Your healthcare in Alnwick & Rothbury

Transcription

1 6 Your healthcare in Alnwick & Rothbury INSIDE Your views wanted Page 3 New lease of life after new knee Page 4 Pioneering partnership for practice Page 5 Thanks for dream Hillcrest birth Page 6 Become a public governor Page 7 Connect with us

2 6 2 Your services in Alnwick Infirmary Minor injuries unit for walkin patients with a variety of urgent but non-life threatening conditions. Planned and on-going care and rehabilitation including: l Diabetes care l Diagnostic tests (x-rays and scans) l Elderly care l End of life care l Maternity services (Hillcrest) - midwifery-led unit for deliveries, pregnancy and ante-natal care l Oncology (cancer) treatment l Outpatient clinics in a range of conditions l Surgery day-case operations and procedures l Therapies including physio, occupational and speech and language In a year, Alnwick Infirmary: l Sees around 11,300 people in outpatient clinics l Treats more than 9,000 people in the minor injuries unit l Performs more than 600 oncology (cancer) treatments l Cares for more than 900 people on the ward l Carries out around 1,800 day-case procedures l Delivers around 40 babies l Performs more than 8,500 diagnostic tests (x-rays and scans) Your services in Rothbury Community Hospital l Community and outpatient clinics including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, child health and maternity l GP clinics run by The Rothbury Practice for complex conditions and diabetes In a year, more than 1,000 appointments are held. Community services in Northumberland l Community nursing l End of life care l Health promotion l Health visiting l Podiatry l Reablement and rehabilitation services including equipment and wheelchairs l School nursing l Sexual health l Specialist nursing services l Therapies including physiotherapy, occupational and speech and language Joining up care from hospital to home Welcome to this supplement all about services provided by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in the Alnwick and Rothbury areas. Our dedicated teams deliver patient-centred care from Alnwick Infirmary, Rothbury Community Hospital, multiple community venues and in people s own homes. Our specialist teams also look after emergency patients who are very seriously ill or injured at The Northumbria hospital Working closely with a wide range of partners, we pride ourselves in providing care that is joined up to ensure our patients have a smooth transition back home after a stay in one of our hospitals and the best possible experience of care. We are extremely proud that we are recognised nationally for our high levels of integration, working across traditional organisational boundaries to deliver the best outcomes for the people we look after. This does not happen in many other parts of the UK and has taken many years of building strong relationships to achieve. But we don t want to stop there. Over the past two years we ve been working even more closely with health and care partners in Northumberland as part of being chosen as a national vanguard site. You may have heard that we are all working together to create an Accountable Care Organisation later this year which will help us to better co-ordinate care, make sure patient and carer experiences are as seamless as possible, and we support people to stay healthy and well. In this supplement, we focus on the many community and outpatient clinics that take place at Rothbury Community Hospital and give details of how you can give your views on how services can be provided from the village in the future. We feature the first baby born using our temporary on-call arrangements in place at Hillcrest and tell how the revamped conservatory at Alnwick s oncology unit is being well used. We tell of exciting developments for people accessing their GP thanks to a pioneering new partnership for the practice in Rothbury and a new appointment system in Alnwick. We share one Rothbury woman s experiences of having her knee replacement at our new centre of excellence for orthopaedic care at Wansbeck General Hospital and the support she received back home. We also let you know that in March we will be giving you the opportunity to put yourself forward to be a public governor of our trust to represent the views of communities and help shape local services. Finally we give advice on how to look after yourself well this winter and remind you of your responsibility to use services wisely, keeping The Northumbria hospital free for serious and life threatening emergencies. Tom sings the praises of Rothbury s community clinics Tom Snaith and community nurse Lauren Cockburn in the wound clinic at Rothbury Community Hospital. What Alnwick Infirmary patients say: They really are angels. Nothing is a bother to them. There is nothing I can think of that they can improve on this ward. 10/10 or gold medals, whichever one is the highest praise! The team here are great. I couldn t be in better hands. Impressed with the day surgery unit facilities, and the care and professional treatment I was afforded. A retired farmer is one local resident who is benefitting from being able to receive care closer to home at Rothbury Community Hospital. Tom Snaith, 82, attends the wound clinic run by the community nurses at the hospital twice a week to get a dressing changed. The wound is a result of him developing the skin infection cellulitis last autumn. Tom also attends the warfarin outpatient clinic at the hospital every fortnight to monitor the medication he is taking to stop his blood clotting. These clinics are just two we provide from our hospital in Rothbury. Some of our other clinics include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, child health and maternity with over 1,000 appointments held in 2015/16. The community paramedic service is also based at the hospital. Grandfather Tom said: The care is wonderful, we couldn t ask for anything more and the nurses are fabulous. It s amazing the number 98% of patients would recommend their care on Ward 1 to their family and friends 100% said they were treated with respect and dignity 100% said they were treated with kindness and compassion of clinics that are held in the hospital. We tell people we go to Rothbury hospital and people don t realise what goes on there. Tom s wife Audrey, 80, has also attended the clinic in the past and is full of praise for the service. Community nurse Lauren Cockburn said: Having had a spell in hospital with his cellulitis, our team in Rothbury have been able to support Tom and ensure his ongoing care needs are fully catered for locally in the community. This saves him from travelling out of the area for follow-up appointments and our amazing facility in Rothbury is a valuable community resource and one which we all want to see maximised in the future. This is a perfect example of how providing clinics from our community hospital in Rothbury is benefitting local people. We would certainly welcome views from local people as to what else we might be able to provide locally to prevent people travelling for appointments further afield and encourage residents to take part in the public consultation.

