year, the main vaccination programme will start early 2021. There are ten categories of patients, and the initial vaccinations will be given to the two highest categories, patients over 80 years old, patients in care homes, some house bound patients and NHS/care staff. Once vaccinations will become more wildly available, we will work down the categories. The booking for vaccinations will be through a central NHS booking system, eligible people will receive a letter asking them to book an appointment online. There is little detail at the moment how this will work and if GP surgeries will be able to book appointments. There are plans to have bigger vaccination centres at places like the Telford International Centre to be able to administer larger number of vaccinations. There were also plans to have more local Vaccination Pods in smaller communities, again this is not finalised. Due to the logistical difficulties with administering the current vaccine programme we are supporting the local NHS Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) in their delivery plans. We plan to be able to deliver more locally in the near future, likely toward the end of January. Eligible patients will be informed when the local programme is going to start. Again, all of this is the current understanding and does change frequently. The staff at the Medical Centre and members of the Patient Participation Group wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. A MESSAGE FROM THE PPG OFFICERS GROUP First, may we take this opportunity of wishing everyone a happy and peaceful Christmas and best wishes for 2021. Everyone realises that Christmas is going to be different this year, but we hope, despite Covid-19, that there can be enjoyment during the Christmas and New Year Celebrations. But to business! If you are new to the Patient Participation Group (PPG), then a bit of background might be of interest. You won’t be surprised to hear that the job of the PPG is to provide information to patients and feedback to the Medical Practice. The PPG is run according to its Constitution, which includes the election of Officers each year. These form the ‘Officers Group’, which also includes the Lead Doctor at the Practice and the Practice Manager. The PPG holds quarterly meetings, usually in the Shawbirch Community Centre. We’ve had several really interesting talks this year, including Telford First Responders, the Armed Forces Covenant, how the doctors locally are coping with Covid-19, social prescribing , and organising local surgeries for the vaccination programme. We also carry out patient surveys (although not this year), and contribute patient views to various bodies. With the pandemic, meetings are now held on Zoom, with the Secretary sending a link to patients who wish to participate. Surprisingly, we’ve found that the Zoom meetings are better attended than those in person - most recently by 45 patients. We do recognise that some patients without technology are excluded from these meetings at present, although perhaps a greater number are now able to join in. When we are all safe again, we will be reviewing whether we should have a mix of Zoom and physical meetings in future - your views on this would be very welcome. We use various techniques for keeping you informed, including a frequent Newsletter. We are also in the process of getting a Facebook page up and running. We would be very grateful for anyone with some Facebook skills to help us get this going, and kept up-to-date. Apart from the forthcoming Covid-19 vaccination programme, perhaps the main exciting issue next year will be the start of construction of the super duper new medical centre at Brandon Avenue. This will provide much better facilities (not least in the waiting area) and expanded services. There are also a lot of changes in the breeze with health services generally, which we will all want to keep an eye on. So with quite a few developments coming up, the Officers Group again wishes you all a Very Merry Christmas (as far as possible) and a Happy New Year. Greg Smith - Chair; John Wardle - Vice Chair; Val Dawson - Secretary; Ann Lewis - Deputy Secretary; Barry Smith - Project Group Leader; Dr Caroline Freeman - Lead Partner; Ruth Waldendorf - Practice Manager

GREEN LIGHT GIVEN TO NEW HEALTH ORGANISATION A new health organisation has formally been given the green light with the creation of a new strategic organisation to deliver health services for local people. Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group has already been working closely with Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group but the groups wanted to ratify their working practices to streamline their work and reduce duplication costs whilst also increasing efficiency. To do this the two health organisations, which are responsible for commissioning local health services, will be dissolved and a new strategic commissioning organisation set up in their place. The plans have now been authorised with conditions by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the new organisation is due to launch at the beginning of April 2021. Dr Julian Povey, Chair of both Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: “Historically we have had two small clinical commissioning groups working across the county and this has led to duplication and inconsistency. The key benefit of creating just one single health commissioner to cover the whole county is that there will no longer be a ‘postcode lottery’ as to what services you can access depending on whether you live in Shropshire or in Telford and Wrekin.” David Evans, Joint Accountable Office for the CCGs, said: “This ratifies the work that has been going on behind the scenes now for some time where we have been stripping out duplication so we can work more efficiently and bring more cohesion to the way we deliver services for the people of Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin. This is also part of the process to becoming an integrated care system. We have a number of conditions to meet and these are common with major decisions of this kind, but we have already started work on these including the creation of a joint board and action plan.” PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP MEETINGS NHS 111 FIRST The December meeting of the Patient Group was again The NHS has launched the next phase of the latest held using the video meeting software ZOOM and was ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign which focuses on the well attended with over 50 participants. Two NHS 111 service as a new way to access A&E. presentations were given at the meeting. Louise If you have an urgent but not life-threatening medical Griffiths, the practice’s Social Prescriber gave a need, make sure you contact NHS 111 first rather presentation on the purpose of her role and Dr Stefan than going straight to A&E. If you do need urgent Waldendorf, the Clinical Director for the Newport/ care, then NHS 111 can now book you in to be seen Central Primary Care Network reported on plans for quickly and safely in A&E. As well as this, NHS 111 the COVID-19 vaccination programme which was just is also able to direct to or book an appointment at about to be launched at the time of the meeting. Urgent Treatment Centres, GP surgeries, pharmacies, The next meeting of the PPG is scheduled for Thursday emergency dental services and walk-in clinics. 4th March and it is anticipated it will again be held Contacting 111 first will also help the NHS to keep using ZOOM. you safe by maintaining social distancing and ensure that you receive the right care in the right place, in a more timely and safe way. If you or your loved one have a life-threatening illness or injury then you should always use 999 and if you do arrive at A&E without contacting NHS 111 you will still receive medical care, with emergency treatments prioritised. Just think 111 first. When you think you need A&E, contact NHS 111 by phone or online.

