The Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group is supporting all frontline services and providing a co-ordination and oversight role as the strategic lead for the NHS response to Covid-19 in Kent and Medway. This briefing provides a summary of how the local NHS is working to provide the best possible care to patients and save lives.
Restarting NHS services
Across the UK work is underway to restart health services which had to be paused to allow us to plan for and provide care through the first wave of the pandemic. In Kent and Medway all NHS services are working together on this; as well as working closely with partners in councils and other local services.
In planning to restart services we much continue to make sure we have the capacity to care for covid-19 patients still in hospital and the ability to respond if covid-19 infection rates start to increase again in a second wave.
The priority is to restart urgent services where delays have the greatest risk of causing harm to patients. Restarting more routine services will then follow. We know that local people who have had appointments and treatment delayed want to know when they will be rescheduled. We will provide more information on this as quickly as we can.
As part of restarting services we also want to understand the experience of local people; including whether changes like greater use of phone and video consultations have been a positive thing. We are planning a range of engagement activities for the coming weeks.
Stay alert to the virus and keep following social distancing guidance
Lockdown restrictions are starting to ease, but the virus hasn’t gone away. It remains vitally important that everyone follows social distancing and good hygiene guidance to keep the spread of the infection down. If you do develop symptoms make sure you and your immediate household self-isolate. The more we all do to reduce the spread of the virus the easier it will be for the NHS to shift resources over to restarting those services that had to be paused. For all the latest advice: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The NHS is #HereForYou
The pandemic led to significant reductions in people coming forward to seek help from the NHS; including delaying asking for help with potentially serious health problems.
We are actively encouraging people to seek help across a range of services and have been working with local clinicians to promote the fact that the NHS is open, safe and here to help. So far we have covered cancer, immunisations, general practice, maternity and mental health services; and have more publicity work planned.
Update on GP-led centres for assessment and treatment of Covid-19 patients
GP surgeries across Kent and Medway changed the way they have been working during the pandemic to create the safest possible environments for all patients needing GP care and services.
The majority of consultations have been done by phone, video or online. For those needing to see a GP face to face, groups of GP surgeries working together (Primary Care Networks) split patient care across different sites. New services called, Primary Care Treatment Centre (PCTC) were set up for patients with symptoms of Covid-19.
This allowed other GP premises to aim to remain virus free so that patients who needed to see a GP face to face, or visit a practice for any other reason, such as to collect a prescription, could do so with reduced risk of being exposed to the virus.
This way of working was set up to meet the predicted high demand for care of patients with Covid-19 symptoms. Fortunately, the number of patients needing to be seen at these centres has been considerably lower than expected – and especially light for several weeks. In some areas, such as Folkestone and Maidstone, the PCTCs are beginning to stand down or adapt in line with the local demand.
We continue to work closely with our GPs to monitor demand at all PCTCs. Centres may remain open as now; reduce capacity or adapted how they run; or be stood down. If the number of cases of Covid-19 should rise in a second wave the centres could be restored quickly.
NHS Kent and Medway community bulletin
The CCG is now publishing a fortnightly community news bulletin, circulated to more than 8,500 people on our patient and public engagement distribution lists. The latest copy, from 14 May 2020, is available here. You can subscribe to our distribution list to get future copies direct.