NHFT Together - Issue 3

Happy new year and welcome to your brand new edition of NHFT Together, the Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) magazine for our service users, colleagues, stakeholders and the wider population of our county.

Across the NHS, there is a firm focus on shifting health care and treatment away from hospitals and into communities - bringing services closer to where people live and helping to reduce the need for treatment in hospital.

For prison leaver Kyle*, the thought of returning to the community after a spell inside was a big worry. He was determined to get back on his feet and fit in with society on his release, but he wasn't sure where to start.

As the NHS continues to shift its national focus away from hospitals and into communities, more and more of the care and treatment we access will become centred within our local neighbourhoods.

A new community dementia assessment approach is delivering dramatic improvements to the way people in Northamptonshire access testing - and cutting waits for diagnosis from months to just a few days.

As NHS dental waiting lists continue to grow, the Salaried Primary Care Dental Services (SPCDS) team at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are stepping up to meet the challenge at St James Dental Clinic in Northampton.

When older and more vulnerable people need a stay in hospital after illness or injury, helping them to return home afterwards can be complicated - often because their care needs at home can't be met straight away.

When a child or young person has to be admitted for hospital treatment because of mental health problems, it can be an overwhelming experience for their families.

A brand new inpatient unit is now open in Northamptonshire, offering a friendly and supportive live-in environment for young people with mental health difficulties.

NHFT's work leading the transformation of mental health services for children and young people across the East Midlands has won national recognition with success in the prestigious Health Service Journal Awards.

NHFT is helping to pioneer a new way of supporting older people with osteoarthritis which researchers hope could make it easier for them to live with the condition.

Women in prison under the care of NHFT are being supported to get better access to potentially life-saving cancer screening - thanks to the determination and dedication of healthcare colleagues.

Nominations are opening soon for eight new NHFT governors - and anyone can apply if they are over the age of 16 and live in Northamptonshire, use our services or care for someone who does.

NHFT members, service users and members of the public are being invited to join a free webinar to find out more about the future of our organisation.

We caught up with NHFT Public Governor Marcella Daye about what it means to be a governor and why addressing health 
inequalities is so important.