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Three held on suspicion of


slave offences THREE people have been arrested in theMaidstone area on suspicion of forcing three men into modern slavery. Assessment is ongoing on the


Mortality rate THE mortality rate in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals is causing concerns, and care plan- ning and capacity issues are being investigated. However, the GP-led NHS West


three Lithuanian males, who were sent toworkinchickenfactories, to determine if they are potential vic- tims of trafficking ormodern slav- ery. The arrests were carried out by


Kent CCG heard there had been a month-by-month improvement in the summer. The introduction of seven-day working had improved the situation forweekend deaths. A new mortality review system introduces “a duty of candour to relatives”. Investigation into deaths is now mandated for the hospital trust.


the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), assisted by Kent Police. Fivewarrantswere executed on November 2 and two men, aged 55 and 54, and a 55-year- oldwomanwere arrested. They remain in custody and are


being questioned in connection with alleged modern slavery and unlicensed gangmaster offences. Other agencies assisting on the op- eration included the Salvation Army, Maidstone Borough Coun- cil, theWomen’s Institute and the NationalHealth Service. TheGLAAwas formedin2005 to


Care home GPs ALL GP practices in Maidstone and West Kent will be eligible to deliver wider services for residents in care homes and the CCG has approved enhanced payments to cover costs. The services will include: a geri-


atric assessment on admission; a weekly GP “home round”; and en- hanced reviews after hospital at- tendance or admission.


protect vulnerable workers in the wake of theMorecambe Bay disas- terwhen 23Chinese cockle pickers drowned on the sands.


CCG now good THE annual NHS assessment per- formance now rates the GP-led NHS West Kent Clinical Commis- sioning Group as good. Previously it was assessed as “needs improv- ing”.


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GP cluster planwarning


AWARNING has been given that patients of localGPpractices which do not join the newGPcluster sys- temmaynot receive the same range of services as those who do. It comes from Dr BobBowes, long- standing chairman of the budget- holding GP-led NHS West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). So far 75% of about 60 practices in Maidstone and West Kent are in- volved in cluster discussions. The plan is for seven clusters covering central Maidstone (7 practices), East Maidstone (11),Weald (15), Malling


(6) plus Tonbridge, TunbridgeWells and Sevenoaks. The CCG plans to support prac-


LEEDSCastlehasplans to shout its history more clearly as it steps to- wards its 900th birthday. The castle’s chief executive, Sir


DavidSteel, says: “We recognise that we have not been as good as we shouldin revealing the history of the castle, so we are beginning a huge programme to improve the presen- tation of the castle”. Aswell as improvements to Battel


Prescriptions under review Birth concerns WEST Kent CCG says it has iden- tified an increase in the number of serious incidents reported by Maid- stone and Tunbridge Wells hospi- tals’ maternity department. The department is now being in-


GPS are unlikely to prescribe med- icines which can be bought from pharmacies, supermarkets and other retailers. Savings will be redi- rected to other NHS services.The GP-led budget-holding West Kent CCG has approved the principle of creating a restricted list of over-the- counter medicines that should not be routinely prescribed. The cost of these medicines is estimated at more than £2m per year. Patients will also be encouraged


to self care for minor ailments and common conditions and seek ad- vice from pharmacists, saving


Hall – to “ensure our commitment to maintaining ancient Kent heritage endures” - the estate is also hoping to renovate Thorpe Hall and deco- rate a number of other rooms as it looks to continually refresh its offer for the 800,000 who visit the castle each year. Other work will include upgrad-


ing estate paths and further im- provements to theWoodlandWalk gardens, ahead of the castle’s mile- stone anniversary in 2019. The estate also hopes to open an


adult changing facility, for visitors with personal restrictions, alongside general improvements including masonrymaintenance, and upgrad- ing safety features such asprotection measures against fire – one of Sir


about 20% of GP time. These ail- ments include diarrhoea, constipa- tion, athlete’s foot, fever, cold sores, teething, nappy rash, mouth ulcers, haemorrhoids, oral and vaginal thrush, head lice, insect bites and stings, conjunctivitis, contact der- matitis, sore throat, , indigestion and heartburn, ear wax, warts and verrucaes, soft tissue injury, sca- bies, ring worm, mild acne, minor burns and scalds. In a survey 85% of people receiv-


ing such free prescriptions said they would buy them from a phar- macy if their GP asked them to.


