New bulletin from NHS Bournemouth and Poole and NHS Dorset cluster

Welcome to the first NHS Bournemouth and Poole and NHS Dorset cluster stakeholder bulletin. This replaces the existing NHS Bournemouth and Poole bulleting and is designed to provide updates on the activities of the two PCTs and the changes happening in the NHS. If you would like any more information about any story covered in this bulletin, please contact communications@bp-pct.nhs.uk

New Joint Chair for NHS Bournemouth and Poole and NHS Dorset

Jacqueline Swift as has been appointed as the new Chair of the NHS Bournemouth and Poole and NHS Dorset cluster following the departure of Angela Schofield from NHS Bournemouth and Poole earlier this year. The Department of Health required all PCTs to cluster to support the transition work to GP commissioning and to ensure that there were sufficient resources to maintain the emphasis on developing and delivering high quality services. To support this work a common board has also been adopted for the cluster to ensure that the needs of the local community can be best serviced by an effective allocation of time and resources. Eugene Gratwick who was interim Chair of NHS Bournemouth and Poole is now Vice Chair. A full list of non-executive Directors can be found on our website.

Cluster adopts a common Board approach

NHS Bournemouth and Poole and NHS Dorset are now clustered and supported by a single management team. However the two original entities, Bournemouth and Poole PCT and Dorset PCT will continue to exist although they have moved to a common Board membership with only the Directors of Public Health and Professional Executive Committee Chairs remaining unique to their original organisations. Changes to the governance framework documents to facilitate those changes have now been made and following the first common Board meeting last week, these arrangements are now confirmed.

Extending patient choice of provider

The Department of Health (DoH) has engaged with clinicians, providers, commissioners, patient groups and voluntary organisations on how best to extend patient choice of provider. They have considered which services should be subject to choice, what qualification criteria for providers should be employed, and how the mechanism for patient choice of AQP should operate. The PCT is now seeking views on local services to help it determine which services could be offered for more choice by April 2012.

New health campaign to find people with undiagnosed lung disease

A campaign to raise awareness of a serious lung disease called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)  throughout Dorset has been launched by NHS Bournemouth and Poole in collaboration with local healthcare professionals, to help find potentially 8,500 people in Dorset who may have the disease, but are unaware. COPD is a lung disease that kills more people in the UK each year than either bowel, breast or prostate cancer. In Bournemouth and Poole alone approximately 5,000 people have been diagnosed with COPD. COPD screening events are taking place across Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset over the next few weeks. People wanting to find out more about screening events and COPD can visit www.COPDaware.co.uk/dorset for further information.

Spot the early signs of cancer

Dorset residents attending flu vaccination clinics this autumn will be given potentially life-saving advice about cancer at the same time, thanks to Dorset Cancer Network. Leaflets have been produced by Dorset Cancer Network which will be given out to everyone who attends local flu vaccination clinics. They will give information on common signs and symptoms to look out for, along with the message that the quicker cancer is diagnosed the better the outcome and chances of survival.

Wimborne residents invited to get involved

Residents of Wimborne are being invited to volunteer and help members of the local community with the launch of a new befriending scheme for the town. The launch took place in the grounds of Wimborne Minster on Thursday 1 September, when representatives from the local NHS, POPPs and the Volunteer Centre in Dorchester got together to promote the service.

NHS Stop Smoking Service helps hundreds of smokers breathe easy

New figures reveal that an estimated 34000 people in the South West quit smoking and over 1900 in Bournemouth and Poole with the help of the Bournemouth and Poole NHS Stop Smoking Service between April 2010 and March 2011. The positive figures follow-on from the hard work of the NHS Stop Smoking Services in Bournemouth and Poole who are providing a range of support and advice for smokers.

A new way to get medicines and appliances

A new way to get medicines and appliances is being tested in Dorset. The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is a new national NHS service which will give people the chance to change how their GP sends their prescription to the place they choose to collect their medicines or appliances.

For more information

For more information or to subscribe to this bulletin email Alex.Withington@bp-pct.nhs.uk.