Latest news with #SuffolkandNorthEastEssexIntegratedCareBoard
ITV News
5 days ago
- Health
- ITV News
Suffolk health boss pledges to create 'oases in the dental deserts' - as campaigners stage demo
A health boss has pledged to create 'oases in the dental deserts' amid plans to spend tens of millions of pounds restoring access to NHS dentistry. The Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) plans to spend £76m over the next decade to expand dental services in five areas, including Leiston, Brandon, Bury St Edmunds and Tendring. Its Chief Executive Ed Garratt insists they are 'recovering' the situation, with tens of thousands of urgent appointments now available. "We are now delivering 60,000 appointments a year in Suffolk and north east Essex, so there's no need for DIY dentistry anymore locally, but we have inconsistent dental coverage across our patch," he said. "That will represent a £76 million investment over ten years for those communities, assuming the procurement is successful, we have budgeted for it. "We want to end dental deserts... we want to create oases in the desert. 'I think this is a national problem. We've taken up the mantle in recent years, and we are recovering the situation but there's been an issue with the dental contract and the retention and recruitment of dentists," he added. Mark Jones started the Toothless in Suffolk campaign four years ago, fed up with watching NHS dentists closing and rural communities left in pain. 'We've heard numerous stories of DIY dentistry where people have got a pair of pliers from the garden shed and extracted their own teeth," he said. "It's completely unacceptable. The stories are horrific, and they have long-term consequences. "Access to NHS dentistry continues to be a postcode lottery, out of reach for tens of thousands of men, women and children. They deserve better, much better," he added. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'This government inherited a broken NHS dental sector after years of neglect, but we are getting on with fixing it through our Plan for Change. 'We've already begun the rollout of 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments, and a 'golden hello' scheme is underway to recruit dentists to areas with most need – with hundreds of posts advertised. 'We will also reform the dental contract to make NHS work more appealing to dentists, and we've announced a national supervised toothbrushing programme to prevent tooth decay in young children.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Oliver McGowan training 'lifted scales from my eyes'
A senior doctor says he is shocked at how many deaths of people with learning disabilities and autism are "potentially preventable by really basic things". Dr Andrew Kelso is a consultant neurologist and the executive medical director at the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB). The ICB, which commissions all health services, has rolled out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism to its health and social care professionals. "That's the thing that keeps me awake at night," Dr Kelso told the BBC. "How little I knew before I went and how much I knew afterwards, and what a missed opportunity that might have been for me." The mandatory training - for all NHS staff who work with the public - is named after Oliver McGowan, an 18-year-old from Bristol who died in 2016 after he was given an anti-psychotic drug he was allergic to, despite repeated warnings from his parents. His mother Paula had lobbied for mandatory training to potentially "save lives". The NHS England target for the training is a third of staff. More than 70% of the SNEE ICB workforce have taken it, the highest in the region. In March 2024, there were 5,591 people with a learning disability or autism registered with a GP in Suffolk and North East Essex. Dr Kelso, a consultant specialising in epilepsy, said: "I thought I knew quite a lot about learning disability. "But the scales fell off my eyes when I was in the training and realised how much I didn't know - and that's in a career where I see people with learning disability all the time. "How many gaps are there in the knowledge of people that don't spend their entire career with learning disability and may just come across them every now and then? "That's the thing that keeps me awake at night, how little I knew before I went and how much I knew afterwards, and what a missed opportunity that might have been for me. And what a missed opportunity it might be for other clinicians." A Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) is published for each integrated care board, and analyses the lives and death of people with learning disabilities or autism. The SNEE ICB review said the life expectancy of someone with a learning disability or autism was 60 years old, 20 years below the rest of the population. It also pointed to aspiration pneumonia as a leading cause of death. According to Dr Kelso, aspiration pneumonia is "when the contents of your food go down your windpipe by mistake and introduce bacteria and sometimes chemicals in the lungs". He said understanding that someone may need more assistance could "markedly reduce the risk of someone with learning disability getting aspiration pneumonia and potentially reduce the risk of them dying". Owen Torence-Smith and Emile Eno-Daynes work with Ace Anglia, a disability advocacy service, to deliver the Oliver McGowan training, as people with lived experience of a learning disability and autism. Mr Torence-Smith, from Ipswich, has been educating healthcare professionals about autism for more than a year. "When I heard Oliver's story, it really hit me quite hard and I wanted to try and make a difference to avoid any more deaths," he said. "We're Oliver's voice, he hasn't got a voice. He lost his life. I'm doing this for him and for his mum and for his family." Mr Eno-Daynes, from Stowmarket, says he shares his personal experiences of living with a learning disability. "Some of the people training are really surprised at how I cope in day to day life," he said. "If this training wouldn't have happened there would have been more people with autism or learning disabilities in hospital having avoidable deaths. "This training is crucial." Being employed to deliver the training has given both Mr Torence-Smith and Mr Eno-Daynes paid employment and skills. This was the vision of Wendy Scott, the deputy director of nursing for learning disability and autism and clinical services at SNEE ICB. She designed how the ICB would deliver the mandatory training and commissioned Ace Anglia to employ trainers with learning disabilities and autism so they were fully supported. "There's a whole list of mandatory training in the NHS and it's a bit dry to be honest," Mrs Scott said. "They've absolutely loved it. It's because they're interacting with real people and their experience of the health service." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. NHS autism training mandatory after teen's death 'Lack of understanding' in autistic mental healthcare Call for action over learning disability deaths Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board Oliver McGowan Training