THOUSANDS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS IN DANGER OF BECOMING DIABETIC Thousands of residents are in danger of becoming diabetic, say health bosses at Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). It is estimated that there are currently over 16,000 residents across the Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin CCG areas who are potentially at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes over the coming years. Health leaders at the county’s two CCGs are urging people to get active, eat healthier and ‘know your risk’ using a helpful online tool. Residents are encouraged to visit the ‘Know Your Risk’ website from Diabetes UK to assess their risk of Type 2 diabetes, learn what changes they can make, and take action if necessary. Patients can self-refer into the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) which is provided locally by Living Well Taking Control, and is part of a national programme commissioned by NHS England. Since starting in April 2020, 600 local residents have joined the programme with many already seeing the health benefits of losing weight and improving their diet. The ‘Know Your Risk’ online tool is a quick and easy survey which asks a set of simple questions, including information on weight and height, and calculates the risk of that individual becoming diabetic. The tool also provides free, practical advice on healthy-eating recipes and exercise tips, as well as identifying the symptoms of diabetes. Dr Julian Povey, Joint Chair of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), said: “Type 2 diabetes causes the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood to become too high ….. it can lead to numerous complications - increasing the risk of stroke, heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and some cancers, which is why it is so important for people at risk to act. You can reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by eating well, moving more and losing weight, if you're carrying extra weight. Everyone should take the ‘Know your Risk’ test - it only takes a couple of minutes, but it could make a big difference to your life.” For more information about local support visit www.lwtcsupport.co.uk/shropshire-telford-wrekin-support. You can check your eligibility for the scheme at riskscore.diabetes.org.uk FINANCE IN PLACE FOR NEW BUILDING The practice has secured a £4.6 million loan and is now in the position to be able to put things in motion for the construction of the new medical centre/health hub at the junction of Shawbirch Road and Brandon Avenue. The tendering process has already been completed and a contractor appointed. In the next few weeks orders will be placed for materials and activity is expected to commence on the site early in the new year. The construction period is expected to be approximately twelve months.

NEWPORT AND CENTRAL PCN Our Primary Care Network (PCN) only formed in June of this year, following a reorganisation of the PCNs in the Telford & Wrekin Commissioning Group area. The PCN consists of four practices, roughly equal in size - Donnington Medical Practice, Linden Hall Surgery (Newport), Shawbirch Medical Centre and the Wellington Road Practice (Newport). The total number of patients in the PCN is approximately 57,000. The practices have signed up to what is called an “Enhanced Service”, which provides for additional services over and above the standard GP contract. This year the focus has been on recruiting the additional staff resources available to PCNs. Our plan was to try to improve access to various services by getting health care professionals such as Clinical Pharmacists, Physiotherapists and Social Prescribers into each of our surgeries. Patients can be referred by their GP or signposted from reception directly to these services. We have been able to recruit four Social Prescribers, three Clinical Pharmacists and are awaiting the recruitment of First Contact Physios through Shropcom - expected soon. Social Prescribers have been in place now for a few months, helping to support patients with social or mild mental health problems like depression or anxiety and have proven to be effective and popular with patients. Clinical Pharmacists work with all medication related issues. They offer phone call advice for patients with medication problems and also carry out medication reviews as well as looking after patients with long term conditions like asthma or COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). We also recruited a very efficient PCN Manager who supports the work of the Clinical Director. PCNs are going to grow in importance over the next years. NHS England is increasing the support given to build strong groups of practices to work for their local area, delivering tailored solutions for their population of patients.

MEDICAL CENTRE OPENING HOURS The centre opens 0800 - 1800 each weekday. The Medical Centre is closed at the weekend and on Bank Holidays. The centre will be closed on 25th/28th December and 1st January. On days the Centre is open, telephone lines (01952 641555) do not open until 0830 and close at 1800. If you call between 1300 and 1330 you will be given an alternative number to contact the centre for emergency use only. Outside of these hours and at all times on days when the Centre is closed you should call 111.

MEDICAL STAFF AT THE CENTRE Dr Caroline Freeman (GP, Senior Partner), Dr Peter Coventry (GP, Partner), Dr Paul Davies (GP, Partner), Dr Charlotte Garrington (GP, Partner), Dr Emily Steedman (GP, Partner), Dr Clare McDermott (GP, Partner), Dr Fiona Wright (GP), Dr Helen Cawthorne (GP), Dr Georgina Dempster (GP), Dr Farah Coffey (GP), Sr Hazel Heinink (Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP), Partner), Michelle Athersmith (ANP & Community Practitioner), Fiona Smith (ANP), Anne Rickus (Practice Nurse), Vivien James (Practice Nurse), Donna McIntyre (Practice Nurse) Jane Shakeshaft (Healthcare Assistant) and Petra Kenner (Healthcare Assistant).