East Anglia Eye Health Network Newsletter

Transcription

1 East Anglia Eye Health Network Newsletter May 2014 What is a Local Professional Network? Welcome to the first edition of the East Anglia LPN Newsletter! The Government has clear aims for the health service. These are to: Have a health system that delivers the best possible health outcomes; and to be as good at keeping people in good health as it is at treating those who suffer ill health. Have a health system led by professionals, not managers and built around people and patients not processes. Within this context the establishment of local professional networks to support the activity of NHS England s area teams is an important development. I hope that our networks can make a real contribution to achieving the improvements that we all want to see by providing a platform for clinical leadership and to intensify the focus on quality, help reduce inequalities in eye health and improve outcomes for patients. Through the involvement of professionals and being locally focused, I hope we will be able to encourage more joint working across the health service, influence the development of local services and help secure the integrated service delivery that is key to the NHS s ability to meet patient need. Local Eye Health Network (LEHN) what s in a name? It was recognized early on that Eye Health was unique in the respect that a uni professional Local Professional Network for eyes was not appropriate. Many different professionals input into patient s eye health including ophthalmologists, optometrists, orthoptists, public health, the voluntary sector and many others so the name was changed to Local Eye Health Network.

2 Local Professional Networks how they fit in with the wider NHS picture. The NHS through Securing Excellence in Primary Care (June 2012) committed to the development of Local Professional Networks (LPNs) for dentistry, pharmacy and eye health. Within the operating framework it is stated Local Professional Networks will: - Support the implementation of national strategy and policy at local level - Work with key stakeholders on the development and delivery of local priorities - Provide local clinical leadership. LPN s will demonstrate achievements in: - High quality care - Reducing service variation - Reducing inequalities Local Professional Networks are one part of a family of clinical networks supported by NHS England as recommended by the NHS Future Forum Clinical networks support local clinicians to deliver the NHS and Public Health outcomes framework. Local Professional Networks are a key part of providing sustainable leadership for the NHS and will work across the commissioning and provider services as a catalyst for change in the modernised NHS. Local Professional Networks are hosted and supported by the area teams of NHS England. All LPNs are represented through a national LPN Assembly in order to influence future policy change and improvements. The twice-yearly LPN Assembly supports work to shape a common national approach to LPN operation where beneficial, and providing an opportunity to share innovation. 2

3 The National LEHN Steering Group and LPN Assembly Following the LPN Assembly in March 2013, colleagues were asked to express an interest in being part of a national LPN steering group, to which there was an overwhelming response! On 30 May 2013 a teleconference took place with all interested parties to discuss taking forward the LPN agenda. As there were so many people wanting to be involved, the group agreed that three separate national LPN steering groups should be established. This would enable focus for each of the three areas: Dental, Eye Health and Pharmacy, whilst ensuring a strong link centrally to NHS England. Each steering group has developed their own Terms of Reference, ensuring consistency across all areas. The steering groups also act as reference groups to the Primary Care Oversight Group, which reports into the Directly Commissioned Services Committee, which is a Committee of NHS England Board (not a subcommittee) The LPN Assembly plays an important role in sharing learning across all three professional groups. It is held in March and September each year with an inaugural LEHN specific mini assembly in June this year. The LPN Assembly held in March 2014 saw the morning session with a number of speakers across the three LPN s followed by afternoon split into more specific workshops for each division where a number of aspects around the LEHN see workshop report on page 5. Atlas of Optical Variation Enhanced Eye Health Services in England LOCSU s Atlas of Optical Variation which depicts the provision of community eye care services across England, is a very useful tool for all emerging Local Eye Health Networks, CCGs and CSUs. LPN Leadership Dr David Geddes Head of Primary Care, NHS England Sue Pritchard Assistant Head of Primary Care & National LPN Lead, NHS England The map of enhanced services provides a bird s eye view to the state of community eye care in England specifically focusing on services that are delivered by community optometrists and opticians. Now reflecting the latest NHS changes that have resulted in CCGs taking over responsibility for community eye care services from the abolished PCTs, this map provides both eye health practitioners and commissioners with a clear picture of the numbers of services available in different parts of the country. 3

