York residents invited to have their say on city’s health and wellbeing priorities

 This month York residents are being invited to have their say on the city’s priorities for health and wellbeing.

York Health and Wellbeing Board – a strategic partnership which sets the vision and direction for health and wellbeing for the city- is asking people to comment on what they think the health and wellbeing priorities for the city should be. Residents can take part in a short online survey to have their say at www.york.gov.uk/consultations.

The results of the consultation will be used to shape a Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy; which will set out the priorities and the focus for investment for the city’s health and wellbeing over the next five years.
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Advice on measles for young adults in York

City of York Council is advising young adults to ensure they have received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, following a rise in the number of cases nationally this summer.

Measles can be more severe in teenagers and adults and some may need hospital treatment. Measles is also extremely infectious and summer events like music festivals and fairs and students starting university, where people are mixing closely with each other, provide the ideal place for the infection to spread.

The vaccine also protects against other serious illnesses including mumps. Anyone who is unsure of their vaccination status should contact their GP practice to make an appointment. The advice comes after Public Health England announced there has been an increase in the number of cases of measles in young people during the summer festival season.
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York residents get quicker access to dementia support

dementia-picResidents in York care homes could get quicker access to support dementia services thanks to a new trial to improve diagnosis rates.

City of York Council has teamed up with the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (VoYCCG) and Dementia Forward*, to trial a new scheme to provide support and education for care home staff enabling them to screen residents for dementia. Historically, diagnosis required someone to visit their GP or hospital setting presenting with signs of dementia, meaning that many people didn’t receive information and support about their condition as early as possible.

The 12 month project is currently being trialled in eight care homes across the city, including City of York Council’s Haxby Hall and Windsor House. Early indications show that diagnosis rates have increased significantly, and the pilot will be rolled out to other public sector and private care homes across the city over the next few months.

Key staff at the care homes are trained how to use a national screening tool by Dementia Forward, before using it to assess their residents. If someone is assessed as having Dementia they, and their families and carers, can then be offered information and advice and the condition and support available locally, as well as using the Alzheimer’s Society toolkit ‘This is Me’ to help care workers support the resident in their care home.

Cllr Carol Runciman, Executive member for Adult Social Care and Health, City of York Council: “We know that early dementia diagnosis can make it easier for the individual and their family and carers to get the right help and support as soon as possible and help them live with the condition. We hope that this pilot will further improve diagnosis rates in York, supporting our aim to make York a Dementia Friendly City.”

Dr Louise Barker, from the Vale of York CCG, said: “I am delighted that this important project is now being trialled locally.

“For someone with dementia, changes such as moving to an unfamiliar place or meeting new people who contribute to their care can be unsettling or distressing.

“This training is helping care workers to build a better understanding of the person they are caring for and in turn enhance the support they provide.”

Jill Quinn from Dementia Forward says “We are delighted to be part of a project that joins everything up.  We are working with care home staff, GPs, residents and their families.  One of the most rewarding aspects has been the support we can provide to families and anything that raises awareness and improves dementia support is a positive thing.”

For more information about dementia support and services in York visit www.york.gov.uk/dementia

Finding Dory in York – summer swim sessions

As the summer holidays begin City of York Council is encouraging York’s children to ‘just keep moving’ this summer, with the nationwide interactive family swim sessions and a brand new 10 Minute Shake Up campaign – all inspired by the new Disney·Pixar blockbfind doryuster, Finding Dory.

The campaign from Disney, Change4Life and the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) sees the launch of themed family swim sessions at hundreds of pools across the UK as well as new 10 Minute Shake Up activities, in a bid to make exercise fun and help children get the 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity they need each day.

The Finding Dory inspired swim sessions, which are co-created with the ASA and run from 22 July until 4 September, will provide an hour of in-water storytelling for the whole family, teaching children key swimming skills as they are taken on a journey with Dory and friends, led by trained instructors.

The Change4Life 10 Minute Shake Ups with Disney are back for a third summer to encourage children to get the 60 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity they need each day with fun 10 minute bursts of activity. For 2016, there are even more interactive Shake Ups than last year, including those inspired by the new Disney·Pixar film, Finding Dory, which set a box office record for an animated film when it opened in the United States in June.