3 <%!A>, <%!B> <%D>, <%Y> <%z> <%E> 7 3 Your views wanted on services at Rothbury Members of the public are being invited to give their views on a proposal to permanently close the 12-bed inpatient ward at Rothbury Community Hospital and shape existing services around a Health and Wellbeing Centre on the hospital site. NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is currently running a consultation which lasts until 25 April A Health and Wellbeing Centre at the hospital could include the relocation of the GP practice, more physiotherapy services and more outpatient clinics including the possibility of using video links so that patients can stay in Rothbury for local appointments, using technology to have consultations with specialists based outside of the village. Proposed changes at Rothbury Community Hospital Public consultation Your views are important Full details, including how people can comment, are available in the consultation document and a summary leaflet which have been widely shared in Rothbury and surrounding area and are also available at www. northumberlandccg.nhs.uk/getinvolved/rchconsultation. Dr Alistair Blair, clinical chair at the CCG, said: We recognise how much people have valued the inpatient care at the hospital over the years but we have seen advances in healthcare which mean people are spending much less time in hospital. Following joint replacements and treatments for stroke, heart and respiratory conditions, patients are often discharged home within a few 31 January - 25 April 2017 People are being urged to give their views on a proposal to permanently close the inpatient ward at Rothbury Community Hospital. days, with support if needed. Years ago they would have been in hospital for a couple of weeks or more and community hospital beds would have been used to ease their transition home. We know that much more support is now provided in the community and that in particular, more frail older people receive care at home to help them to stay well and independent. So they only go into hospital for an overnight stay if the care they need can t be provided in their own home. He continued: We considered whether it would be possible to use the beds to provide a mix of care as people have said they would like respite and end of life care provided at the hospital. First of all, respite care is not funded by the NHS and we would need to find an organisation outside the NHS willing to provide this. But even if the whole ward was used for respite care it is unlikely that a provider would able to fill all 12 beds with people from the local area and it would therefore be neither economically viable or sustainable. In terms of end of life care, only a small number of people have actually died in the hospital over recent years, as much more care is provided to support people to die at home if that is their wish. However, we look forward to hearing from people during the consultation about how they think these types of end of life care could be provided in the community. Dr Blair added: We feel there are real opportunities to talk to local people about how we can shape existing services around a Health and Wellbeing Centre at the hospital which could provide benefits for many people for example including the relocation of the GP practice, more physiotherapy and more outpatient appointments. The inpatient ward at Rothbury Community Hospital has been suspended for operational reasons since September 2016 when a review was started to consider how beds were being used. This showed that during 2015/16 on average only half of the beds were occupied, which is partly due to medical advances which mean that people now spend much less time in hospital following an operation or treatment for an illness or injury. 0The review also showed that much more support is now being provided to support people in their own homes. Since then, the CCG has been considering future options for the much-valued community hospital site. This has included consideration of feedback received from local people during autumn 2016 about how services can be optimised for the future, and will now include all feedback as part of the public consultation process. Make sure you have your say You can comment in a number of ways: l Complete the survey online at www. northumberlandccg. nhs.uk/get-involved/ RCHconsultation. Hard copies are available on request by using the contact details below. l By ing norccg. enquiries@nhs.net l By calling l By writing to Rothbury Community Hospital Consultation, NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group, County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 2EF l By attending one of six public events (two public meetings and four dropin sessions) being held: The two public meetings will take place: l Thursday 16 February, 2pm 4pm at Jubilee Hall, Bridge Street, Rothbury l Thursday 30 March, 6.30pm 8.30pm at Jubilee Hall, Bridge Street, Rothbury The four drop-in sessions will take place: l Saturday 4 March, 10am noon at the Simonside Room, Jubilee Hall, Bridge Street, Rothbury l Monday 13 March, 4pm 6pm at the Group Room, Rothbury Community Hospital, Whitton Bank Road, Rothbury l Tuesday 21 March, 6pm 8pm at the Group Room, Rothbury Community Hospital, Whitton Bank Road, Rothbury l Wednesday 5 April, 2pm 4pm at the Simonside Room, Jubilee Hall, Bridge Street Rothbury The CCG has also asked Healthwatch Northumberland to facilitate some discussions with older people.

