Putting Barnsley people first...
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The holiday season is upon us and we’ve got lots of bank holiday days throughout the season this year. Find out how to book GP appointments and which pharmacies are open near you this Christmas and New Year.
The Barnsley booster vaccination programme has seen a record response but health and care leaders worry others may not realise the importance of coming forward as soon as possible.
Latest Barnsley figures show that more than eight in ten eligible people, over the age of 50, have now had their booster vaccine, with over 108,000 Barnsley people in total now having had theirs. However, health and care bosses are now urging eligible people, including those under 50, to come forward and get their booster over this next week.
The Barnsley NHS GP vaccination service announces a large-scale pop-up clinic to help vaccinate the estimated 90,000 across the borough who will be eligible for their booster before the end of December 2021.
The new pop-up vaccine clinic at Barnsley Metrodome will be open for walk-in booster appointments at 11am on Thursday 16 December 2021. It will be there for a time limited period until the end of December to help with the national announcement that all eligible adults aged 18 or over should be offered the booster vaccine by December 31 2021.
Health and care organisations across Barnsley and South Yorkshire are prioritising the recruitment of additional staff and resilience of services this winter due to the ongoing high levels of COVID-19 infection rates and the impact that has had on services.
Social care workers are set to receive a long-awaited pay increase four months early thanks to a landmark £15million pound agreement between health and care organisations across South Yorkshire.
Gavin Boyle confirmed as Designate Chief Executive of South Yorkshire’s Integrated Care Board
Following an extensive recruitment process, Gavin Boyle has been appointed as the new Chief Executive designate of the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (SYICB).
From 7am today (Monday 22 November), people aged 40 to 49 will be able to book their booster vaccines and 16 and 17-year-olds can make appointments for their second jabs.
Message from Mel John-Ross, Executive Director of Children’s Services at Barnsley Council and Jamie Wike, Chief Operating Officer, Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group.
Around 61 care homes have already been visited while a further 15 homes have visits scheduled within the coming days and weeks, as part of the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme.
With all of the homes either visited or with visits booked, local GP, community nursing and pharmacy teams are working to make sure that the remaining care homes can book their booster vaccine clinic as soon as possible, as the NHS rollout intensifies ahead of winter.
As we head into winter, we want to share with you some of the challenges and opportunities facing NHS and care services, and how together, we can all help each other.
The way Barnsley people have responded flexibly to the NHS throughout the past 18 months has been amazing and we still need your help.
The pandemic is not over. Rates remain high, people continue to die from COVID-19, and others are experiencing long-COVID. It is still having an impact on all aspects of people’s lives and we certainly see it still in health and care services.
There are some simple things that would make a real difference to making sure that everybody gets the care they need.
Herbert Barker, the first man in Barnsley to have the COVID-19 vaccine back in December 2020, kicked off the booster campaign in Barnsley on Wednesday, 29 September.
The team will vaccinate 500 people on the first day of booster roll out from the Priory Campus site in Lundwood.
Andrea Parkin, head of the GP vaccination service in Barnsley said: "Whilst we never underestimated the enormity of the task to vaccinate and protect our Barnsley population, few of us imagined that we would still be vaccinating at such a large scale 10 months later. Since we started, we’ve given over 260,000 vaccines in Barnsley which is phenomenal.
Invitations to book a COVID booster jab will be sent to one and a half million people this week as the NHS vaccination programme enters a new phase ahead of winter.
Millions of vulnerable people are to be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine from next week as the government confirms it has accepted the final advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
- Millions of UK’s most vulnerable to be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine from next week
- UK accepts advice from the independent JCVI on who to prioritise for a booster dose
- Further details on deployment to be set out in due course
The programme will be rolled out to the same priority groups as previously. This means care home residents, health and social care workers, people aged over 50, those aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19, adult carers, and adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals will be prioritised.
The Barnsley NHS GP COVID-19 vaccination service is joining up with Barnsley College to run clinics on-site for students and staff during September (20th & 27th).
The clinics will be open for any students and staff who want their first vaccine.
In a little over a month since Barnsley 16 and 17-year-olds were offered the vaccine, over half of them have already come forward to have theirs. Those aged 18 to 24 have now also passed the uptake rate of some of the older age groups with more than 7 out of 10 now having had their first dose.
The clinics at Barnsley College will offer an additional opportunity for those starting back this term to get their vaccine.
GP and Pharmacy opening times in Barnsley for Bank holiday Monday, 30th August 2021.
NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is asking patients of Brierley Medical Centre to share their experiences of GP services to help inform future plans for the practice.
Barnsley Football Club's Brad Collins, Aapo Halme, Jordan Williams and Matty Wolfe were amongst those that visited Priory Campus, Lundwood, to obtain their first vaccine last week.
Reds Goalkeeper, Brad Collins, said: “Everyone at the Club has worked so hard over the last 12 months to fight against this virus and it’s now great that the vaccine has been so successful.
