Area team newsletter Jan 2014

NORTH YORKSHIRE AND HUMBER NEWSLETTER ISSUE 5

As usual there are a number of topics to cover some requiring action and others for information purposes only.

In brief I shall be covering:

Update to your complaints policy-A MUST DO FOR PROVIDERS.
Paracetamol prescribing and this issue in relation to 111 callouts.
New Appointments-LPN Chair and Humber Dental Public Health Consultant.
Update on C- Difficile card carriers and appropriate antibiotics to use with a link to a useful website.
BDA Event.
LDC Dates for your diary.
Useful contact numbers.

Update to your complaints policy

As it stands a patient has the choice of making an in house complaint and, if unresolved, this should then be directed on to the Ombudsman. If the patient does not wish to confront the practice directly she/he may make an out of house complaint by contacting NHS England. These choices need to be made clear in practitioner’s paperwork, and on notices displayed in your waiting rooms as you can clearly see there are changes from earlier protocols. Please read below for further clarification/reasoning of the above and note the additional address provided for the Ombudsman.

If the practice (as the provider) receives a complaint direct they should investigate and respond to it and signpost to the Ombudsman if the complaint is not resolved. It cannot be looked at by NHS England if it has been through a Practice’s in house complaints procedure but must go to the Ombudsman

Alternatively if the patient feels unable to complain to the Practice, the complaint can be made to NHS England as the commissioner of the service. Complaints are received centrally at the call centre and they are forwarded to NYH CSU Patient Relations team. Patient Relations will then contact the Practice, share the complaint and discuss timescale for investigation and response and ask for a response in a format to share with complainant. They will also seek clinical advice as necessary. The response is signed off by the Area Team and sent to the complainant.

Contact details for NHS England

EMAIL england.contactus@nhs.net

Telephone number 0300 311 2233

By post to the Complaints Manager

NHS England

PO Box 16738

Redditch

B97 9PT

Contact details for the Ombudsman are;

Phone 0345 051 4033

Email phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

By post The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Millbank Tower

Millbank

London

SW1P 4QP

Paracetamol prescribing and this issue in relation to 111 callouts

As part of my duties as an Advisor I have been attending 111 meetings to review how well it has been functioning and identifying what is working well and things that could be improved. It is truly amazing that it is estimated that 8% of 111 callouts are dentally related and that in this Area Team there are anecdotally between 3 and 4 dental pain related analgesic overdoses every week. It has been identified that these are often paracetamol overdoses. I have been asked to highlight this with all performers. I ask do we tell our patients the maximum dose allowed of paracetamol a day when we discuss pain management. Is dosage advice routinely given? I hold my hand up and state I haven’t until recently. LET US DO BETTER —just a quick reminder the dose for adults with no contraindications is 500mg tablets, ideally 2 every 6 hours no more than 8 a day. A few seconds spent communicating this advice could save significant amounts of NHS resources used in A & E, ambulance use and provide overall better care.

New appointments

I am delighted to announce that Dr Simon Hearnshaw has been appointed to the post of LPN chair. Simon is well known in Hull and East Yorkshire dental circles being the present Chair of Hull and East Yorkshire LDC and a General Dental Practitioner for many years in the region. I am sure he will lead us forward admirably and develop the Local Dental Professional Network.

As many of you know John Green retired at the end of last year and Sally Eapen Simon has attained a Consultants post in Dental Public Health her lead responsibilities will Involve work in West Yorkshire although shewill be supporting Siobhan Grant in N Yorks and Humber. She works as part of the PHE Yorkshire and Humber Centre Dental Public Heath Team

Contact details: s.eapensimon@nhs.net

Update on C Difficile card carriers and appropriate antibiotics to use with link to useful website.

In an earlier newsletter I cited an article concerning C Difficile card carriers and a couple of dentists got in touch with me with some queries. I have recently had the chance to go to a meeting and hopefully can now answer their questions after discussion with the CHCP cross infection nurses who ran the course I attended.

Firstly they said that all disease should be treated as a priority with the most appropriate antibiotic irrespective of C.Difficile risks.

Secondly, Metronidazole and Amoxycillin are acceptable antibiotics for dentists to prescribe. They are not particularly likely to promote C Difficile outbreak or its development.

I now enclose a very helpful link with more specific information on this topic.

www.hey.nhs.uk/herpc/guidelines/antibioticCdad.pdf

BDA Event

There is a BDA road show covering the proposed “Dental Reforms” on Wednesday the 29^th January at the Village Hotel, Capital Boulevard West, Tingley,Leeds,LS270TS

This is just off the M62, Junction 28.The road show starts at 7pm and is a free event.

Once again your LDC committees urge you to attend for your benefit.

LDC Dates for your diary

North Yorkshire and York LDC

Next meeting 6.30 pm Wednesday the 5^th March 2014 at the Golden Fleece, Thirsk.

Chair: Ian Gordon

Email iangordon.t21@btinternet.com

Secretary Mark Green

Email markpgreen@aol.com

Hull and East Riding LDC

The next meeting is on Tuesday the 14^th January 2014, at 6.30 pm at Brantingham Sports Park (Ionians), Elloughton.

Chair is Simon Hearnshaw

Email : alexhearnshaw2@hotmail.com

Secretary is Chris Groombridge

Email: Chris@543dentalcentre.co.uk

South Bank LDC

SOUTH HUMBER LDC MEETING SCHEDULE 2014

All meetings will take place at Artie’s Mill, Wressle Road, Castlethorpe, Brigg DN20 9LF, tel. 01652 652094, commencing at 1830hrs, unless otherwise stated.

Monday January 6th

Monday March 3rd

Wednesday May 7th

Wednesday July 2nd

Monday September 1st

Monday November 3rd

Chair – Ross Paton

Email rosspaton120@btinternet.com

Treasurer- Andrew Newton

Email anewton.thewillows@kdsconnect.com

Secretaries Michelle Wilson

Email m.bates66@yahoo.com