COMMUNICATIONS Staff - Primary Care 24

Staff
COMMUNICATIONS
 Briefing

Your Weekly Briefing

 Hello and welcome to your weekly briefing
 Wednesday 14th July 2021
 (Front cover image taken at Carr Mill Dam, St Helens )

Today’s articles:
1. Message from The Chief Executive
2. Services Update – Area Model / GP OOH / Sefton Primary Care
3. Open invite to all clinical colleagues: Drop-in sessions with the Medical Director
4. The 2021 Annual Staff Survey
5. NHS Webinar invite: Engaging with ethnic minority and inclusion health groups
6. Vaccination Drop-in sessions this week and weekend
7. Career Opportunities
8. 2021 Staff Awards
9. On this day
10. Sixty Seconds Snapshot questions with Abbey Kelly
11. And finally, a word of thanks from our patients…..

1.Message from The Chief Executive
Hello everyone,
Today, we are featuring an update on our recent high demand for services, as well as the service
changes we have put in place to deal with them. I’m sure you will agree that everyone who
worked last weekend deserves a huge thank you – it was a big weekend for lots of people!
I know many of you will have enjoyed the football last weekend. However, since then we have
seen some really awful displays of racism and bigotry across social media and other platforms.
I want to make it clear that this behaviour is utterly unacceptable. In all aspects of life, it’s a
horrible feature, and at PC24 we will not stand for it. I hope - and indeed I know - that no one
associated with PC24 would display this kind of thinking. We stand in solidarity with all the
diverse members of our community and appreciate everyone for their differences.
If you feel that you have been the victim of any racism or other discrimination, please tell us. Any
of the executive team are here to listen to you – or report via your manager. I’m really sad that I
have to make this statement, but I couldn’t leave the comms this week without saying something
to make a stand. I hope you will agree?
Stay safe everyone.

Mary
Dr Mary Ryan, Chief Executive

Your Weekly Briefing

2. Services Update from our Director of Service Delivery, Jay Carr
As you will be aware many of the services we are delivering have undergone, or are undergoing,
significant changes due to the ongoing impact of Covid. We’ve decided to update and reflect on
some of this through the weekly staff bulletin going forward as it is the most widely read
publication at PC24!
Area Model
Since PC24 commenced delivery of the new OOHs service on April 1st we have been re-
organising the operations and clinical management teams by locality. There have been some
sticking points in undertaking this process but each individual locality (Liverpool, Sefton, St
Helens & Knowsley, Warrington & Halton) has a team dedicated to supporting it led by one
service manager and one clinical lead. Please contact Dr Sandra Oelbaum should you wish to
know who the clinical lead is for a particular locality, or Stacey Shields should you wish to know
the operations lead for a particular locality. This information has been circulated previously but
we thought it was worth a reminder. It was a conscious decision by the Executive Team to
organise by localities rather than services as this better reflected the wider portfolio of work that
PC24 currently has to deliver.
Out of Hours Service

Despite re-organising teams by locality the impact of the new Out of Hours service has been felt
by many of us! On a weekly basis, we’ll use this bulletin to provide some headline information
regarding activity and our plans to stay on top of things. I’m sure those involved would agree it’s
been a challenging few months and there is no magic wand to solve some of it. As stated
previously the activity we are seeing remains significantly beyond what we were expecting and
what we are funded for. Most of the cases we receive are being closed by telephone, about 20%
end in a face-to-face consultation by UCC or visit. Initial information for June suggests we
received about 25% more cases than we expected.
• The number of repeat prescriptions is reducing following interventions by 111 after we
 flagged the issue, we continue to monitor
• You may have noticed that incoming time-frames into the DCA pool have been changed to
 exactly match the 111 dispositions, work ongoing but almost complete
• The EMS level 3 process has been re-issued with amendments made to support the swifter
 safe closing down of cases that no longer require PC24 input
• We are working with commissioners to re-direct cases with 12 and 24 hour dispositions from
 the DCA pool into other parts of the system
• A working group has been convened to specifically deal with Out of Hours and meets
 weekly.

Your Weekly Briefing

2. Services Update from our Director of Service Delivery, Jay Carr
Sefton Primary Care
Here’s a quick update regarding our Sefton practices, this service has also been under significant
pressure.
• General Practice SOP reviewing appointment capability per practice is being reviewed, we
 are developing a model that encompasses a mix of remote consultations and face-to-face to
 ensure patients receive the best possible service whilst also protecting our workforce
• A dedicated clinical recruitment process is in place for Sefton, we have unfortunately lost a
 number of GPs from the service recently and by advertising with a focus we hope to be able
 to quickly re-instate salaried workforce numbers
• We are undertaking some amendments to our rostering processes on Rota-Master with
 regards to Sefton to better reflect the needs of Primary Care.
We know that your commitment has been the key factor in PC24 even providing a level of service
at times. We acknowledge how difficult it is. I’d like to extend a huge thanks from myself and the
Executive Team for your work in these trying times.