4 6 Thursday, September 15, Averil s new lease of life thanks to new knee A Rothbury grandmother has been given a new lease of life after having a knee replacement at Wansbeck General Hospital. Over the last few years, the pain in Averil Fendley s right knee has increasingly restricted what she has been able to do and, having lost her husband a year ago, she needs to be as active and independent as possible. After visiting her GP, she had an outpatient appointment with one of our specialists at Alnwick Infirmary and her operation took place in January 2017 at Wansbeck s new centre of excellence for planned orthopaedic care. Averil said: Like anybody, I was apprehensive about the operation however from start to finish it has been very streamlined. I was kept informed throughout, every need I had was immediately met and the staff made it as easy as possible. It really has been an excellent experience and I m looking forward to doing all the things I ve struggled to do of late. After her operation Averil was discharged straight home with nurses visiting her to support her rehabilitation and she has been back to Alnwick Infirmary for physiotherapy. It was great to be back in my own bed so soon after the operation and the aftercare support I ve had at home has been fantastic, she said. Since transforming emergency care with the opening of The Northumbria hospital in summer 2015, Wansbeck General Hospital has become dedicated to providing planned and ongoing care. This means there is no interruption from emergency patients for those people who are already booked for an operation or procedure. It also means we ve been able to improve the environment for patients, with more space to develop services, improve privacy and dignity and enhance the overall experience for our patients coming in for planned care. Our centre of excellence for planned orthopaedic care which is run by our amazing team of nurses opened last year. It is at the cutting edge of orthopaedic care and means anyone choosing Wansbeck for planned operations will experience the very best in the NHS in very comfortable and relaxing surroundings. The centre also includes a new state-of-the-art enhanced recovery unit for patients who have more complex procedures and those who need more intensive post-operative care. Heather Lawson, matron for orthopaedics, said: We re very proud of the fantastic new facilities at Wansbeck and have had amazing feedback from patients. The new unit builds on Northumbria s strong reputation across the region for being at the forefront of orthopaedic care. For many years, we ve pushed the boundaries to provide even better care for our patients, pioneering fast-track techniques to reduce patients length of stay, using advanced techniques to increase the number of procedures able to be carried out as day-cases and, above all, improving patients experiences. It s great to hear of Averil s positive experience with us and the fact that some of her care was able to be carried out closer to home at Alnwick Infirmary and in her own home. Do you need a new hip or knee? Ask your GP about being referred to Wansbeck hospital for planned orthopaedic care. Averil Fendley back at home after having her knee replacement at Wansbeck hospital s centre of excellence for orthopaedics. Cosy new conservatory is home comfort for patients The revamped conservatory at Alnwick s oncology unit. A revamped conservatory at Alnwick s oncology unit is proving to be a welcome addition for patients and their families. Last year the space at Alnwick Infirmary was completely transformed to create a relaxing social area. With a new roof and refurbished to include a small kitchen, lounge seating area and outdoor patio, the conservatory was designed to provide space to enable patients attending the hospital for cancer treatment and their families to take time out of the clinical environment. Over the last few months, the area has been extensively used and every week since mid-january it hosts a dropin support session for people affected by cancer and other life-limiting illnesses. Running every Monday from 10am to 1pm, the free session provides information and emotional support and signposts people to other support groups and events. The support is offered by the Northumberland Macmillan Support Service, provided by Northumbria Healthcare with funding from Macmillan Cancer Support. Lead Lisa Johnstone said: The sessions in Alnwick build on the success of drop-ins we already run in Ashington and North Tyneside and have been well supported. They give people aged over 18 affected by cancer and other life-limiting illnesses in Alnwick and surrounding areas, an opportunity to find out more about the help and support available in their community. It s also a good chance for people to meet others who are going through similar situations to them and share experiences, with many finding comfort in knowing that they re not going through it on their own. No appointment is needed with people being able to drop in at any time between 10am and 1pm on a Monday. The work on the conservatory was possible due to Emma and Pamela Sutton, from Rothbury, who raised more than 23,000 with support from local businesses and their county councillor Steven Bridgett. After her mother Pamela was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in September 2014, Emma, 27, decided to raise money for the unit to say thank you for the care her mother had received. Back then, the unit at Alnwick had only recently opened, enabling local patients to receive chemotherapy or supportive treatments closer to home for the first time. Now the unit treats patients two days per week and, thanks to the new conservatory, is to offer new services such as complementary therapies and hair loss treatments. For more information about the weekly drop-ins, contact Northumberland Macmillan Support Services on

