This initiative is provided in conjunction with Pathways Community Interest Company, a third sector organisation, and covers the whole of the South Cheshire and Vale Royal GP Alliance.
The programme is designed as a single point of access service to wider community provision to support patient’s wellbeing where the issues are of a non-medical nature e.g. social isolation, financial difficulties, housing concerns etc.
GP Practices can refer to this service where patients are assigned an individual case manager who will provide tailored support dependent on their needs, working with the patient to improve their health and wellbeing. Patients can also self-refer.
This service benefits patients as it assists them in focussing on the root cause problem which may previously have resulted in the use of medication at times when people are feeling low and depressed.
Howbeck Healthcare worked in partnership with North Staffordshire GP Federation to successfully secure a bid for funding from NHS England to support practices to appoint clinical pharmacists to work in General Practice.
In May 2016, four clinical pharmacists have successfully been appointed to work across 5 GP Practices in North Staffordshire.
Practices in North Staffordshire who have benefited from the appointment of clinical pharmacists are:
This project has helped practices to:
The GP Careers Plus is a national NHS England-led 12 month pilot project for GPs who are looking to retire, or have announced their retirement to their practice, or who may be thinking about leaving the profession.
Howbeck Healthcare, in partnership with two of its Federations; North Staffordshire GP Federation and South Cheshire and Vale Royal GP Alliance successfully secured bids to become pilot sites. There are 11 pilot sites across the country.
Each Federation worked with interested GPs to develop a local scheme that is flexible and retains GPs to work locally in their geographical area.
This project helps practices to
Howbeck Healthcare has worked in partnership with two of its Federations, South Cheshire & Vale Royal GP Alliance and North Staffordshire GP Federation and Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit to design a local GP Locum Bank to fulfil the needs of GP Practices to fill locum sessions.
The GP Locum Bank has been created as follows: https://www.findmealocum.co.uk and launched in January 2018.
Our vision primarily is to develop a local GP Locum Bank to support GP Practices to secure locum sessions to fulfil their needs along with building a supply of high calibre available GP locums.
This project has helped practices to:
Howbeck Healthcare has launched a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian Role which has been commissioned by three Federations across North Staffordshire, South Cheshire and Vale Royal and East Staffordshire. Over 100 GP practices have signed up to receive this service initially up to the 31st March 2018. Tina Cookson has commenced in the role of Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, supported by a small team, and will support practices in ensuring the appropriate policies and processes are in place to ensure compliance with the NHS England and CQC requirements.
Tina worked in the NHS for over 34 years; 13 at an Executive Director level and has worked with Howbeck Healthcare since April 2016. Tina is a Registered Nurse and has received training in Freedom to Speak Up / Whistleblowing.