To coincide with the launch of the campaign, Disney, Change4Life and the ASA commissioned a survey of more than 1,000 children aged 5 to 11 and their parents on their attitudes towards physical activity. The survey revealed that three quarters of children aged 5 to 11 (73%) want to do more physical activity, and 56% of children miss taking part in school PE lessons over the summer. Finding ways for their children to be active is a challenge faced by families, with 61% of parents saying they struggle for ideas during the school holidays.

The research showed that more than half of children (55%) said that swimming is one of their favourite ways to keep physically active during the summer holidays.139% of 5 to 11 year olds also said that they would want to go swimming more often if they could go with family members.1

Physical activity helps children build social skills, boost self-confidence, improve bone and heart health and maintain a healthy weight, yet just 21% of boys and 16% of girls currently meet the national recommended level of activity of 60 minutes each day.

Councillor Carol Runciman, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health said: “This is a fantastic initiative to encourage children and families to get active. Increased physical activity can lead to better academic achievement, with improved attention span, behaviour and self-confidence. I would encourage people across the city to sign up”.

City of York Council’s Director of Public Health, Sharon Stoltz said: “In children physical activity is essential for mental and emotional health as well as physical health and a reduced risk of developing chronic conditions in the future.  The 10 Minute Shake Up is a great way to get the city’s children moving this summer!”

Search Change4Life online for Disney and Finding Dory inspired 10 Minute Shake Ups and don’t forget to book your swim session today at www.disney.co.uk/justkeepmoving.

York health service bosses now in “financial special measures”

The Vale of York Care commissioning Group (CCG) is now is now subject to “financial special measures”.

Dr Mark Hayes announced this evening he is standing down as the leader and accountable officer of the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) 

Dr Hayes was the Labour candidate in the Selby constituency at the last General Election.

“The Vale of York CCG will be directed to:

  • appoint a new Accountable Officer with the involvement of NHS England,
  • involve NHS England in appointments to its Executive Team and the next tier of management and
  • act on the issues that have been identified related to capacity, capability, financial governance and financial recovery,

with the implementation of a plan that addresses these within a timescale agreed by NHS England”.

The group is responsible for “buying” healthcare from professional organisations around the area (including GPs and hospitals).

The news comes as the CCG admitted a possible cumulative deficit of £13.4m for this year.

It comes a year after doctors supported a motion of no confidence in the management of the Group.

The 2015-16 ratings for all CCGs in the country were also published today, with 10 rated ‘outstanding’, 82 rated ‘good’, 91 rated ‘requires improvement’ and 26 rated ‘inadequate’.

York was rated as inadequate.

There has been a lack of stability in the local NHS over recent years with most recently a crisis developing in the provision of mental health services.

Nationally five trusts and nine CCGs have been put in the intervention regime, which forms part of a long awaited package of “reset” measures designed to get the NHS’s finances and accident and emergency performance back on track.

CCG performance

CCG performance

Help Shape York’s Alcohol Strategy

DrunksCity of York Council along with other partners are seeking views on a new city-wide alcohol strategy for York.

It is hoped that the strategy will influence more people to be aware of how to drink responsibly and to make positive lifestyle choices around alcohol so that individuals use alcohol safely and sensibly.  In addition it is hoped that people will make informed choices about drinking alcohol and approach the issues that alcohol can bring within our communities and families in a positive way.

The York alcohol strategy has been written by colleagues from City of York Council; Public Health England; Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group; Safer York Partnership; Lifeline; North Yorkshire Police; York Hospital Trust.  The strategy covers a five year time period and York’s Health & Wellbeing Board will be responsible for it.

The city currently uses a large amount of resource to deal with alcohol related issues, like the harm that alcohol has on the health and wellbeing of people and the crime and disorder it contributes to.  The ambulance service, the hospital’s emergency department, police, fire service and members of the public routinely deal with the consequences of alcohol.

Harm to families including domestic violence, child abuse and neglect as well as violent crime, binge drinking, absenteeism from work and lost productivity, drink driving, alcohol related accidents and anti-social behaviours such as public urination, litter and vomit on our streets are all issues associated with alcohol.

The alcohol strategy has four aims:
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York launches hard-hitting campaign that highlights 16 cancers linked to smoking

smoking_ceilingEvery month 18 people from York area discover they have cancer caused by smoking.