“I understand some may have reservations about needles, but I didn’t really feel anything. It was a simple and easy process.”
The Barnsley NHS GP vaccination service vaccinated over 300 people at the first drop-in clinic to be run in Barnsley town centre last Saturday (19th June).
The vaccination team will be holding another drop-in clinic on Saturday 26th June in Dodworth for people age 25 to 40 who need their 1st dose.
The local GP Covid-19 vaccination service in Barnsley has added the appointments for its clinics to the national NHS booking system which are now available online or by calling 119.
Local GP vaccination centres, like the ones run from Priory Campus in Lundwood, have had their own booking systems in place but from this week (8/6/21) people will see the Barnsley GP vaccination centre appear when they go to book, or manage, their appointment online, or call 119.
The vaccine service has also opened up this week to people aged 25 or over.
The NHS Covid vaccination programme, the biggest in health service history and the most precise in the world, will open Thurs 13th May to people in their thirties.
The NHS in Barnsley has confirmed that one third of adults across the borough have now had both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Latest data shows that 71,073 Barnsley adults had received their first and second dose of the jab with more than two thirds of adults having already had their first jab.
People aged 56 to 59 are being invited to book a life-saving Covid vaccine this week as the NHS vaccination programme, the biggest in health service history, continues to gather pace.
Latest figures show that by the end of February almost 70,000 people in Barnsley have now had their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Read on for the latest update on the vaccine programme.
The Barnsley Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP) is calling on members of the public to help identify any children who may be experiencing harm or neglect, to support the safeguarding work undertaken all year round by organisations in the BSCP.
This week marks a big step in the vaccination programme. We had a huge push over the past couple of weeks to make sure we offered the vaccine to everyone over 70, and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable and have had the letter to shield. It’s important to know that if you are in these groups, and you couldn’t or didn’t want your vaccine when you were contacted, you can still come forward and have one.
Dr Mehrban Ghani and James Barker from Barnsley Healthcare Federation send thanks to the many volunteers who are supporting the Barnsley NHS vaccination centres.
Care home residents and staff across Barnsley have been receiving their COVID-19 vaccines this month, after the arrival of the Oxford vaccine into the borough.
The Oxford vaccine can be transported more easily, which means that general practice teams have been able to go out to care homes for older adults and vaccinate both residents and staff.
The COVID-19 vaccination programme has gained further momentum in Barnsley this week as over 70 staff from Mapplewell Manor Care Home became the first care home staff in the borough to receive the ground-breaking vaccine at Barnsley’s GP-led vaccination service in Goldthorpe.
Opening times for GP practices and iHEART Barnsley GP services through the Christmas period 2020.
The COVID-19 vaccination programme started in Barnsley today as 83-year old Herbert Barker, from Wombwell, became the first resident to receive the ground-breaking vaccine at Barnsley’s GP-led vaccination service. This comes as the rollout of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history gains further momentum.
Barnsley is one of the hundreds of local vaccination services run by family doctors and their teams which will open across England this week, as the roll out of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history gains further momentum.
Adults between the age of 50 and 64 will be able to get their free flu vaccine during December and into next year in the next phase of the expanded flu vaccination programme in Barnsley.
NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group is rated as outstanding for a third year.
Dr Nick Balac, Chair of Barnsley CCG, on how health services have adapted to a host of new challenges
Falls Prevention Week is back on Monday 21 September to help residents to understand just how serious the risk of falls is for people aged 65 and over.
Barnsley health workers have already had a positive start to the flu vaccination programme this year as they aim to vaccinate more than 100,000 people during this flu season.
The expanded flu vaccination programme is part of plans to ready the NHS – both for the risk of a second peak of coronavirus cases, and to relieve winter pressures on A&E and emergency care.
Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital to become primary treatment centre for South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw COVID-19 patients.
Barnsley GP, Dr Saxena, retires at the end of August after 20 years working from her surgeries in Cudworth and Grimethorpe.
If you need medical help, the NHS is still here for you.
Each year, global celebrations take place on International Nurses Day, which is traditionally held on 12 May, the anniversary of the birth of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale.
This year’s celebrations were set to be extra special because 2020 has been designated the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.
Barnsley CCG's chief nurse Jayne Sivakumar tell us how this year we'll be shining a light on the fantastic work of nurses across the whole of Barnsley and beyond.
Dr Kadarsha, GP lead for cancer at Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group, is urging people not to ignore any unexplained changes to their body or concerns which could indicate the presence of cancer. Please don’t put off contacting your GP during the Covid-19 crisis.
Emergency children’s surgery in South Yorkshire, Bassetlaw and Chesterfield is being brought together at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, as all hospital trusts work together in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. The move will impact children up to the age of 16 who would currently receive emergency surgery at Barnsley, Doncaster, Chesterfield and Rotherham hospitals. The exception is children who have very time-critical conditions, who will still be taken to their nearest hospital if it is safe to do so.