5 <%!A>, <%!B> <%D>, <%Y> <%z> <%E> 7 5 More patients to benefit from new GP appointment system More patients in Alnwick are set to benefit from a new GP appointment system which is already helping people get access to healthcare advice quicker than ever before. Following the successful introduction of the telephone and online booking system at The Bondgate Practice last summer, Infirmary Drive Medical Group also introduced it on 6 February The new system at Bondgate, introduced after listening to feedback from patients, led to a dramatic improvement in the number of patients getting access to appointments and advice on the same day. In the first few months since it was introduced at Bondgate, the new system meant that 100 per cent of patients were able to get the advice they need, on the same day, from a GP, practice nurse or pharmacist working within the practice. Around 70 per cent of Bondgate patients have their clinical needs met by speaking directly with a GP or other health professional over the phone, on the same day, with no need to come into the practice. Around 30 per cent of patients who need same-day advice still need a face-to-face appointment with a GP due to the complex nature of their problem and, since introducing the new model, they are also getting same-day access. The new system has also helped to drastically reduce the number of patients failing to attend their appointment. Historically the practice would have between 120 and 150 missed appointments every month, but with appointments now being arranged on the day a patient wishes to be seen, there are, perhaps, only one or two per month which are missed. The appointment booking system works by patients simply calling their GP practice on the day that they need a consultation, or using The reception team at The Bondgate Practice in Alnwick, left to right, Doreen Marshall, Leah Scott, Craig McDonald and Laura Jenkins. the online booking system to request a doctor to call them back. GPs will talk directly with each patient over the phone and are therefore much better able to judge how much time may be needed to support the problem and, equally, who is the most appropriate health professional to meet their needs. Thanks to the new way of booking appointments, the Bondgate Practice has also been able to make much more efficient use of doctors time. A daily meeting now takes place and is attended by community nurses, the practice pharmacist and associated practice staff, in order to review and proactively plan care for patients who may have a greater need, or have recently returned from hospital. A video link also enables GPs based at other surgeries to attend as well. Dr Graham Syers, a GP at the Bondgate Practice in Alnwick, said: Since introducing telephone consultation as an option we have seen a huge difference in our ability to meet everyone s needs on the same day, with the majority of people now more than satisfied by speaking to a GP over the phone, or by having their treatment needs met by our other highlyexperienced practice staff. Our drive is always thinking about how we can deliver the very best care to as many of our patients as possible. Time is a very precious commodity in today s busy NHS and this new appointment system means, as GPs, more of our time is now freed up to spend with those who have much more complex care needs. The feedback we ve had from patients has been excellent and due to its success we re delighted that it has been rolled out at Infirmary Drive and look forward to it benefitting many more patients in Alnwick. Improving patient access to GP appointments in Northumberland is part of a wider vanguard programme of work, involving all 44 GP practices, to create a more joined-up health and care system where patients have quick and easy access to the help they need, at the right time and in the right place. Many other GP practices are also adopting telephone consulting systems to help meet the huge increase in demand from patients. Alnwick s two GP practices have been working closer than ever and together they have five surgeries in Alnwick, Seahouses, Embleton and Longhoughton with around 18,000 patients and covering about 300 square miles. New partnership for Rothbury Practice Dr Georgina Morgan, one of the GP partners at The Rothbury Practice. Patients at The Rothbury Practice are set to benefit from a pioneering new partnership between the practice and Northumbria Primary Care Ltd (NPC). On 1 February 2017, the practice joined NPC which provides professional support services to primary care and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Georgina Morgan, one of the GP partners at The Rothbury Practice, explains what this means for patients: We re really excited to be working in partnership with Northumbria Primary Care which we believe will bring many positive benefits for our patients. Over the coming year we are aiming to offer more appointment slots and provide care from a broader, highlyskilled, clinical team which will include nurse practitioners and clinical pharmacists, as well as GPs. With the support of NPC, it means that as GPs we will be relieved of the business responsibility of running the practice and can really focus our time and expertise where it matters most - on providing and developing high quality clinical services. As a practice we ve worked very hard to deliver high quality, effective services in the local community, and in 2016 the practice was rated as good by the Care Quality Commission. By joining NPC we know we will be able to continue to build on this and improve our services even further for patients. Working with NPC will also allow us to strategically develop the way GP services are run in Rothbury and the surrounding area and ensure they are sustainable in the future, something we are very passionate about at the practice. General practice is facing many challenges within the NHS and we believe that embracing change and seeking out new opportunities to work within a larger organisation of practices with NPC will safeguard the future of high quality primary care in the Coquet Valley.

