Tag Archives: Bristol

Missing GP information for vulnerable groups to be available in Connecting Care

One Care is working in partnership with Connecting Care to provide better integrated services and safer care for vulnerable groups in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG).

 

General practice data is shared in Connecting Care via the Medical Interoperability Gateway (MIG), which collects data when a patient is fully registered to a surgery. This means there is a risk vital information is not captured about temporary registered patients and members of the BNSSG homeless community.

 

To help reduce the clinical risk and provide better care for these groups, Connecting Care proposed to work in collaboration with One Care on a digital solution using the EMIS-X Analytics platform (EXA).

 

This system is being piloted at the homeless health centre enabling information to be shared about temporary registered patients. This is a new way of working that will provide learning both locally and nationally.

 

EXA provides a database which contains a full and up to date copy of all the data held in EMIS general practice and community systems. The data is synchronized on a regular basis. One Care’s role is to extract the general practice data using data extraction queries, then import it into the data warehouse where it is formatted and transferred securely to Connecting Care.

 

The lack of information about temporary registered patients poses a clinical risk. By removing this, we can enable better and safer care for vulnerable groups, offer a more integrated services across different health and care teams and reduce duplication.

 

Rus Clark, One Care’s IT manager commented on the project saying: “One Care is proud to be part of such an important project. We are contributing to new ways of working that will have a positive and direct impact on our patients, which is what we are here to do.”

 

For further information on this project, please email onecare.governance@nhs.net.

One year milestone for the NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Programme

8 December 2021: Today is the one-year anniversary of the first Covid-19 vaccination to be given in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) at Southmead hospital. The milestone comes on the day that people aged over 40, along with frontline health and care staff and those in high risk groups, are able to have their life-saving Covid booster vaccination three months after their second dose, brought forward from six months.

Since 8 December 2020, our local vaccination programme has delivered 1,700,299 vaccinations, including 21,312 to our most vulnerable populations through our Maximising Uptake outreach programme. Our teams have worked tirelessly to vaccinate people against Covid-19 at 53 GP-run clinics, two large scale vaccination centres, 14 community pharmacy sites, three hospital clinics, in parks, in shops, at their place of work and in their homes.

Geeta Iyer, Clinical Lead for the BNSSG Vaccination Programme, said: “I am awed by the progress we have made in the Vaccination Programme in such a short space of time. In the past 12 months our programme has evolved from a highly clinical process with early vaccinations being administered in hospitals and GP surgeries to our position, today, with teams regularly vaccinating in workplaces, on the street and in community settings across BNSSG.

“It’s been quite a journey for everyone involved across our healthcare system and I want to say a huge ‘thank you’, on behalf of the BNSSG Vaccination Programme, to everyone who has been involved in this life-saving Programme. You really have made a difference.”

99-year-old Jack Vokes from North Somerset was the first person to receive his Covid-19 vaccination in BNSSG at Southmead hospital. One year on from being vaccinated, he said: “I can’t believe it’s been a year. I feel very lucky. I’d like to thank everyone involved very much for what they’re doing. God bless you all and have a very happy Christmas.”

With increasing numbers of confirmed Omicron cases across the country, vaccination is critical to bolster our defences against this new variant. Please have your first, second or booster jab, without delay. People can get their vaccine by booking online through the National Booking Service or by calling 119, at a local clinic (visit www.grabajab.net for details) and GP practices are also inviting those who are eligible.

To mark the anniversary, Dr. Neil Kerfoot and Practice Manager Robyn Clark from Kingswood Health Centre featured on BBC Radio Bristol this morning to discuss the past 12-months and highlight how well everyone has united to achieve such a high level of vaccinations.

Radio Bristol also caught up with 105-year-old care home resident Edna, who spoke about her experiences of getting her first and second vaccinations, along with her booster jab, and the positive difference they’ve made on her life.