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Suffolk doctor says Oliver McGowan training saves lives
A senior doctor says he is shocked at how many deaths of people with learning disabilities and autism are "potentially preventable by really basic things".Dr Andrew Kelso is a consultant neurologist and the executive medical director at the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB). The ICB, which commissions all health services, has rolled out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism to its health and social care professionals. "That's the thing that keeps me awake at night," Dr Kelso told the BBC. "How little I knew before I went and how much I knew afterwards, and what a missed opportunity that might have been for me." The mandatory training - for all NHS staff who work with the public - is named after Oliver McGowan, an 18-year-old from Bristol who died in 2016 after he was given an anti-psychotic drug he was allergic to, despite repeated warnings from his mother Paula had lobbied for mandatory training to potentially "save lives".The NHS England target for the training is a third of staff. More than 70% of the SNEE ICB workforce have taken it, the highest in the region. In March 2024, there were 5,591 people with a learning disability or autism registered with a GP in Suffolk and North East Kelso, a consultant specialising in epilepsy, said: "I thought I knew quite a lot about learning disability. "But the scales fell off my eyes when I was in the training and realised how much I didn't know - and that's in a career where I see people with learning disability all the time. "How many gaps are there in the knowledge of people that don't spend their entire career with learning disability and may just come across them every now and then? "That's the thing that keeps me awake at night, how little I knew before I went and how much I knew afterwards, and what a missed opportunity that might have been for me. And what a missed opportunity it might be for other clinicians." 'Reduce the risk' A Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) is published for each integrated care board, and analyses the lives and death of people with learning disabilities or SNEE ICB review said the life expectancy of someone with a learning disability or autism was 60 years old, 20 years below the rest of the population. It also pointed to aspiration pneumonia as a leading cause of death. According to Dr Kelso, aspiration pneumonia is "when the contents of your food go down your windpipe by mistake and introduce bacteria and sometimes chemicals in the lungs".He said understanding that someone may need more assistance could "markedly reduce the risk of someone with learning disability getting aspiration pneumonia and potentially reduce the risk of them dying". 'We are Oliver's voice' Owen Torence-Smith and Emile Eno-Daynes work with Ace Anglia, a disability advocacy service, to deliver the Oliver McGowan training, as people with lived experience of a learning disability and autism. Mr Torence-Smith, from Ipswich, has been educating healthcare professionals about autism for more than a year."When I heard Oliver's story, it really hit me quite hard and I wanted to try and make a difference to avoid any more deaths," he said."We're Oliver's voice, he hasn't got a voice. He lost his life. I'm doing this for him and for his mum and for his family."Mr Eno-Daynes, from Stowmarket, says he shares his personal experiences of living with a learning disability."Some of the people training are really surprised at how I cope in day to day life," he said."If this training wouldn't have happened there would have been more people with autism or learning disabilities in hospital having avoidable deaths."This training is crucial." Being employed to deliver the training has given both Mr Torence-Smith and Mr Eno-Daynes paid employment and was the vision of Wendy Scott, the deputy director of nursing for learning disability and autism and clinical services at SNEE ICB. She designed how the ICB would deliver the mandatory training and commissioned Ace Anglia to employ trainers with learning disabilities and autism so they were fully supported."There's a whole list of mandatory training in the NHS and it's a bit dry to be honest," Mrs Scott said."They've absolutely loved it. It's because they're interacting with real people and their experience of the health service." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
28-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
East of England Ambulance Service to boost jobs in three counties
An ambulance trust which covers the East of England says it is adding another 99 frontline staff. The East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) financial and operational plans for the next 12 months were agreed by health commissioners this week. The trust said the extra roles would be created in its emergency operations centres in Bedford, Chelmsford and Norwich. A spokesperson for the trust said: "This will help us answer 999 calls faster, and improve response times." In a report to health commissioners, the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board said EEAST would need the posts if it was to meet its "category two" call-out targets, which require an ambulance to arrive within 30 current average is 34 ambulance trust, which has 5,000 staff, said the extra roles created would include call handlers to answer 999 calls and staff for its Clinical Advice Service. The advice service would support patients over the phone, freeing up ambulances to respond to more urgent calls.A warning notice was served to EEAST by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) earlier this month. It was issued the notice due to multiple failures in several areas, including staffing levels and call wait emergency service was rated as "requires improvement" after its last inspection in the time of the notice being served, on 15 March, EEAST said it had made "rapid improvements". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
