Hello, I’m Katherine Hickman, the Respiratory Programme Clinical Lead for our partnership.What else has been happening this week?
Lord Darzi's report on the state of the National Health Service in England
In July 2024, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care commissioned Lord Darzi to conduct an immediate and independent investigation of the NHS. Lord Darzi has now published his report, which provides an overview of the current performance of the NHS across England and the challenges facing healthcare systems across the country. The review includes particular focus on:
- patient access to healthcare
- the quality of healthcare being provided, and
- the overall performance of the health system
A number of core themes have emerged from the report, which can be summarised as follows:
Deterioration: The health of the nation has deteriorated over the past 15 years, with a substantial increase in the number of people living with multiple long-term conditions. Nationally, health inequalities are also heading in the wrong direction, and variable care quality and access links to this. There are a number of clear opportunities for ICSs to address the drivers of poor health and inequalities.
Spending: Too great a share of the NHS budget is being spent in hospitals, too little in the community, and productivity is too low. In addition, too much spending has been delivered with a short-term rationale. Capital investment has been particularly impacted, with around £37bn less invested when compared with similar countries.
Waiting times: Waiting lists have swelled and waiting times have surged, with queues in our Accident and Emergency departments more than doubling from an average of just under 40 people on a typical evening in April 2009 to over 100 in April 2024. 1 in 10 patients are now waiting for 12 hours or more. Mental health, ADHD and autism waiting lists are also soaring nationally, especially for young people. There has been some success seen in access to NHS Talking Therapies targets.
Cancer care: The UK has appreciably higher cancer mortality rates than other countries, with no progress whatsoever made in diagnosing cancer at stage one and two between 2013 and 2021.
Lasting damage: The Health and Social Care Act of 2012 did lasting damage to the management capacity and capability of the NHS. It took 10 years to return to a sensible structure, and the effects continue to be felt to this day.
Productivity: Too many resources have been poured into hospitals where productivity had substantially fallen, while too little has been spent in the community. A more efficient health system would contribute better to the economy and growth through supporting health and wellbeing, with over half current NHS waiting lists made up of working age adults. This links clearly to the fourth core purpose of ICBs.
Where this report provides an honest assessment on the state of the nation’s health and the health service, it also acknowledges working as integrated care systems to be positive and a significant opportunity. There is no appetite for further structural change. The focus on inequalities and tackling the determinants of health is clear in the report, with an acknowledgement that the current position has been driven by wider factors including a significant reduction in public health funding.
Overcoming the challenges across the country will take time. In West Yorkshire we have already made progress across a number of the themes highlighted in the report, with other transformational programmes and projects in the pipeline. The ways of working that we have built together is important on this journey. Our provider collaboratives are a vehicle to address waiting list issues and to improve productivity and efficiency in flow. Working across the ICB and wider ICS, we will continue to work on solutions across the breadth of pathways our patients and local communities interact with, and working as a health and care partnership, we will maintain our commitment to action on tackling inequalities and the determinants of health.
Over the coming weeks and months, as per all local healthcare systems, we must focus on and continue to do more to improve outcomes and experiences for our local populations, in line with our ten big ambitions.
New senior Department of Health and Social Care role for Tom Riordan
Message from Rob Webster CBE, Chief Executive, NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
I am delighted that Tom Riordan, former Leeds City Council Chief Executive and Local Authority (LA) Partner Member on our Board has this week been appointed as Department of Health and Social Care Second Permanent Secretary
Tom has been Chief Executive of Leeds City Council for the last 14 years, developing the Strategy to make Leeds the Best City in the UK, a Child Friendly City and a City of Sanctuary. He has also worked to ensure that we join up care around the needs of our residents. I have worked with Tom since 2011, and his ambition and energy have always been driven by a clear set of values and aspirations for local people and for our staff. He has always brought this to the work of the health and care partnership, and since 2016 has played a key role in the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) and Integrated Care System (ICS). His work and support during the pandemic was vital to the people of Leeds and West Yorkshire. In 2022, when we became a statutory body, he took up the LA lead role on the Board.
