Agenda item

HELP US, HELP YOU PILOT (CCG)

Minutes:

Dr Angela Bhan, Borough Based Director – South East London Clinical Commissioning Group (SEL CCG) provided an update on the ‘Help Us, Help You’ pilot.

 

The Borough Based Director – SEL CCG informed Members that 'Help Us, Help You' was the term given to a way of using the NHS 111 service. It was noted that the service had previously been called 'Think 111', and its name was expected to change again. ‘Help Us, Help You’ was a new campaign by NHS England and NHS Improvement, geared around providing same day and emergency care.

 

As mentioned by the Site Chief Executive – PRUH and South Sites, the PRUH had recently been functioning incredibly well around the 4-hour target and there was an intention to not return to having crowded waiting rooms as this would help to manage patient flow. They were also conscious that a second wave of COVID-19 may occur at the same time as the worst winter pressures, and possibly an outbreak of flu. During this time, they would need to try and protect patients and staff and lower the potential risk of infection.

 

Attendances at the A&E department and the Urgent Care Centre (UCC), during the pandemic had been 35% lower than at January 2020. However, a gradual increase in attendances was starting to be seen, and there was a need to ensure that the right services were available in the right place, at the right time. The 'Help Us, Help You' campaign encouraged callers to ring 111 to be assessed by a clinician, and then directed to A&E or the UCC by appointment. It was emphasised that this service did not cover those that required help straight away, and they would need to dial 999. The 'Help Us, Help You' service was for people of low risk, assessing the right place for them to get treatment and, for those requiring it, an appointment would be booked at the site they needed to visit. For residents that were shielding, their information would be sent electronically to the UCC or A&E so they were aware if a patient was particularly vulnerable. There was also the potential to be booked to attend the Same Day Emergency Care Unit, which would offer diagnostic tests, and avoid the need to sit and wait in an A&E department. For patients experiencing a mental health crisis, there was also a pathway to improve access to mental health services. The other element of the 'Help Us, Help You' service was to book more patients in directly to appointments with their GP.

 

The pilot was not yet being run at the PRUH, but several pilots of the service were being run across South East London – Lewisham Hospital, King's College Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and a standalone treatment centre in Erith. It was noted that the pilots were on going, and it was likely to be an early rollout of what would be implemented. It was stressed that having direct bookings into a patient's GP surgery would help to improve access into primary care.

 

The Chairman thanked the Borough Based Director - SEL CCG for her update on the 'Help Us, Help You' service.