6 6 6 Sumoy thanks midwives for dream Hillcrest birth An Alnwick woman who had a dream birth at Hillcrest has returned to the unit to meet the midwives who delivered her baby boy. Sumoy Ward and partner Andrew Duran wanted to personally thank midwives Karen Carstairs and Paula Thomas for the safe delivery of baby Torin in the early hours of Monday 19 December Sumoy was the first woman to make use of the overnight on-call system for deliveries which was put in place temporality in November 2016 in the wake of staff shortages. It mirrors the on-call system which has operated successfully in the Berwick area since And Sumoy, 26, said the system worked perfectly, she had the water birth she planned and she would not hesitate recommending the unit to anyone. Deciding to have my baby at Hillcrest was the best decision I ve ever made, said Sumoy, also mum to Osian, who s almost two. I was really impressed. There was such a relaxed atmosphere, the midwives were great and I d give it 10 out of 10. I would say to any woman from the Alnwick area who is expected to have a low-risk delivery to have their baby at Hillcrest. I couldn t be more pleased that I did it was a dream birth. And dad Andrew praised the experience too. I was involved throughout and the team couldn t do enough for us, it was wonderful. Janice McNichol, head of midwifery at Northumbria Healthcare, said: We were delighted to welcome Sumoy and her family back into the unit and we re pleased to hear that our temporary on-call arrangements are working well. Sumoy Ward, baby Torin, partner Andrew Duran and son Osian meet midwives Karen Carstairs and Paula Thomas at Hillcrest. Hillcrest, and all our midwiferyled units, offer families a homefrom-home birthing experience and it s excellent to hear of Sumoy s positive experience. We d happily show any woman thinking of having their baby at Hillcrest around please speak to your community midwife or ring the team directly. The temporary overnight on-call arrangements at Alnwick are still in place as we continue our extensive recruitment efforts to fill current vacancies. Since the temporary arrangements have been in place, five women have delivered at Hillcrest, four using the on-call system. We will continue to keep everyone up-to-date as the situation changes. Ring Hillcrest on to arrange a visit Join us at the Elderberries Clinic Cafe Through our Ageing Well Northumberland programme, we ve teamed up with the Elderberries Clinic Café Project at the Alnwick Garden to host a number of drop-in sessions for older people throughout Each session will have a health focus offering practical information from healthcare professionals. Most importantly, though, our aim is to bring people together to enjoy life and build a community which supports and values the contribution made by older people in our communities every day. We ll love you to join us at the Stuart Halbert drop-in centre at the Alnwick Garden, the second Tuesday in March, May, July, September and November between 2pm and 3.30pm. All sessions are dementiafriendly and the venue is wheelchair accessible. Michele O Brien, coordinator of Ageing Well Northumberland, said: The information sessions are a good opportunity for people to get together, enjoy some refreshments while talking about their experiences and ambitions for the future. Everyone is welcome, including family and friends of older people, and we can arrange transport to and from the sessions if needed and would encourage people to get in touch on We re really looking forward to the next session in March. Ageing Well Northumberland, delivered in partnership between Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Northumberland County Council, is a positive approach to planning and working with local people to ensure Northumberland is a good place to grow older. It seeks to promote the health and wellbeing of older people within their local communities while also valuing the skills, experience and energy people offer.

