Welcome to the April 2021 edition of Involve - a stakeholder update from NHS Vale of York CCG.

In this edition we have a number of key updates about COVID-19 and the vaccination roll out. Please share messages with your networks, friends, families and colleagues.

Get the best possible care during the May bank holiday weekends

People across the Vale of York are being encouraged to choose the correct healthcare service during the upcoming May bank holiday weekends.

We want to ensure that people know where to get suitable treatment and avoid unnecessary trips to A&E departments on Monday 3 May and Monday 31 May.

By choosing the most suitable service, members of the public can receive the best possible treatment and free up busy NHS services to help those who need them most.

NHS services can be particularly busy on weekends and public holidays. We want our patients to use the most appropriate service available and ensure they get the right care on the first attempt. There are a number of excellent healthcare services that people can access when they are unwell – such as the local pharmacy, NHS 111 or the out-of-hours GP service.

If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, you should immediately self-isolate and book a test. To prevent the spread of the virus, please do not attend any healthcare setting, including for a vaccination.

Self-Care

Treat minor illnesses and injuries such as sore throats, grazes and hangovers at home. Most simple ailments will begin to get better within a few days.

Ensure that you have ordered your prescriptions in time to collect them before the weekend and keep your medicine cabinet well stocked with items, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Local Pharmacy

Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals who can provide confidential, expert advice and treatment for a range of common illnesses, such as headaches, fevers, upset stomachs and minor rashes. Many pharmacies are open on evenings and on bank holidays.

Find out which Vale of York pharmacies (York and Selby) are open during the two bank holiday Mondays in May 2021.

NHS 111

You should use the NHS 111 non-emergency service if you need immediate medical help or advice, but it is not a life-threatening situation. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

When you contact 111 you will speak to a highly trained adviser who is supported by healthcare professionals and they will direct you to the most appropriate medical care.

NHS 111 can be accessed by telephone on 111, or online by visiting 111.nhs.uk.

GP Out-of-Hours Service

You should use the GP out-of-hours service when you require urgent but not life-threatening treatment. The Vale of York GP out-of-hours service is available 365 days a year. It is provided from the urgent care centre at York Hospital and the minor injury unit at the New Selby War Memorial Hospital.

The service does not accept walk-in patients, appointments must be arranged by calling NHS 111. Home visits are provided where appropriate.

Emergency Care

A&E is for medical emergencies and serious health issues, such as having difficulty breathing, chest pains or serious accidents.

If you have a medical emergency, call 999 for an ambulance or go to the nearest emergency department. The emergency department in the Vale of York is located at York Hospital.

COVID-19 vaccination programme - an update
Excellent progress is being made in our region with one million vaccinations delivered to date. We want to reassure people that no one will be excluded from the vaccination programme. In the Humber, Coast and Vale area we have a population of nearly 1.7m people.

People are being vaccinated according to priority order set by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation. There is a risk to vaccine wastage when individuals do not attend clinics. In order to avoid minimise wastage some individuals outside of the prioritised cohorts have received a vaccination.

People over 45 are being invited to attend vaccination appointments, this might be at a GP clinic and it might be a different practice or venue than the one you normally go to.

You might be asked to attend a mass vaccination centre if you can drive there in less than 45 minutes. If you cannot find an appointment at your nearest vaccination centre please keep trying to book as more appointments become available as vaccine supplies are received.

Safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine
The MHRA, which is the expert body on vaccine safety and effectiveness in the UK, the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organisation, have all been absolutely clear that people should still go and get their COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so.

12 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine have now been administered across England, and the number of blood clots reported after having the vaccine is not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population.

This follows the data from the international trials of the vaccine which found that actually there were fewer cases of blood clots among the group who had the real vaccine than there were in the group who were given the placebo.

The NHS will continue to offer Oxford/AstraZeneca and we would urge people to come forward when they are invited. Anyone who has any remaining concerns can and should speak to a healthcare professional when they go along for their appointment.

Avtar Supporting the NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign
Avtar was filmed earlier this week in support of the York NHS Trust Covid-19 vaccination programme. Here’s a wider view of the message.

Thanks to the thousands of people involved, in less than four months the health service in England has given the vital first vaccine dose to more than half the adult population - some 26 million people - opened more than 1,600 vaccination services, and visited over 10,000 care homes.

In my role as chair of the University of York’s staff Racial Equality forum and citywide, the York Inter-Faith Group, I am acutely aware that some people in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities are reluctant and hesitant to have the Covid-19 vaccine - and yet we know that Covid-19 has a disproportionate impact on these very communities.

I want to reassure you, the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities of the safety, effectiveness and importance of the vaccine. The Covid-19 vaccine gives the best, scientifically proven, protection against coronavirus. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there so it is only natural that you will have many questions and concerns - so let me clear some of them up.

First, there is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine will work differently on people from different ethnic backgrounds and be assured that vaccine does not damage or change our DNA in any way. Not taking the vaccine can damage us more.

I know some people are worried that the vaccine was developed so quickly. The vaccine was available quickly because of a global effort by governments around the world - so something that might normally take years took just months. However, be assured that the Covid-19 vaccines have gone through the same strict process and regulations as other vaccines - such as for measles, mumps, rubella and TB, for instance.

It’s also important to understand that the vaccine does not include the live virus itself - only harmless elements from it and taking the vaccine is the only way to boost the immunity against Covid for you and your loved ones. Nor does the vaccine include pork, or any material of foetal or animal origin.