3. Open invite to all clinical colleagues: Drop-in sessions with the Medical
Director
We know that for many of our clinical colleagues, caring for patients at PC24 is part of a portfolio
of work, but you are supporting a crucial part of the system and very much appreciated by us,
and most importantly, the patients.
Things are quite challenging at the moment, and we are constantly looking at different
approaches. The PC24 senior clinical and operational leadership teams want to hear directly from
frontline clinicians, and then continue this conversation in whatever way works best. We are
quite good at sending out communications, but there is no substitute for actually talking.
The PC24 senior clinical and operational teams are setting up a weekly remote drop-in session
for July, some lunchtime and some evening. The information to join the conversation is below.
You set the agenda; our Medical Director, Dr Sandra Oelbaum, will be at all the sessions with
senior ops and clinical leads.
You can find the full invitation from Sandra here: https://primarycare24.org.uk/staff/staff-briefings/
Here are the drop-in session dates:
• Friday 16.07.21 at 1:00 pm
• Tuesday 20.07.21 at 6:00 pm
• Friday 30.07.21 at 1:00 pm
You can join the meeting at: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/110951669

 (Image: Dr Sandra Oelbaum)

Your Weekly Briefing
4. The 2021 Annual Staff Survey

We’re pleased to announce that this year’s staff survey is now open. It’s your opportunity to tell
us what it’s like to be a member of the Primary Care 24 team; likes, dislikes, could do better and
what’s great about the people and the work we do.
Last year we received a good response from you, but it would be fantastic if we could do even
better this year. Remember, the more people that reply, the better we can understand what is
happening and where we can share good practice and improve. There is also a chance to win a
£25 gift voucher for colleagues taking part, all you need to do is complete the survey and add
your name to the final question, (Please note your name will not be attached to any of the
feedback under strict confidence).
The survey can be found here:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Yoursayatpc24
This is how we make the organisation the best possible place to work. The closing date is
Friday 23rd July.
If you have any concerns or queries, please contact communications@pc24.nhs.uk.

5. NHS Webinar invite: Engaging with ethnic minority and inclusion health
groups
The session will focus on sharing learning and practice from engagement with ethnic minority and
inclusion health communities.
Speakers will be: -
 Catherine Parker, Consultant in Public Health, Public Health South Tees
 Idrees Rashid, Specialist Public Health Practitioner, Public Health South Tees
 Adiba Rashid, Project Coordinator, Race Equality Network
Date: Wednesday 28th July, 11.00 – 12.00, via MS Teams.
Booking is via Eventbrite and a full agenda will be shared closer to the time with those who have
a place. You can book your place here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/community-championsengaging-with-ethnic-minority-inclusion-
health-groups-tickets-160939728059

Your Weekly Briefing

6. Vaccination Drop-in sessions this week and weekend
The Liverpool University Hospitals Vaccination Hub at Aintree University Hospital is offering walk-
in COVID-19 vaccination appointments. Details of clinic dates and times can be found on the
following websites:
• https://www.southseftonccg.nhs.uk/get-informed/latest-news/extra-covid-19-vaccine-dates-
 for-walk-ins/
• https://www.southportandformbyccg.nhs.uk/get-informed/latest-news/extra-covid-19-
 vaccine-dates-for-walk-ins/

7. Career Opportunities
We have a number of job vacancies currently being advertised. If you, or someone you know
would be interested in applying, simply click on the preferred role – good luck!
✓ Sefton Support Officer https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/vacancy/916615716
✓ Director of Nursing and Quality https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/vacancy/916607294
✓ Urgent Care Co-ordinator https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/vacancy/916594268

8. 2021 Staff Awards
Our Chief Executive, Dr Mary Ryan, is filming a special awards ceremony this week, and we’d
like to feature photos of as many members of Team PC24 as possible in the film, so whether
you’ve been nominated or not please email your photo to communications@pc24.nhs.uk or
Whatsapp to 07818116835. This is the final shout out for the photos so please do get in touch,
we’d love to see you on screen! The release date of the virtual awards ceremony will be
announced next week, in the meantime we’ll continue to feature some of the nominees in our
bulletin.

 The IM&T Team - Nominated for Team of the Year (Note: not all the Team are captured in this pic)

 The Asylum Medical Assessment Practice - Nominated for Team of the Year

 (Note: not all the Team are captured in this pic)

Your Weekly Briefing

8. 2021 Staff Awards. More nominees….

