Local authorities across the North East have joined forces and are working alongside the NHS to change the lives of people with anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition which results in around 20 deaths each year in the UK.
It is estimated that one in 300 people will experience anaphylaxis at some time in their life. In the North East in 2019 there were 76 cases of anaphylaxis under the age of 18 and one fatality.
A common cause of anaphylaxis is the consumption of or exposure to food allergens – most commonly in peanuts, tree nuts, cow’s milk, egg, fish and shellfish, and sesame seeds/sesame oil.
An allergic reaction can include:
If you have bought or consumed food that you or a family member had an allergic reaction to, please report this as soon as possible after experiencing the allergic symptoms. You can report your concerns online via www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/allergic-reactions (or scan the QR code on the poster here). This is the single point of contact for the North East hosted by Redcar & Cleveland Council.
Your local authority will then investigate your concern in order to help reduce food allergy-related illness and deaths.
For more information on food allergies visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/food-allergy
More information on allergens in food can be found in this video:
Since January 31 2024, community pharmacies have been able to treat referred patients for minor illnesses or for an urgent repeat medicine supply.
The Pharmacy First service enables patients to be referred into community pharmacy for a minor illness or an urgent repeat medicine supply. It enables community pharmacies to complete episodes of care for the following seven common conditions following defined clinical pathways:
Healthwatch South Tyneside wants to understand how well this change to service delivery is working and support communication to our communities to ensure they are getting the best service
available.
We have published an online survey to understand:
We also want to obtain feedback from those needing prescriptions, especially those who face challenges in their daily environment such as those with a disability or lack of access to their own transport.
The Healthwatch team will additionally visit pharmacies to review how they are approaching and delivering the new service, including promotion of the service to those who may need it. We’ll also share the survey through our existing monthly information stalls as well as focus groups to gather feedback from our communities.
In order to reach ‘seldom heard’ communities including the elderly and those with a disability, we will prioritise gaining insights from community groups to identify gaps in data and knowledge.
We will collaborate with the ‘A Better You’ network and South Tyneside’s Local Pharmacy Network to aid our understanding of the impact on health care professionals and the services they are delivering.
You can complete the survey online here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZXRBJSJ
If you would prefer a hard copy please contact us by emailing info@healthwatchsouthtyneside.co.uk or calling 0191 489 7952.
Patients will benefit from over 8.3m more appointments each year as over 1,000 doctors surgeries receive a bricks and mortar upgrade to modernise practices.
Backed by the government’s major cash injection of over £102m, over 1,000 GP surgeries will receive vital funding to create additional space to see more patients, boost productivity and improve patient care, following years of neglect.
The list published by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) includes Mayfield Medical Group in Jarrow and Whitburn Surgery.
Right now, many GP surgeries could be seeing more patients, but do not have enough room or the right facilities to accommodate them. From creating new consultation and treatment rooms to making better use of existing space, these quick fixes will help patients across the country be seen faster.
This represents the biggest investment in GP facilities in five years and is only possible because of the difficult choices made by the government to invest £26 billion into the NHS. It is another measure helping the government shift care out of hospital and into the community, as part of its Plan for Change.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “It will be a long road, but this government is putting in the work to fix our NHS and make it fit for the future. These are simple fixes for our GP surgeries but for too long they were left to ruin, allowing waiting lists to build and stopping doctors treating more patients.
“It is only because of the necessary decisions we took in the Budget that we are able to invest in GP surgeries, start tackling the 8am scramble and deliver better services for patients. The extra investment and reform this government is making, as part of its Plan for Change, will transform our NHS so it can once again be there for you when you need it.”
In Norwich, Prospect Medical Practice – serving nearly 7,000 patients in some of the city’s most deprived areas – will create new clinical rooms to deliver more patient consultations.
In the Black Country, vacant office spaces in Harden Health Centre will be converted into clinical consulting rooms, allowing more patient access to primary care.
Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services, said: “We know more needs to be done to improve patient access to general practice and this investment in over 1,000 primary care premises will help do this.
“Bringing GP premises up to a similar condition across England is important to improve patient experience of NHS services, while making primary care a better working environment as we seek to retain and recruit more staff.
“It will also help to create additional space and extend the capacity of current premises as we improve access further and bring care closer to the communities where people live as part of the 10 Year Health Plan.”
