Do you need local cancer support?

MACMILLAN Cancer Support's mobile information and support bus is coming to Merseyside, over 6 November to 9 November 2018. The team offers a service for anyone with questions about cancer. Visits in November coincide with lung cancer awareness month.

Debbie Smith, Macmillan Mobile Information and Support Service team lead in the North West, said:- "If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer, you may have questions and may not know where to go to get them answered. Macmillan is here for you. Our mobile bus is coming right into your community, with experts on board to give you cancer information and support that's confidential and specially tailored to you. We have information about a wide range of cancers; including lung. Whether you want to chat about symptoms, money worries or just want a listening ear, pop in and see us."

The service will be visiting:-

► Tuesday, 6 November 2018, Outside Poundworld, Stanley Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 3PT, from 10am to 4pm.

► Wednesday, 7 November (returning 12 December), Newtown Gardens, Kirkby, Knowsley, Merseyside, L32 8RR, from 9am to 12noon.

► Wednesday, 7 November (returning 12 December), The Croft, Stockbridge Village, Liverpool, L28 1NR, from 1pm to 4pm.

► Thursday, 8 November, Church Street (outside Clinton Cards), St Helens, WA10 1BD, 10am to 4.30pm.

► Friday, 9 November, Tesco, St Oswalds Street, Liverpool, L13 2BY, from 9am to 3pm.

There are around 46,700 new lung cancer cases in the UK every year, that's nearly 130 every day. The main symptoms of lung cancer include:-

► A cough that doesn't go away after 2 or 3 weeks.

► A long standing cough that gets worse.

► Persistent chest infections.

► Coughing up blood.

► An ache or pain when breathing or coughing.

► Persistent breathlessness.

► Persistent tiredness or lack of energy.

► Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss.

If you have any of these, you should see your GP. For more about the Macmillan Mobile Information and Support Service, visit:- MacMillan.Org.UK/MobileInfo.

Hundreds of people cared for closer to home thanks to new Ambulance Service role

HUNDREDS of people have avoided an unnecessary trip to Hospital thanks to a new Ambulance Service role dedicated to providing patients with the right care closer to home. Earlier this year, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) launched a pilot of a new Urgent Care Practitioner role. The 12 Nurses and Paramedics respond to patients who have called 999, but could possibly receive support and treatment in the community, rather than having to go to Hospital in an Emergency Ambulance.

Working on vehicles equipped to treat people on scene, the Urgent Care Practitioners ensure patients who can be cared for at home have all the help they need, referring them on to other local health services if required.

While Nurses have been part of the Ambulance workforce for a number of years, it is the 1st time they have been employed in NWAS in a role responding to patients.

Evaluation of the 1st few months of activity has showed that 72% of patients seen by the Urgent Care Practitioners have been provided with the right care, without needing an Emergency Ambulance to take them to Hospital, this is known as:- 'see and treat.'

The Urgent Care Practitioners also spend some of their time working in the 999 Control Centres, speaking to patients, on the telephone, to provide clinical self care advice; this is known as:- 'hear and treat.' Just over ½ (51%) of all the patients spoken to by the UCPs were supported over the phone without needing further Ambulance Service intervention.

In total, the pilot is estimated to have saved more than 1,000 Ambulance journeys during a 90 day period, which is approximately 1,625 hours or almost 68 full days of Emergency Ambulance time. This saving means Emergency Ambulance resources would have remained available to attend other, more serious incidents.

Nathan Garlick was an A&E Nurse before he joined NWAS to become an Urgent Care Practitioner in Greater Manchester. He said:- "I saw this job opportunity and immediately thought of the endless possibilities and immense potential. Nurses can make a huge difference to way pre-Hospital care is delivered in the future and it's great to see the Ambulance Service responding to the changing needs of the public. We can conduct a holistic assessment of the patient's needs, looking at their health, social and wellbeing needs and how we can improve our patient's lives. We use every opportunity to promote health and self-care. We're getting a really excellent reception from patients, their relatives and other health care professionals and every day I get 100% job satisfaction."

The pilot evaluation follows the recent publication of the Lord Carter review which said that the NHS could free up millions of pounds if Ambulance Services were able to:- 'see and treat' more patients.

Mark Newton, Assistant Director of Transformation, said:- "The findings from the Urgent Care Practitioner pilot are really encouraging. People deserve to get the right care, at the right time, in the right place, every time and for many, that doesn't necessarily mean an Emergency Ambulance to the nearest A&E department. The Urgent Care Practitioner pilot is just 1 of the initiatives we've been working on to ensure we're well placed to provide that right care closer to home and working together with local health care providers to support more patients in the community. This helps to keep Ambulance resources free to respond more quickly to life threatening emergencies."

For more information follow the Urgent Care Practitioners on Twitter.