Professor Mike Holmes tells in this week's health column how a new health hub run by primary health provider Nimbuscare at Askham Bar in York has risen to the challenges posed by the increase in Strep A cases in children. 

 

"Nimbuscare has always been quick to respond and adapt to health needs and this week we saw how the Children’s Ambulatory Treatment (CAT) hub responded incredibly well to the increase in Group A streptococcus in children.

Our teams supported GP Practices offered additional appointments for babies and children to the Askham Bar clinics, quickly adding additional appointments and extending the service.

Many were understandably alarmed by the media reports so reassurance from experienced paediatric nurses and longer appointment times were invaluable.

The GP practices worked so well together to create additional urgent care hubs and incredibly short notice.

It feels like by working together with limited resource we are able to provide a pressure valve for the practices who continue to provide more appointments then ever as they attempt to meet the demands of the community.

This week York’s national Covid vaccination service comes to an end. Nimbuscare’s Askham Bar Community Care Centre will continue to deliver vital health services for the community, such as the Children’s Treatment Clinic.

We hope to hear shortly what other health services can be introduced at the site. We are welcoming interest from the national NHS team who will be visiting our Children’s service – other areas are beginning to replicate the service.

So, what’s happening next? Building on the success of the Covid vaccination programme and the relationships established across the city, we want to open more Community Care Centres across the city, in addition to Askham Bar and Acomb Garth.

Nimbuscare is planning to bring more health services to people, closer to where they live and is talking to the hospital trust and the local NHS about how and when this can be done. We’re hoping for news on this very soon.

We’re also keen to support people as they grow old, making sure they are as healthy as possible, keeping them out of hospital.

If we can support people before they become seriously ill, we can reduce the numbers of patients going into hospital.

We believe this is possible and have a long term plan to achieve this ambition.

Over Christmas and New year our services will continue to run at Askham Bar and Acomb Garth with just a short break over the bank holidays. Please find our opening hours on the Nimbuscare website.

Our main focus will be supporting General Practice and the people who work within it to meet the needs of the population over this difficult time.

Despite the huge increase in service demand I continue to be impressed by the level of commitment of our teams.

I have been privileged to speak to patient groups this week and help their understanding of the pressures we face in General Practice as well as other parts of the health and social care system.

I was able to stress to them that we are on their side, and working to make resources go as far as we can."