All Faith Leaders actively promote the vaccination programme. I am aware it’s the month of Ramadan, the NHS have produced the following posters on how to safely observe Iftar, and that vaccination does not break your fast. York NHS will also re-schedule appointments as necessary.

There are no cases of significant side effects amongst the millions of people who have received this vaccine and it is very, very rare for the vaccine to have long term side effects. What we do know is that Covid-19’s long term implications can be deadly.

Finally, there is no evidence to suggest that Covid-19 vaccines will affect fertility. Claims of any effect of Covid-19 vaccination on fertility are speculative and not supported by any data. By taking the vaccine we will soon be able to live normal lives again. Not only will you be saving your life; but saving the lives too.

“I was delighted to be part of this partnership and support the vaccination programme following discussions with David Watson, Lay Member, University Council and Non-Executive Director, York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. We have an important role to support and work with our local communities”, said Avtar.

Autism and ADHD - Have Your Say

Have your say about the Adult Autism Spetrum and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessment and diagnosis service

The Vale of York and North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group is calling on your help to gather patient feedback from service users accessing the adult autism and ADHD assessment and diagnosis service.

We have been working with organisations who provide adult autism and ADHD services to look at a new service model that would better meet the needs of our local community. It is a great opportunity for us to gather meaningful and informed feedback from people with experience of the current service and understand the challenges faced and reasons for reviewing the service.

How can you get involved and have your say?

Attend a focus group:

The focus groups will take place via Zoom on the following dates:

Tuesday 27 April 2021 from 12 – 1.30pm
Wednesday 28 April 2021 from 2pm – 3.30pm
Wednesday 5 May 2021 from 5.30pm – 7pm

If you are interested in joining a focus group, please confirm your attendance by emailing nyccg.engagement@nhs.net. We will send futher details, with a link to the Zoom meeting a couple of days before the event.

Governing Body Meeting

Our Governing Body is responsible for monitoring the performance and quality improvement of our healthcare providers, our five year integrated operational strategy and approving our commissioning and engagement plans.

This Governing Body meeting starts at 10:30am on Thursday 6 May and will be live-streamed on our YouTube channel. More information about Governing Body meetings can be found on our website.

Wake Up North Yorkshire

Wake Up is here to encourage and inspire you to think about your drinking habits and enjoy alcohol safely. We want to motivate you to ‘Wake Up’ to a healthier you and embrace life without the hangover.

We know it’s been an incredibly hard year. People miss their friends; juggling home-schooling and work feels like a never-ending task and it’s easy to turn to drink as a way of coping with that. But alcohol isn’t the answer – it leaves you feeling foggy the next morning, you don’t sleep as well and have even less energy to deal with the kids.

Our research-based campaign is here to help you, with real insights from real North Yorkshire people, sharing how they gave up or cut down on the drink. We want to motivate you to ‘Wake Up’ to a better you and embrace life without the hangover.

Find out more about the Wake Up campaign

Your COVID-19 Vaccination Questions Answered

NHS Vale of York CCG has worked with partners to produce a leaflet that contains information about the COVID-19 vaccine and answers frequently asked questions. Click here to see the leaflet.

If you are part of an organisation that would like to use the printed leaflets, please get in touch via email.

Read all about it - latest news from NHS Vale of York CCG

York leaders come together to support the NHS Vaccination Programme at the City’s Askham Bar Vaccination Centre

Council leader Keith Aspden and Phil Mettam from Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) took the opportunity to meet Prof Mike Holmes at the York Vaccination Centre last week, as Mr Mettam attended for his second vaccination.

The City leaders are key players in the reorganisation of health and social care services in York which aims to improve health and social care services in our area.

York's leaders unite for action plan to tackle effects of COVID-19 on people's mental health

York’s leaders are taking action to tackle a big surge in demand for mental health support from people of all ages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of York Mental Health Summit held at the end of March proved a success, with key partners from the NHS, police service, education and the voluntary sector coming together for an innovative joint approach built around removing barriers and empowering organisations to act to support our communities.

Vaccination milestone met in North Yorkshire and York

NHS North Yorkshire and NHS Vale of York CCGs have successfully delivered the national commitment of offering all those aged 50 and over a Covid-19 vaccination by 15^th April.

Read more

Successful Parkinson's Nurse Specialist role made permanent for Vale of York patients

Local GPs and primary care staff in the Vale of York are continuing their programme of peer-led development with virtual shared learning and professional development sessions on Thursday 22 April 2021.

Taking place on a local basis, GP practices will come together for discussions that have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination programme. The sessions will focus on staff resilience, wellbeing and emerging priorities.

Working together to vaccinate vulnerable people against COVID-19 in Selby

A specialist recruited to support people living with Parkinson's disease in the Vale of York has proved a huge success in the pioneering role.

Gill Clark took on the mantle of Parkinson's Nurse Specialist, working with patients registered with 14 GP practices in the South Hambleton and Ryedale, Tadcaster and Rural Selby and Selby Town Primary Care Networks, in July 2019.

Local NHS asks for views on current adult autism and ADHD service

NHS Vale of York and North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are hoping to gather feedback from people who have accessed adult autism and ADHD assessment and diagnostic services.

Patient experiences will help influence the design of "a new service model that would better meet the needs of our local communities".

Involve is produced by the NHS Vale of York CCG
Communications and Engagement Team.

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