David’s “en- during fears”. He


said: “These are but a


fewof themajorworks that are nec- essary to ensure that we are doing our best to fulfil our charitable com- mitments.” He added: “We aim always to re-


fresh what we have available to thosewho purchase a ticket. Things do not stand still at the castle.” He continued: “Each day, I read


what visitors think of us on TripAd- visor. I ampleased the vastmajority


will offer extended hours (including some weekend work), wider serv- ices, teams of nurses and allied health professionals, co-ordinated care and back office and estate effi-


Sir David Steel (below) is fo- cusing on plans for Leeds Cas- tle’s 900th birthday cele- brations


tices to ‘co-operate, collaborate and combine’ to integrate out-of- hospital care and deliver services at scale. Practice mergers could also be supported. The aim is that practices will maintain their identities and re- lationships with their patients. Clusters, with more GPs available,


Castle is keeping up to date with history


ciencies. The CCG will also prioritise and consider investment in new prem- ises where there is a need. The CCG says nothing has been defined yet on seven-day 8am-8pm working for practices and there is plenty of scope for collaboration in delivering extended hours. The focus is on consistency for patients and the key area is Saturday morn- ing access. Seven-day service is seen as a ‘natural direction of travel’ but the bestway to deliver for local peo- ple and professionals has still to be decided.


vestigated in depth. In June, the hospital trust re- ported an increase in Caesarean section births and 3rd/4th degree tear rates. TheCCGsays “further assurance


is required in a number of areas, in- cluding safety and information governance”. The Care Quality Commission is also investigating.


feel very positive towards the estate. Some are critical and we do every- thingwe can to try to put themright and remain immensely proud of the part that Leeds Castle plays in Kent.” The castle recently caused contro-


versy by converting to photo IDsea- son tickets to prevent “Facebook swapping” by local people. Themove sparked an angry back-


lash from former users who felt it was a “sledgehammer to crack a nut” and called for cheaper year- long entry for locals.


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Newpolicy on drugs will help to cut costs


GPS inMaidstone andWest Kent are to reduceprescribingmedicines whichcanbebought easily over the counter at pharmacies and super- markets. Insome cases, thiswillbe cheaper for patients thanNHS pre- scription charges. This policy only covers short


courses of treatment – not regular, long-termprescriptions. TheGP-ledNHSWestKentClini-


cal Commissioning Group(CCG), facing increasing budget pressures, says it spends about £1.7ma year on thesemedicines. A local survey revealed that 85%


of patients receiving these prescrip- tions would buy themfroma phar- macy if their GP asked them – but 15%said itwould be a problem. The CCG has nowapproved a re-


stricted list ofmedicines and a pub- licity campaign, which will include posters and leaflets in GP practices and pharmacies. Conditions commonly treated with over-the-countermedicines in-


clude:diarrhoea, constipation, acute pain, athlete’s foot, fever, oral and vaginal thrush, head lice, insect


bites/stings, conjunctivitis, contact dermatitis, sore throat, headache, in- digestion/heartburn, cold sores, teething, nappy rash, mouth ulcers, haemorrhoids, ear wax, warts, ver- rucaes, soft tissue injury, viral upper respiratory tract infections, scabies, ring worm, mild acne and minor burns/scalds. TheCCGhas agreed some clinical


exclusions are permitted at the dis- cretion of the prescriber and these include pregnancy, breastfeeding andage.Accessibility issueswill also be considered including disabilities, houseboundpatients, care home res- idents etc. There is also a west Kent “safety


net” in Pharmacy First which offers not just expert advice but also free medication for certain illnesses to peoplewho do not normally pay for prescriptions.


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Health News Ambulance


calls failure THElocal ambulance service, still in “special measures”, has recordeda “significantdeteriora- tion” in attending most urgent callswith an eight-minute target – from60.75%to 55.28%(July).


Improved


diagnoses SOME 60% of all cancers in the westKent areawerediagnosedat Stage 1 or 2 last year, a 4% im- provement and above the na- tional average.


Breaking


even? THEchief finance officer has in- formed the CCG it will only break even at the end of the fi- nancial year though “a contin- ued focus on cost containment and cost reduction”.


Flujabuptake


AS the NHS prepares for winter pressures all local GP practices are being encouraged to increase uptake of flu inoculations.


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26 30 Maidstone December 2017 Maidstone Weald October 2017 Maidstone December 2017 27


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