This bulletin is emailed each month to GP practices in Islington and Haringey. It contains useful information and updates from our GP medical director about Whittington Health. If you have a news item, event or update you would like to share with other GPs through this bulletin, please email communications.whitthealth@nhs.net
Welcome to the January edition of Whittington Health's GP Bulletin.
From March Whittington Health will be delivering a new community based gynaecology service within Haringey and Islington. The service will be located at various community health centres across both boroughs offering local residents greater choice and more flexibility. Over the coming weeks we will be in contact with GP practices to discuss referral pathways and clinic locations. For the moment please continue to refer as before.
We have officially opened a new Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Centre at The Whittington Hospital. It provides information and emotional support to people with or affected by cancer. More information is on our website.
We are now running a dedicated MSK service in Islington for under 18s. The new service has improved access to physiotherapy for this client group. The service offers improved waiting times (currently eight weeks and there are action plans in place to get this down to six weeks), improved links to acute Whittington Health services and weekly hypermobility group exercise class.
The service is based in the Northern Health Centre and accepts referrals for children and young people with an Islington GP.
Referrals: Please continue to refer to the Islington children's central referrals administrator on email to: whh-tr.islchildrensreferrals@nhs.net. For any questions about a referral call 0203 316 1892.
All referrals are triaged by a physiotherapist and children are then seen by the MSK team or where appropriate by the mainstream schools team (previously known as the joint therapy team). Complex under five referrals will be seen by the early years development team and there will continue to be separate teams working within special schools.
2
New paediatric advice telephone service
The Whittington Hospital paediatric department will run a new dedicated GP telephone advice line from 9am on Monday, 2 February.
The new mobile number of the service is 07796 940840
All phone calls will be go straight to a general paediatric consultant, who will be available 9am-10pm, seven days a week.
The service can used by GPs to discuss patients, ask for advice or to discuss an urgent outpatient referral.
The new service is in addition to the already existing paediatric advice services:
Referrals of acutely unwell children to the emergency department should still be made by calling the main hospital switchboard on 020 7272 3070 and asking for the paediatric SpR on bleep 3111.
Discharge summary survey
3
We are reviewing the content and accuracy of our discharge summaries on Mary Seacole ward. We hope this review will improve patient safety and communication with GPs and colleagues across the hospital and community.
We are asking GPs to fill in a brief survey at the following link. It will take a couple of minutes to fill in.
Thank you for taking the time to do this.
4
Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children
The Trust runs a tertiary centre for stammering in children and adults.
Islington GPs can refer directly to the Centre - there is no need to refer via the local speech and language therapy service.
The Michael Palin Centre provides an evidence-based service for Islington residents who stammer. Children and adults receive a detailed specialist assessment which is funded by the charity Action for Stammering Children and is followed by NHS-funded therapy, either as an individual or in group therapy sessions, on a weekly or intensive basis.
Children and adults are offered fluency skills therapy, social communication skills and psychological techniques to help them become competent and confident communicators.
Therapy for Islington residents is a block funded agreement with Islington CCG.
Haringey children should be referred to their local speech and language therapist, who can refer to the centre if they require a second opinion or do not have a service that meets the child’s needs.
Smokefree Islington are running a Level 2 update course on Tuesday 10 February.
The training is an update of Level 2 skills for active stop smoking advisers. It forms part of your service level agreement and supports you to keep informed of current service developments. Active advisers should attend at least one update session per year.
Location: St Luke’s Centre 90 Central Street, London EC1V 8AJ
Date: 9.30am to 4.30pm (registration starts at 9.15am).
Places are limited and we are unable to provide catering at the sessions.
>