This does not alter A&E arrangements. Please continue to take your child to the nearest A&E if they need urgent treatment.
A new service has launched in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw to provide bereavement support for those affected by coronavirus.
Dr Nick Balac writes on the front of Barnsley Chronicle today, highlighting the way services are changing to keep patients and staff safe.
Information on GP and pharmacy services across Barnsley borough over Easter Bank Holiday.
Above all the things I do as a GP one thing is usually top of the list - offering reassurance. Now, more than in any time I’ve ever known as a doctor, it is as important as ever.
Our local GP practices and pharmacies are the places we visit most when we have a health problem. Until coronavirus arrived, GPs and primary care nurses alone across England, saw and treated around 1.2 million patients per day. That gives you an idea of the scale of how our NHS services work. And so during these current times, I’ve no doubt that many people will be feeling unsure and anxious as those very services we rely on have to change.
South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System (ICS), of which Barnsley CCG is a partner, has unveiled plans to significantly invest and improve healthcare for local people – including aims to significantly reduce the number of preventable deaths and illness that are caused by smoking, obesity and mental illness.
The South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Five Year Plan outlines the key areas where £129 million of new indicative funding will be concentrated to address significant healthcare challenges and inequalities in the region.
People in Barnsley experiencing common mental health conditions are being encouraged to seek help from a team of local NHS specialists.
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), run by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, helps people get quick and easy access to the best type of therapy for common mental health conditions such as anxiety, stress and depression
GP appointments and pharmacy services are available in Barnsley over the Christmas period this year. Find out more.
Statement from Julia Burrows, Director of Public Health at Barnsley Council and Dr Nachi Arunachalam, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control at Public Health England Yorkshire and the Humber
“Barnsley Council and Public Health England are informing residents across South Yorkshire of a recall of dairy products from Darwin’s Dairy.
“As a precautionary measure, we have advised Darwin’s Dairy to recall all milk, (whole milk, skimmed and semi-skimmed) and cream products currently in circulation. This became necessary after a potential processing problem was identified with the pasteurisation process that could have affected some milk and cream products that could still be stored in people’s fridges."
Barnsley CCG along with other NHS organisations and Barnsley Council will be supporting this year’s Stay Well This Winter Campaign, of which the first phase is flu immunisation.
South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System – which is working to join-up and improve healthcare services across the region – has unveiled its priorities for the next five years and is seeking feedback on the proposals.
Women in Barnsley will now be able to access cervical screening appointments in Barnsley at evening and weekends, in a drive to help women get appointments at a time most suitable to them.
A new campaign aimed at raising awareness about preventable sight loss will launch during National Eye Health Week, which takes place from Monday 23 to Sunday 29 September.
#Seeitmyway has been developed by The Barnsley Vision Strategy Group, in response to Public Health England figures which show that Barnsley has the worst rate of preventable sight loss in the country.
Barnsley CCG receives a Green Star rating in the Improvement and Assessment Framework Patient and Community Engagement Indicator 2018/19 Assessment.
NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for planning and buying healthcare services for around 240,000 people across Barnsley, is rated as outstanding for a second consecutive year and is recognised for its continued high standards and performance.
Eight local health and care teams were announced as winners of the first ever South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw AHP Awards including two from Barnsley.
The awards, run by the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System (ICS) celebrated innovative projects led by a range of Allied Health Professions (AHPs) across the region.
Barnsley CCG is supporting a call by South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System (ICS), which would like to hear from anyone who has been bereaved from or affected by suicide and who would like to share their views.
South Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau along with Barnsley CVS, and with support from Barnsley Town Hall and BMBC, are proud to be bringing this free event to Barnsley. It will be an opportunity to showcase Barnsley to the rest of the Yorkshire & Humber region – and also to the several national funders that will be in attendance.
Barnsley CVS and NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are holding an event to look at plans to improve health and wellbeing in the coming years. They want ideas from charities, voluntary groups and community organisation.
A GP practice in Lundwood has held an out-of-hours service for local women to fit their cervical screening appointments around their busy schedules.
The Lundwood Practice held the clinic between 5 and 8pm in order to book appointments for patients who were overdue the check. The practice contacted the women who were registered with the centre and offered them a convenient appointment.
Cervical screening is offered to women from the age of 25 but uptake of this potentially life-saving check-up is lowest in the 25-49 year age group. In Barnsley only 74% of women this age attend their appointments.
Barnsley is set to be transformed into a giant game through June and July as thousands of residents compete to see if their school, community or business can walk, run, push, scoot or cycle the furthest.
Running from 5 June to 17 July, Beat the Street is a free, fun challenge where people are rewarded with points and prizes for exploring their town and getting active.
More than 200 special sensors called ‘Beat Boxes’ will appear on lampposts across Barnsley. Players tap the Beat Boxes with cards and fobs to track their journey and earn points for themselves and their team – the more Beat Boxes people tap during a journey, the more points they earn.