 Leah Finnan Phillipa Compson

 Nominated for Employee of the Year Nominated for Values Ambassador of the Year

 Justine Walker Ann Pettit

 Nominated for the Special Recognition Award Nominated for the Inspirational Leader of the Year Award

9. On this day…..
1789 Bastille Day - the French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris
(now celebrated as France's national day).
1858 The birth, in Moss Side Manchester, of Emmeline Pankhurst, the English suffragette who
led the fight for women's suffrage in Britain.
1974 David Mitchell, English comedian and actor (Mitchell and Webb, Peep Show), born in
Salisbury, England. Married to Victoria Coren Mitchell.
1991 Yes, that song was at number 1 ‘ Everything I do (I do it for you) by Bryan Adams – 16
weeks 
2014 The Church of England General Synod approved women bishops. The Rt. Rev. Libby Lane
became the first female Church of England bishop, when she was consecrated Bishop of
Stockport in a ceremony at York Minster.

Your Weekly Briefing

10. Sixty Seconds Snapshot questions with Abbey Kelly
Each week we give one of our colleagues sixty seconds to give us an insight into their lives and
interests outside of the ‘9-5’. This week it’s the turn of our Finance Officer, Abbey Kelly. Over to
you Abbey………

Q: How long have you worked at PC24? A: 5 years... I started in 2016 as HR apprentice and
then became Finance Officer in 2017.
Q: What’s the best part of your job? A: I enjoy the challenges and working as part of a team. I
also enjoy communicating and working with different people / teams within PC24.
Q: What did you want to be when you were small? A: I was a bit of a tomboy when I was
younger, I used to always watch Bob the Builder and wanted to be just like him and my Dad
haha. Or, I wanted to work in McDonald's so I could eat all the chips.
Q: Where’s the best place that you’ve ever visited? A:There have been loads of places I have
loved but my favourite has to be Krakow, Poland.
Q: What's the most daring thing you've ever done? A:Not really daring but... I bought a dog which
is pretty much the same size as me & tackled our back garden which was like the Amazon
rainforest when we moved in.
Q: What’s your favourite hobby or interest? A: I enjoy reading, watching crime documentaries,
boxing and long walks with my dog.
Q: What was your first concert you went to or band that you saw? Justin Bieber (HOW
EMBARRASING).
Q: If you could learn to do anything new, what would it be? A: DIY - I am absolutely hopeless at
it.
Q: What's your favourite food? A: Everything... if I had to pick it would be Special Curry and Fried
Rice from the Chippy.
Q: If you cook, what’s your signature dish? A: I am really good at making Spaghetti Bolognese...
that's about it.
Q: Have you ever had a nickname? What is it? A: Kelloggs from when I was in college, just
because my surname is Kelly.

Your Weekly Briefing

10. Sixty Seconds Snapshot questions with Abbey Kelly
Q: What did you miss the most in lockdown and what are you most looking forward to
when life is relatively back to “normal” A: I missed seeing my family, friends, shopping for
pjs in primark, socialising and eating / drinking out. I am mostly looking forward to finally
(fingers crossed) getting married & going on holiday.
Q: Did you learn anything new during the pandemic, or maybe learning something new
about yourself? A: I learnt that everything takes time and not everything can be done
yesterday. Having a 20 month old dog is like having a baby. Finally, buying a house and
planning a wedding at the same time is stressful.
Thank you for sharing Abbey. If you would like to get involved with “60 seconds snapshot”
please contact communications@pc24.nhs.uk. We’d love to hear from you.

11. And finally, a word of thanks from our patients…..

A big shout out to the Team at our Litherland Practice. Here are two compliments
recorded this week.
“A patient’s relative rang to thank staff who stayed till 8pm with the patient while he waited
for an ambulance. She thanked them for their support and care, making him a cup of tea
and giving him a biscuit.”
“Two patients who attended the practice thanked staff for providing a very good service
and always being very good, kind and helpful. The patients brought the staff chocolates
and biscuits to thank them.”
Great examples of patient care Team Litherland!
That’s all for this week everyone. Next week we look forward to announcing the date of
the virtual staff awards. Please remember, if you have anything you would like to share
with your colleagues next Wednesday, please do get in touch before Tuesday.
Best wishes,
The Communications Team.

E: Melissa.Mykoluk@pc24.nhs.uk
E: Mark.Scott@pc24.nhs.uk
T: 01512542553 / M: 07776988417 / W: www.primarycare.org.uk / T: @PrimaryCare24