7 <%!A>, <%!B> <%D>, <%Y> <%z> <%E> 7 7 Play your part in helping the NHS Winter is the busiest time for the NHS and we want you to help us by looking after yourself well. We re supporting the NHS national Stay Well This Winter campaign to help everyone, particularly those with longterm conditions and those over 65, be prepared for the cold weather and common winter illnesses. Cold weather can be very harmful and it s important to heed the following advice: l Keep warm both inside and outdoors as it can help to prevent colds, flu and more serious health problems, such as heart attacks, strokes and pneumonia. l If you feel unwell, or at the first sign of a cough or a cold, seek help from your pharmacist before it gets more serious. Speak to them about medicines you should have at home to help get you and your family through the winter season. l Common winter illnesses are best looked after at home with over-the-counter medication, plenty of fluids, rest and recuperation. If you have symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea, please do not come into hospital to visit loved ones until you have been symptomfree for 48 hours as these can easily spread. l Remember your GP can treat the majority of healthcare needs and are the first point of contact for most medical problems for you and your family. l NHS 111 is available 24/7 for urgent medical advice including out-of-hours GP services and will direct you to the most appropriate service in your area for the severity of your condition. If it s a minor injury or illness, this may be our nurseled service at Alnwick. l Only use The Northumbria hospital and 999 for serious emergencies these need to be kept free for those who need them most Annaluisa Wood, matron for Alnwick Infirmary, said: This winter has been extremely busy for the whole NHS and we d urge you to follow this advice in order to look after yourself well. We d also like to remind you that most common winter ailments can be effectively treated at home, with advice from a pharmacist, or GP if required, and don t need a visit to hospital. If you do need urgent help, please make use of the NHS 111 service which will direct you to the best-suited service in your area. For more information visit or www. northumbria.nhs.uk Emergency nurse practitioners Anne Spours (left) and Sonia Arkle in the minor injuries unit at Alnwick Infirmary. Get involved and become a public governor Are you as passionate as we are about local health and care services? Could you contribute time, experience and expertise to help us develop local services fit for the future? If so, we d like to hear from you. We re giving people in north Northumberland the opportunity to put themselves forward to become public governors of our trust. For our Berwick constituency area, which covers Alnwick and Rothbury, we are seeking four people to represent the views of residents and help build links with the communities we serve. This year nominations for candidates will open on 13 March and close on 10 April and successful candidates will start their term of office on 1 August for three years. Alan Richardson, chair of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: Our public governors are the voice of local people and play a hugely important role in our organisation. They forge links with the many local communities we serve and help us to shape our priorities and develop local services. We d urge anyone with an interest in healthcare to get involved and give our foundation team a ring on to find out more about the role. Our Berwick constituency has a total of six public governor positions. Four local people are currently elected. You can contact your public governors via or governors@northumbria.nhs.uk Do you know your public governors? Your public governors Barry Allison Barry has a background in primary care as a pharmacist and senior store manager and a training and development officer with a large multi-national company. He has been a governor for two Berwick schools. Andrew Gray Andrew has a lifetime of academic and practical involvement in health/ social care services, particularly in the care of people with long-term conditions. He is a former vice-chair of two primary care trusts in County Durham. Peter Herdman Peter is involved in a number of local groups including cancer research, the League of Friends of Berwick Infirmary and Berwick Community Hospital Committee and is a member of his GP practice patient panel. Linda Pepper Linda has vast experience in the public sector and has helped facilitate patient and public involvement in the NHS nationally and locally. She is a member of her GP practice patient panel. To put yourself forward as a public governor, you will first need to register as a member of our trust. To find out how to do this visit: www. northumbria. nhs.uk/members and complete the online application form or call the foundation membership team on

8 6 Help us to help you Practise good self-care keep a well-stocked medicines cabinet at home and treat a large range of common winter conditions without needing to use the NHS. Ask a pharmacist they re highly-trained health experts on everything from colds to long-term conditions. Contact your GP many GPs can offer advice over the phone and can arrange referral to a hospital specialist if you need it. Call NHS /7 if you need medical help fast, but it s not life threatening or you re not sure where to go, a 111 advisor will assess you and direct you to the best-placed service in your area. If it s urgent use our minor injuries unit at Alnwick Infirmary or urgent care centre at Wansbeck General Hospital. Please keep The Northumbria hospital free for serious, life threatening emergencies: For more information and advice visit