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Health Psychology
The DCHS health psychology service provides specialist psychological care and support to adults with physical health problems.
https://dchs.nhs.uk/our-services-and-locations/a-z-list-of-services/health-psychology
Patient Group Directions (PGDs)
Patient Group Directions - PGDs provide a legal framework that allows some registered health professionals to supply and/or administer a specified medicine(s) to a pre-defined group of patients, without them having to see a prescriber.
A BIG conversation is about to begin… and you’re invited.
Join a generational first big conversation to shape how to improve your wellbeing working in the NHS.
Farming community invited to health MOT Day at Bakewell Agricultural Centre
https://dchs.nhs.uk/news/farming-community-invited-health-mot-day-bakewell-agricultural-centre
Industrial Action Update - Issued on 16 January 2023
Ahead of this week’s planned industrial action by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), we’ve developed an in-depth briefing which we hope colleagues will find useful. It also signposts to other helpful sources of information.
https://dchs.nhs.uk/my_dchs/show-me/staff-news-my-download/industrial-action-update-16-january
Improvement, Innovation and Effectiveness
Supporting colleagues to keep DCHS an outstanding place to work and recive care.
https://dchs.nhs.uk/about-us/quality-heart-our-care/improvement-innovation-effectiveness
Files
Medical Devices Policy (P27)
The aim of this document is to outline a standardised approach to purchasing, deployment, maintenance, repair and disposal of medical devices within the Trust and the services commissioned by the Trust. The purpose of this policy is to provide the means of ensuring that all acquisitions of items of medical equipment are made only after consideration and approval by the relevant management groups and in accordance with the procedures detailed within this policy and with all related DCHS policies, European Union (EU) public procurement rules, advice from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and statutory requirements.
Recognition of Patient Deterioration (Adults) Policy (P83)
The aim of this policy is to set the minimum standard and frequency for monitoring and recording adult patients’ vital signs in their own home, Minor Injuries Units, outpatient podiatric surgery and community hospital wards. The mismanagement of deterioration is a common area of systemic failure in avoidable patient death across the NHS (NHS Improvement, 2016, Hogan et al, 2012) and poor communication is a leading cause of adverse events in healthcare. The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) offers a common language to describe and communicate a patient’s acute illness severity by all healthcare professionals in all settings and is central to establishing a national pathway for improving the management of deterioration and sepsis (Inada-Kim and Nsutebu, 2018). This policy aims to increase survival among acutely unwell and deteriorating patients
The Management of Warfarin Therapy for Inpatients Guidelines (G233)
The aim of this guideline is to improve the safety of anticoagulant therapy for inpatients under the care of DCHS by: • Providing an evidence-based algorithm for the initiation of warfarin therapy in atrial fibrillation, including the use of a specific SystmOne template for warfarin management. • Offering an evidence-based algorithm to guide maintenance dosing decisions. • Clarifying the process for communicating follow-up arrangements to primary care teams when a patient is discharged from hospital. • Endorsing the level of competence and training required of clinicians who prescribe warfarin. • Ensuring that the guidance will be built into an audit and review cycle.
Section 5.28 COVID-19 (IP&C Policy)
Section 5.28 COVID-19 (IP& C Policy) v2 (September 2022). With links. The aim of this document is to provide operational guidance to staff in particular in relation to COVID-19.
Continence Support in Universal Childrens Services Policy (P96)
This policy is to support Health Visitor, School Nurses and Nursery Nurses to work effectively when supporting children, young people and their families with continence issues. This guidance and the supporting pathway will use evidence based practice to guide clinicians through the processes they need to follow to ensure that effective tier 1 support is offered before a referral is made to specialist services.
JUCD Leadership Orientation Managers Checklist (v1).docx
JUCD new managers local orientation checklist (V1) uploaded Mar23. For all new leaders/managers in DCHS to complete
Cardiac Rehab Service SOP (S109)
This SOP was drawn up to confirm and clarify the operating procedure for the community cardiac rehabilitation service (CR) This document sets out the standards which, in the view of the patient and professional organisations involved, are required of services to deliver a high-quality community cardiac rehabilitation service for people with cardiovascular disease (CVD) Cardiac rehabilitation is a comprehensive secondary prevention programme of exercise and education aimed at people who have had a cardiac event, cardiac surgery, and heart failure. Research has demonstrated that it helps reduce mortality and morbidity “The evidence base that supports the merits of comprehensive CR is robust and consistently demonstrates a favourable impact on cardiovascular mortality and hospital re-admissions in patients with coronary heart disease” (Anderson et al 2016). The community cardiac rehabilitation service was developed in response to a growing need for more cardiac rehabilitation programmes for a wider range of cardiac conditions which were unable to be accommodated in the acute hospital programmes and to offer a menu of options for delivery of programmes closer to the patient’s own home.
Clinical Harms Review Additional detail for Service Level SOP - Community Podiatry Service (S113)
This document should be read in conjunction with the overarching DCHS Standard Operating procedure on Clinical Harms which outlines the processes to be followed in order to deliver a consistent approach to: • Utilising a proactive method of risk stratification to minimise clinical harm as a result of delays in care. • Embedding systems which consider health inequalities. • Monitoring waiting times against defined thresholds across pathways of care. • Delivering personalised, patient-centred communications to patients who are waiting for care. • Implementing Harm Reviews for the that support the Trusts governance and assurance processes and maintains practice in line with national expectations.
Clinical Harms Review Additional detail for Service Level SOP (S130)
This document should be read in conjunction with the overarching DCHS Standard Operating procedure on Clinical Harms which outlines the processes to be followed to deliver a consistent approach to: • Utilising a proactive method of risk stratification to minimise clinical harm as a result of delays in care. • Embedding systems which consider health inequalities. • Monitoring waiting times against defined thresholds across pathways of care. • Delivering personalised, patient-centred communications to patients who are waiting for care. • Implementing Harm Reviews for the that support the Trusts governance and assurance processes and maintains practice in line with national expectations.
Patient (or carer) Initiated Follow-up SOP Dementia Palliative Care Service (S132)
Patient initiated follow-up (PIFU) describes when a patient (or their carer) can initiate their follow-up visit as and when required, e.g., when symptoms or circumstances change. This SOP defines the process, roles, and responsibilities for the following: • Identifying which patients PIFU is right for • Moving a patient onto a PIFU pathway • Booking visits which have been initiated by a patient or carer • Managing patients who do not initiate a review/home visit within the PIFU timescale • Discharging or booking reviews at the end of that patient’s PIFU timescale • Monitoring compliance Dementia Palliative Care Service are in the process of piloting a PIFU process for 12 months. The pilot will be reviewed every 3 months with a final review post 12 months.