While most smokers know about the link between smoking and lung cancer, many people do not realise that smoking is linked with not one but 16 different cancers, including cancers of the mouth, nasal cavities, pharynx and larynx, stomach, kidney, bowel, liver, pancreas, ureter, oesophagus, cervix, bladder and ovaries as well as myeloid leukaemia.

Quit16 is a hard-hitting campaign that highlights the 16 cancers associated with smoking and asks people to quit.  It is the first region-wide anti-smoking campaign that includes advertising on television and online, by local tobacco control alliances, collaborating as Breathe 2025, and supported by Cancer Research UK.

It is based on a campaign first developed and run in Australia in 2014 by the Cancer Council Western Australia, with 74% of smokers who saw it seriously considering quitting and 20% discussing quitting with a health professional as a result.

Yorkshire and the Humber has the highest adult smoking rates in the country, with 20% of adults still smoking.
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Action in York to reduce number of suicides

Support for people having suicidal thoughts or who have been affected by a sudden death
 City of York Council is raising awareness of support available for people with thoughts of suicide and those who are concerned about someone else as part of its continuing work to improve mental health in the city.

The “Stay Alive” app, which is free to download, is part of the Grassroots Suicide Prevention work which looks to teach suicide alertness and intervention skills to community members and professionals.
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Hospital bed blocking problem in York getting worse

click for full figures
click for full figures
Staggering new figures highlight the problem of NHS ‘bed blocking’ in the York area.

Liberal Democrats have launched a campaign for an emergency cross party commission to solve the crisis in NHS and social care.

The funding crisis in social care means more patients than ever before are stuck in hospital beds longer than they need to be, adding pressure to local hospitals.

Bed blocking figures show in York there were 15 people stuck in hospital beds, despite being well enough to be discharged or transferred to social care.

The shocking figures for York reveal that the number of hospital beds out-of-action because of bed blocking is equivalent to 105 people staying in hospital for an entire week longer than they need to be.

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Norman Lamb has called for a national cross party commission to tackle the funding crisis.

Launching the local campaign today Westfield Liberal Democrats said:

“The NHS and social care face an existential crisis. Demand for services continues to rise year on year but funding is failing to keep up. The position in social care is perhaps even more serious.

“Growing pressures on services are so severe that all parties must come together to fundamentally re-think how we can guarantee the future of the NHS and social care services.

“The Government cannot avoid this issue any longer. Establishing this commission will show they are serious about protecting these vital public services.”

World Pancreatic Cancer Day tomorrow (Friday)

click to view

click to view

Many people in York is supporting World Pancreatic Cancer Day on Friday 13th November which aims to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer – considered to be the little known disease – with the public.

It is estimated that 926 people around the world are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every day, with 905 people will die from the disease every day across the world.

The number of diagnoses has continued to rise but there is still very low awareness of pancreatic cancer with over 60% of people surveyed recently knowing almost nothing about the disease.

World Pancreatic Cancer Day’s hopes to bring much-needed focus and attention to the disease, especially the need for increased symptom awareness and greater investment into research.  World Pancreatic Cancer Day encourages everyone to “see purple” on 13 November by wearing purple, lighting landmarks purple, using purple on social media channels etc.

City of York Council’s Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health Councillor Carol Runciman said: “Raising awareness is the first step to action.  The more people who know about pancreatic cancer, the greater the opportunity and need will be for more research and for the development of better resources for those facing the disease.”

Pancreatic cancer is considered to be one of the deadliest cancers, with just two to 10% of those diagnosed surviving five years.  In the UK 71% of people cannot name a simple symptom of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is sometimes referred to as a “silent cancer” because the early symptoms are often quite vague.

  • Classic pancreatic cancer symptoms can include:
  • Painless jaundice (yellow skin/eyes, dark urine).
  • Weight loss which is significant and unexplained
  • Abdominal pain which is new and significant.

Other possible symptoms of pancreatic cancer:
• Pain in the upper abdomen that radiates to the back which is new, significant and persistent that is relieved by leaning forward
• Back pain
• Diabetes which is new-onset and not associated with weight gain
• Vague indigestion or abdominal discomfort
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain when eating

Not everyone will have all of these symptoms.  For example, those who have a tumour in the body or tail of the pancreas are unlikely to have painless jaundice.  All of these symptoms can have other causes, and there is not yet a reliable and easy test for pancreatic cancer.

If you have any of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer visit your GP.

For more information about World Pancreatic Cancer Day, visit www.worldpancreaticcancerday.org