Tom will leave an extremely strong legacy and plans are afoot to recruit into Tom’s role at Leeds City Council. We welcome Mariana Pexton as the interim Chief Executive from late September. For our Board, we are in the process of appointing an Interim Partner Member: Local Authorities and I hope to be able to confirm who this will be before our next Board meeting and Annual General Meeting, which takes place in public on 24 September 2024.
I will miss Tom’s significant contribution, but note that his role will be partly based in Leeds. Given the need to align the work of national, regional and local bodies, I am sure he will continue to be part of all of our lives.
Please join me in wishing Tom all the very best in his new role and thanking him for his powerful leadership and focus on addressing health inequalities and breaking down barriers to improve health and care for all.
With best wishes,
Rob
New West Yorkshire ICB directors appointed in Bradford District and Craven
Following a robust recruitment process involving colleagues and partners from across Bradford District and Craven, two director level appointments have been made for the place-based senior leadership team for NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Helen Farmer, currently priority director for our place-based partnership’s access to care priority, has been appointed to the role of Director of System Transformation. Matt Sandford, who has held a number of senior leader roles in health transformation most recently in South Yorkshire, has been appointed to the role of Director of Partnership and Place. These roles will form part of the senior leadership team for the place-based ICB and will contribute to our wider vision for our Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership. Helen starts on Monday 16 September and Matt is starting on Tuesday 17 September.
Our Director of System Transformation role has been vacant following Louise Clarke’s decision to leave our organisation in June 2024. The Director of Partnership and Place, which will also have responsibility as our deputy place lead for Therese Patten, has been recruited to following Nancy O’Neill’s decision to retire at the end of September 2024.
2024 Parliamentary Awards shortlist announced
The NHS Parliamentary Awards recognise the outstanding contribution of NHS staff, volunteers and other health and care sectors, giving members of parliament the chance to showcase the amazing people working in their constituency in the healthcare profession.
This year, two West Yorkshire teams have been recognised. Congratulations to all involved and we wish them the best of luck in the finals.
- Leeds multiple pregnancy specialist midwifery service: Laura Jones and Nicky Nicholson are specialist multiple pregnancy midwives providing individualised care to patients pregnant with a multiple pregnancy. This service covers both the antenatal and postnatal period. The team prides itself on giving patients continuity, expert care and support during their high-risk pregnancies, and they receive lots of positive feedback about the care we give.
Proactive Care Team, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust. The Proactive care team are a multidisciplinary team working to reduce health inequalities within the most deprived areas of Bradford. Adopting a co-ordinated proactive approach through case finding, self-referral and community engagement this model has demonstrated a 41% reduction for this cohort of patients visiting A & E.
Wakefield peer support worker shortlisted for Community Foundation Wakefield District Unsung Hero Award
Catherine Horbury, Peer Support Worker at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, has been shortlisted for a local unsung hero award. Catherine has lived experience of a learning disability and uses her experience to support others living with learning disabilities and autism. She is an advocate for people with Down's syndrome, whether through her job or via her volunteer roles in the local community, including her role as co-chair of the Patient Experience Group (PEG).
The awards aim to shine a spotlight on exceptional people from across the Wakefield District with the 10 shortlisted nominees described as the often-unrecognised backbone of our communities. These awards are an opportunity to recognise and celebrate them and everything they give to Wakefield.
The winner is selected by a public vote, you can vote for your unsung hero on the Community Foundation Wakefield District website. The winner will be revealed at an award ceremony at Wakefield Cathedral on 11 October.
Local primary care networks make shortlist for General Practice Awards
Congratulations to Modality Partnership AWC and WACA Primary Care Networks for making the shortlist for this year’s General Practice Awards. They have been shortlisted in the 'Clinical Improvement Award: Mental Health' category for their work on the community mental health transformation project.