Lord Darzi’s independent report found that outdated, inefficient buildings create barriers to delivering high-quality patient care and reduce staff productivity. Today’s boost will tackle this, to make services fit for the future.
Lord Ara Darzi said: “My review found that the primary care estate is simply not fit for purpose, with many GP surgeries housed in inflexible, outdated buildings that cannot enable safe, high-quality care. Today’s investment marks a crucial turning point in addressing this long-standing issue, helping create the modern, purpose-built primary care facilities that patients and staff deserve.”
This is the first national capital fund for primary care estates since 2020 and part of a comprehensive package of GP support, alongside recruiting 1,500 additional GPs and reducing bureaucracy.
Projects will be delivered during the 2025 to 2026 financial year, with the first upgrades expected to begin in summer 2025.
Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association, said: “Today’s investment in improving GP surgeries is a much-needed step towards better access to care closer to home.
“Our reporting shows nearly one-third of patients struggle to book GP appointments, and we have long highlighted what matters in healthcare facilities: truly accessible spaces where everyone receives care with dignity. The potential for 8.3m additional appointments from these refurbishments will make a real difference to communities waiting for care.
“Crucially, it delivers on what patients themselves have called for: modern, accessible spaces that support high-quality care. We look forward to seeing these upgrades rolled out, with a continued focus on ensuring patients everywhere get timely support in settings that support their dignity. This investment represents a meaningful step toward realising what patients have long been asking for.”
Ruth Rankine, Primary Care Director at the NHS Confederation, said: “GPs and their teams welcome this vital capital funding to modernise premises to deliver high-quality care, closer to home and fit for the 21st century.
“Primary care is the front door of the health service and has been managing increasing demand, yet a historic lack of capital funding in estates has been one of the biggest barriers to improving productivity and creating buildings suitable for modern health care – with a fifth of GP estates pre-dating the NHS and half more than 30 years old.
“If we are serious about shifting care from hospital to community, from sickness to prevention, and from analogue to digital, then sustained investment in primary and community estates, equipment and technology is vital.”
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Our last survey of members found that 2 in 5 GPs considered their premises unfit for purpose. This not only makes for a poor experience for both patients and practice staff, but it restricts the care and services a practice can provide. Nearly 90% of respondents to our survey said their practice did not have enough consulting rooms, and three-quarters did not have enough space to take on additional GP trainees.
“Today’s announcement is an encouraging interim measure that shows the government is listening and acknowledges that inadequate GP infrastructure needs to be addressed. We now need to see this followed up by further long-term investment. These upgrades complement the government’s wider NHS reforms, recognising that investment alone is not enough and fundamental reform is essential to fix our broken healthcare system.”
The government is:
Together, these changes free up clinicians’ time and bring care closer to home.
This is just the beginning of the transformation of primary care. Through our 10 Year Health Plan more care will be shifted out of hospitals and into communities where patients can access it more easily.
This government is going further and faster than ever to turn around the NHS, making it fit for the future. Over 3.1m elective appointments have already been delivered since July 2024, six months ahead of schedule.
See the full list of supported schemes in the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund 2025 to 2026.
Source: DHSC: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gp-surgery-refurbs-to-enable-over-8-million-more-appointments–2
Dr Sean Fenwick is the Trust’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Operations.
He said: “We’ve just seen a busy time over the Easter weekend, where our emergency and urgent care teams worked around the clock to help those most in need. Now we’re looking ahead, with two more long weekends coming up during May.
“We want to make sure people are prepared as they can be so that can enjoy the longer weekends and have everything they need at hand in case they do need to treat themselves if they feel unwell or have a minor injury.
“If anyone needs health advice while their GP surgery is closed or if it’s out hours, NHS 111 Online is a good place to check for information. It is also a good place to check where is best to get care, should they need help.
“This is also a good time for anyone who gets medicines on repeat prescription to check to make sure they have enough to see them through into next month. It can take three days to get a prescription through your GP, so make sure you give them plenty of time to help.
“Pharmacies will be open during the weekend and there are details about which ones are open during the bank holiday Mondays. They’re always a good place to get advice and the online listings help save time if you need to check which ones are open.
“Our A&Es and Urgent Treatment Centres make it their priority to treat those who are most unwell or seriously injured first, so others may face a long wait to be seen or be asked to seek treatment elsewhere.
