The way primary care services are delivered is changing, with different specialists on hand via GP practices and with a growing number of diagnostic tests, screening and treatments available in community pharmacies.   We explore what’s in store for primary care in Cheshire and Merseyside after the launch of a new strategic framework which offers a timeline of actions at both local and system level. Dr Jonathan Griffiths, Associate Medical Director for Primary Care at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside; and Adam Irvine, Community Pharmacy Lead at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, are in conversation ..read more

For anyone involved in an emergency or needing urgent treatment, the experience can be scary and prolonged. For those who have cancer, the prospect is far more daunting.  In Cheshire and Merseyside, health leaders have collaborated to create pathways and processes which ensure that cancer patients can avoid visits to A&E and potentially long stays in hospital awaiting decisions and treatment.  We hear how they created a model which is now being held up as an exemplar nationally.  Caroline Kenyon is in conversation with Dr Ernie Marshall, consultant medical oncologist at T ..read more

Gideon Ben-Tovim OBE talks about the passions and experiences which have shaped his leadership, as he prepares to step down after ten years as Chair of the Innovation Agency. A former researcher and author on race relations; Liverpool City Council Labour leader; chair of Liverpool Primary Care Trust; and champion of the natural environment, Gideon recalls pivotal moments in his career – and in the history of his home city.  CLANG: Connect, keep Learning, Be Active, Take Notice and Give – devised by Gideon Ben-Tovim OBE ..read more

Changes to the way diagnostic tests and screening are carried out in Cheshire and Merseyside mean many more tests are being carried out in more centres around the region.  A system-wide transformation programme has streamlined processes and introduced a new, flexible staffing system, while improving access to tests for patients.  Guests Liz Bishop and Dr Ash Bassi explain how the transformation is being carried out, in conversation with Caroline Kenyon. Liz is Chief Executive of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust and lead for the Cheshire and Merseyside Diagnosti ..read more

An entrepreneurial doctor whose company is backed by the Innovation Agency, has become an Innovation Fellow with the NHS Innovation Accelerator. Dr Michael Watts has helped to create a patient-centred, emergency-support software system designed to improve safety in maternity - Emergency Role Allocation (ERA). ERA was the brainchild of midwife Caroline Lacey, of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. Michael is one of 17 new Innovation Fellows, selected to help spread cutting-edge solutions with the potential to transform healthcare. In this podcast, Michael and Caroline tell us how the innovation came ..read more

This episode explores innovations in cardiovascular disease management being delivered to patients in primary care. In particular, the conversation focusses on lipids management and the introduction of a new treatment pathway which includes novel therapies. Innovation Agency chief executive Dr Phil Jennings talks to Dr Jim Moore, GP and president of the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society. To find out more about the Innovation Agency’s work in CVD, visit: https://www.innovationagencynwc.nhs.uk/lipids-and-cholesterol-management Visit the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society website: https://www ..read more

The Innovation Agency is working with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside to help people at increased risk because of the combination of suffering a respiratory or cardiovascular condition and living in a cold home. It’s part of NHS England’s Innovation for Healthcare Inequalities Programme (InHIP) which seeks to address local healthcare inequalities experienced by deprived and other under-served populations. We hear from Professor Rowan Pritchard-Jones, Executive Medical Director of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, about how joining up data from different systems can enable health professionals to pinpoi ..read more

The family of a 29 year old Cheshire man who died suddenly from failure have been diagnosed with a genetic condition which causes abnormally high levels of cholesterol. The condition is familial hypercholesterolaemia, or FH; and the family of the late Mike Clarke were tested for FH at a new screening service for Cheshire and Merseyside. In this podcast we hear from Mike’s brother Simon and three people behind the new testing service, Consultant Chemical Pathologist Dr Shirley Bowles; Consultant Chemical Pathologist Dr David Oleesky; and FH service specialist nurse Julia Finch. They’re in conv ..read more

A significant number of people across the North West Coast are unaware that they have high blood pressure. During the pandemic, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) reported that nearly half a million people in the UK missed out on starting medication to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. In our region work is underway to tackle the backlog and suggest action which could lead to lasting change. In this podcast Dr Andy Knox, a GP in Lancashire and Cumbria who is also the area's associate medical director, and the Innovation Agency's CVD prevention programme lead Dr Julia Reynolds tell N ..read more

Asthma presents a continuing challenge across primary care and research has shown that despite best efforts the numbers of patients who require optimisation and access to advanced therapies remains high. The Liverpool Severe Asthma Service (LSAS), which covers Cheshire and Merseyside, has been accelerating access to specialist care for asthma patients through innovative pathway transformation work. A campaign is now underway to encourage early referral to specialist asthma services, for patients at risk of having severe asthma. Nigel Thompson reports ..read more