This is an innovative project transforming local mental health care for patients, involving a partnership between two GP primary care networks (Modality AWC and WACA), two community partners (Pioneer Projects and Keighley Healthy Living), the local care trust (Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust) and 25 local community organisations. We’d also like to say good luck to our West Yorkshire Primary Care Workforce and Training Hub who have two entries shortlisted in the HCP Education Programme/Provider of the Year. The awards take place on Friday 6 December, you can see the full shortlist on the GP Practice Awards website.
Leeds Children’s Hospital turn health education into a day out for families at ‘Super Saturday’ event in Kirkgate Market
Leeds Children’s Hospital brought health education to families with a 'Super Saturday' event at Kirkgate Market on Saturday 7 September. This fun-filled day, supported by Leeds Hospitals Charity, featured interactive activities focusing on asthma, diabetes, dental health, and weight management. Highlights included a Teddy Bears’ Picnic themed around type 1 diabetes, inhaler cover design workshops, sugar cube guessing games, and an oral health photo booth. The event supported the NHS Core20PLUS5 initiative, aiming to improve healthcare access and education for vulnerable populations. By engaging directly with families in an accessible setting, Leeds Children’s Hospital hoped to enhance understanding and management of key health issues, reducing healthcare inequalities, and improving local child health services. Read the full story on the Leeds Children’s Hospital website.
ICB placement strategy published
As outlined in the Long-Term Workforce plan, the need to expand the health and care workforce is of paramount importance to patient care. Furthermore, the requirement for innovation to create, attract and retain a confident future workforce has also never been more essential.
To support this work, the ICB has just published a new placement strategy. You can find out more on the Partnership website.
New statutory medical examiner system
A new statutory medical examiner system came into effect on 9 September to provide independent scrutiny of all deaths in England and Wales. Updated information and FAQs are available on the Partnership website.
New report published into the lessons from the health care response to the Grenfell Tower fire
Rob Webster, Chief Executive of the ICB and lead Chief Executive for the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, spoke at an event on Monday 9 September to launch a new report by the King’s Fund about the health care response to the Grenfell Tower fire. The report examines the health and care response to the disaster, how survivors, bereaved families and wider communities stepped in to make their voices heard, and the lessons health and care services across the country can learn.
Know your numbers and take control of your health
This last week (2-8 September) we’ve been supporting Know Your Numbers Week - a global campaign to raise awareness about the importance of checking your blood pressure, especially for those who are aged 40 or over.
Together with our partners, including the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network, University of Huddersfield, local rugby clubs and communities most at risk, we are working together to encourage more people to take the opportunity to know their numbers. Events across West Yorkshire included hub sessions at The Ridings in Wakefield, foyer stand at Halifax’s Elsie Whiteley Centre, staff blood pressure checks for 60 Leeds Council colleagues and a drop-in event hosted by Halifax Central Initiative where over 30 residents dropped in to take part and get checked out.
See our news release for more information and if you missed it, check out Amanda Smith’s blog in last week’s update (6 September).
North East and Yorkshire Greener NHS Month
In week two of the North East and Yorkshire’s Greener NHS Month, the focus was on estates and facilities. The goal is to lower the NHS's carbon footprint through energy-efficient upgrades, optimised care locations, and investments in renewable energy. These measures not only cut emissions but also reduce operational costs, benefiting both the NHS and the environment.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has taken a big step forward to achieving its net-zero targets with the installation of solar photovoltaic canopy over the car park of its Wharfedale Hospital site. The 617 solar panels will reduce carbon emissions by 43.7 tonnes per year and save the Trust £75,000 annually. And Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has implemented solar energy systems across its facilities, including the Bradford Royal Infirmary. The adoption of solar power is part of the trusts broader strategies to reduce carbon footprint and operational costs.
Small changes, like taking the stairs instead of the lift, if you are able to, can all help to reduce energy use. For more information on sustainability efforts across the region, visit NHS England North East and Yorkshire – Greener NHS webpage.
Next week is all about emphasising the importance of clean air for patient and staff health, integrating electric vehicles, clean air zones, and renewable energy.