4 July 2013 saw the launch of Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning (CCEHC) as the national clinical voice for eye health in England. Bringing together the leading patient and professional bodies, it advises those in health care, social care and public health how to improve eye health. The CCEHC is led by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the College of Optometrists and has the following organisations as members: - The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services - British and Irish Orthoptic Society The Faculty of Public Health - The Local Optical Committee Support Unit (LOCSU) - The Optical Confederation - The Royal College of General Practitioners - The Royal College of Nursing - The Royal National Institute of Blind People - Vision 2020 UK Once fully established, the CCEHC will disseminate appropriate guidance and advice to LEHNs so that they can advise and influence local commissioners on important eye health issues. It is also intended that LEHNs will be able to request advice from the CCEHC on specific matters. Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning - Lorem Ipsum Since 2004, the Department of Health has been trying to encourage the delivery of more routine and minor emergency eye care outside hospital in community optical practices. The aim is to free up hospital capacity to cope with increasing demand from both the ageing population and new technologies e.g. wet AMD treatments. Throughout the UK, community optical practices are successfully and safely delivering local enhanced services in primary care with high levels of patient satisfaction, as part of local integrated pathways linking into secondary care as appropriate. LOCSU has developed a series of pathways for commissioners and Local Eye Health Networks to use entirely or as a basis when redesigning services locally. 4

5 The Local Eye Health Network (LEHN) A multidisciplinary group representing all who can jointly improve patient eye care. Eye Health Professionals can take a real lead in making change actually happen. Some Primary Functions of the Eye Health Network: How to join the network. We need your expression of interest to join the network and/ or the core group. Please your contact details to kirsty.shadbolt@nhs.net Work to improve access to sight tests for hard to reach groups Support Health and Wellbeing Boards with the development of Eye Health Needs assessments Focusing on redesigning and improving services. Why it is important for optometrists, ophthalmologists and all eye health professionals to join the network. The network will be both virtual and physical. The virtual network will pass information out electronically and allow new ideas and feedback to be shared and more importantly flowed back to the Area Team of NHS England. Secondly the network will have small standing committee with representatives from all sectors involved in eye health. Relevant working groups will be formed from the wider network to develop projects and areas of interest. Eye Health Workshop at the LPN Assembly March 2014 Colleagues were asked to complete a short questionnaire in order to compile a database of skills and expertise across Eye Health LPN Chairs Identified that most chairs only had between half and one day paid for by their area teams for LPN work and some regions would be further ahead than others. The four regions had a short group discussion on four key areas of work to integrate into their local two-year work plans. These were: Service integration around local patient needs Creating an eye health needs assessment and embedding this into each local health and wellbeing board Access to sight tests (GOS) for hard to reach groups Community (enhanced) ophthalmic services. 5

6 Call To Action inputting to the National Primary Care Strategy. The GP, Pharmacy and Dentistry Call to Action are all now completed and it is the turn of Eye Health. This is an amazing opportunity for our community of eye health professionals to come together and respond to the documentation when released and take part in a county based workshop meeting to be held in July. Your chance to have your say. Dates for the workshop: 1 July 2014 (Suffolk) 3 July 2014 (Norfolk) 15 July 2014 (Cambridgeshire & Peterborough) My View On a personal note I am delighted to have been elected to Chair the East Anglia LEHN and feel these are very exciting times I believe through this vehicle Eye Health is firmly on the agenda; we have sight loss as a public health indicator for the first time and we have recognised communication channels to the highest levels. We have the opportunity for primary and secondary care to work together to improve patient outcomes, treating patients appropriately closer to home, improving access and reducing inequality of care. As an optometrist I have been committed to quality clinical care throughout my career I have personally been a past AOP councilor and chair of Essex LOC along with other differing posts all directioned in improving patient eye care and pathways. East Anglia has the challenge of being very large geographically and previously divided into the three counties however with cohesion, co-operation and looking at newer ways of working and communicating it can be viewed as a powerful force if united in its direction. We are here for the patient and if their outcomes are demonstrably improved while we understand the very limited resources available the concept of LPN s and their value will be assured. I am looking forward to working with the CCG s hospital eye departments LOC s and all the eye care community over the next few months. Lyn Price Please me with your contact details and any thoughts or queries lyn.price4@nhs.co.uk