“That’s why we want people to think about the right place to find help when they are hurt or ill and do their bit to help keep the emergency departments for those who need them most.”
Medicine essentials include:
To find details of your nearest pharmacy and opening times click here: Find a pharmacy
For children’s health advice, people can access The Little Orange Book which covers a wide range of illnesses in children from common minor ailments including teething, constipation, and colds, through to more serious conditions. Click here to download The Little Orange Book
A 999 call should be made if anyone is in a life-threatening emergency and requires emergency care. British Sign Language (BSL) speakers can make a BSL video call to 999. Deaf people can use 18000 to contact 999 using text relay.
Anyone in need of urgent mental health support can call 111 and select the mental health option.
Help is on hand for anyone who has concerns about alcohol. There is lots of help available, including from GPs. Support is also available through local alcohol support services or through Drinkline freephone on 0300 123 1110 or Alcoholics Anonymous: 0845 769 7555.
Monday May 5
Asda pharmacy, North Road, Boldon Colliery, NE35 9AR
10am – 4pm
Monday May 26
Asda pharmacy, North Road, Boldon Colliery, NE35 9AR
10am – 4pm
Monday May 5
Asda pharmacy, Coronation Street, South Shields, NE33 1AZ
10am – 4pm
Monday May 26
Asda pharmacy, Coronation Street, South Shields, NE33 1AZ
10am – 4pm
Sources:
https://www.northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk/news/may-bank-holiday-pharmacy-opening-hours-2025/
Men face unique challenges throughout their lives:
The Government will use your ideas and evidence to help inform the strategy.
Healthwatch England chief executive Louise Ansari said: “We welcome the government’s call for evidence and would strongly urge men from all walks of life and backgrounds to have their say.
“Men experience vastly different life expectancies, based on whether they live in deprived or well-off areas. They are often diagnosed with cancer in later stages of life, and experience disparities based on ethnicity, such as the disproportionate detention of Black men in mental health wards.
“It’s important that these men – and their partners, family members and other important people in their lives – help shape the solutions to tackle these inequalities, in the same way that 100,000 people shaped the Women’s Health Strategy.”
The Government want to hear from anyone aged 16 and over and who lives in England.
An easy-read and British Sign Language version of the call for evidence will be made available.
If you want to respond, make sure you do so by 11:59pm on 17 July 2025.
Tell the Government your views
Source: https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/news/2025-04-24/mens-health-strategy-england-share-your-views
The postal regulator has today closed its public consultation to reform the universal postal delivery service, with changes to be announced this summer.
Since the beginning of the consultation, they have worked with Royal Mail and NHS and patient organisations to ensure that proposed changes improve timely delivery of NHS letters.
The improvements include:
Last year, NHS and patient groups raised their concerns with Royal Mail and Ofcom following plans to delay bulk mail of NHS appointment letters last year.
In the open letter, the health leaders, joined by Royal Mail, have shared how they have worked together to meet the needs of the public and the NHS, as well as pledging to ensure that any future reform reflects the needs of the NHS and patients.
Emma Gilthorpe, Chief Executive, Royal Mail, said: “We understand the vital importance of NHS letters to all our customers. We have put the needs of the NHS at the heart of our Universal Service reform proposals, ensuring we can deliver a range of service options for appointments and results sent by GPs surgeries, NHS bodies and hospitals across the country. We have also been working with NHS providers and patient groups to ensure the timely delivery of identifiable medical letters and welcome the truly collaborative approach taken.”
Saffron Cordery, Interim Chief Executive of NHS Providers, said: “NHS trusts know the important role that letters play in patient care. It’s important that letters reach people on time so they aren’t missing appointments or at risk of losing their place in the queue for care, and not everyone can go online or has a smartphone. By working together we can make changes that meet the needs of patients and the NHS, including cutting trusts’ costs at a time when budgets are stretched to the limit.”
Louise Ansari, Chief Executive at Healthwatch England, said: “We have been delighted to work with Royal Mail and other health partners to make sure that people’s experiences of delayed letters have been listened to and addressed. Delayed delivery of letters is a frustrating admin issue people share with us. Recent research shows that 1 in 5 people received an invitation to an appointment by letter or text after the date of their appointment [3].
“Whether missing important appointments or vital test results, letters arriving late can be a patient safety risk, and often puts the burden on people to chase essential communications themselves. We hope these changes lead to improvements for patients and NHS teams.”
Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association, said: “For some patients, receiving timely written correspondence is extremely important to their care experience. When information flows as it should between patients and healthcare providers, it creates the foundation for genuine shared decision-making and more effective, safer care that works for all patients. We’re committed to ensuring patients receive important health information in the way that works for them without delay. When patients and providers can communicate effectively and reliably, everyone benefits from safer, more personalised care.”
Jacob Lant, Chief Executive, National Voices, said: “It’s vital that patients can chose how best to communicate with the NHS and for many postal letters are essential to how they do that, especially for those that may struggle to understand or access online alternatives such as the NHS app.
“We know this Government is committed to reducing elective waiting times equitably and yet basic admin errors like delayed post can have a huge impact on whether this can be achieved. People with caring responsibilities, facing transport difficulties or with inflexible work roles need time to plan how to attend an appointment, so we hope this change in how Royal Mail manages NHS post will reduce the number of times patients hear about appointments or treatment when it is too late to attend.”
April 10 2025
Dear Ms Dawes,
As Ofcom consults on proposals to reform the universal postal service, Royal Mail, NHS England, NHS Providers, Healthwatch England, National Voices and the Patients Association are writing to set out how we have been working together to ensure that any changes do not lead to worse outcomes or experiences for patients, and that the needs of the public and NHS organisations are met.
Reform of the universal service The Ofcom consultation sets out why change is needed to modernise the postal service whilst protecting the choice of price, speed and reliability for everyone across the country. Alongside reforms to protect the financial sustainability of the universal service, Royal Mail is also working to drive improvements in quality and reliability of services to meet the needs of all postal users.
There is an increasing move towards digital NHS communications via email, texts, telephone or the NHS App. However letters remain crucial, particularly for those who may be digitally excluded for a variety of reasons.
The late delivery of NHS letters puts people at risk of missing important test results, time-critical appointment information, and any last minute changes to their appointments. Along with patient safety risks, missed appointments are costly to the NHS and disrupt the delivery of care to other patients.
While we recognise that public feedback to Healthwatch England, National Voices and the Patients Association highlights experiences of people in England not being sent important NHS correspondence in a timely fashion, we also want to set out the work being done to deliver for the NHS and patients.
Since Ofcom published its call for input on the future of the universal postal service in January 2024, we have been working together to understand the impact of the proposed reforms to the postal service and to ensure that these changes deliver for the NHS and patients. NHS organisations use a wide variety of postal services, with no standardised approach. Royal Mail and the NHS have therefore been working together to ensure NHS organisations continue to have a choice of both price and speed when sending letters, and to improve how NHS letters are sent to patients across the UK.
Reliability is of vital importance to NHS providers and patients, and whilst all mail is important, not all is urgent. NHS providers recognise that they must ensure they are sending patients’ post out within the right timeframe and it is up to them to determine what service they use to enable that.
To help with this, NHS England and NHS Providers have produced guidance for NHS organisations, including a case study, to increase awareness and uptake of the variety of Royal Mail services for the timely delivery of NHS letters.
We are also pleased to announce that we have mutually agreed the introduction of a new Royal Mail NHS-specific barcode. Where Royal Mail quality of service performance targets are not being met, this barcode will mitigate the impact on NHS letters by helping to optimise their delivery at times of local and national disruption.
Ofcom has set out its regulatory process on universal service reform, with a decision expected in summer 2025.
While we are not pre-empting any decisions Ofcom may make, we, the undersigned, will continue to look at ways to improve how we work together to ensure that any reform reflects the needs of the NHS and patients.
Our priority remains that NHS patients receive their post on time and ensuring the NHS has a choice of price and speed of delivery.
Yours sincerely,
Emma Gilthorpe, Chief Executive, Royal Mail
Chris Hopson, Chief Strategy Officer, NHS England
Saffron Cordery, Interim Chief Executive, NHS Providers
Louise Ansari, Chief Executive, Healthwatch England
Jacob Lant, Chief Executive, National Voices
Rachel Power, Chief Executive, The Patients Association
Cc. Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Jonathan Reynolds MP, Secretary of State for Business and Trade
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