We will be meeting between 6pm and 7:30pm on Wednesday, 30th July 2014 at 6pm at the lower meering room (down steps from car park) behind Wycliffe Baptist Church, Cemetery Junction. Our main topic will be a presentation and diiscussion on the Royal Berkshire Hospital Foundation Trust's development plan, led by John Taylor, Acting Commercial Director. We will collect comments on the CCG's Plan On A Page for 2014-15. There will also be an opportunity to raise matters relating to practice participation groups and patient experience.

Have you got a health experience to tell the NHS? Or want to read other people's stories about the NHS? Just go to the Patient Opinion website. To see a video about this web site click here

We will be meeting between 6pm and 7:30pm on Wednesday, 30th July 2014 at 6pm at the lower meeting room (down steps from car park) behind Wycliffe Baptist Church, Cemetery Junction. Our main topic will be a presentation and diiscussion on the Royal Berkshire Hospital Foundation Trust's development plan, led by John Taylor, Acting Commercial Director. We will collect comments on the CCG's Plan On A Page for 2014-15. There will also be an opportunity to raise matters relating to practice participation groups and patient experience.

A study by the Royal College of Surgeons shows that in 2010-11 some CCGs provided no surgery to over-75 year old patients for a number of prevalent conditions. This finding raises the concern that an informal, and since last year, illegal curb has been placed on such surgery. For example, in 2010-11 Bradford City CCG commissioned no surgery for breast cancer excision, for gall bladder removal or for knee replacement. While there is always a balance of risk and benefit with surgery the study shows wide variation between CCG areas. For further information read the report in the Daily Telegraph or the original Royal College of Surgeons report.

The CQC has issued its report on its inspection of the Royal Berkshire Hospital Their overall rating was "requires improvement". A&E, End of Life care and services for children and young people were rated as good while medical, surgical, maternity and critical care were rated with "requires improvement". Areas found to be of outstanding practice were: 
 

1. Caring interventions and support for families in the Intensive Care Unit
2. The childrens' A&E department
3. Consultant geriatricians worked in the A&E department from 8am to 8pm seven days a week.

The venerable Washington-based Commonwealth Fund has given the National Health Service high rankings in a study comparing the health-care systems of eleven developed nations, including USA, NZ, Canada, France, Sweden and Germany. The NHS came top overall and top for effective care, safe care, coordinated care, patient-centred care, access despite cost and efficiency. Furthermore, out of 11 only Sweden and New Zealand were cheaper in cost per head. That said the UK came 10th out of 11 on the "Healthy Lives" measure. France was top, with Sweden second and USA last. The three measures that were combined to measure "Healthy Lives" were rate of preventable deaths, infant mortality and healthy life expectancy at age 60. It is thought that the social determinants of health, deprivation and lack of autonomy could be the cause of the UK's poor ranking for "Healthy Lives".

Public Health Reading in conjunction with Berkshire Youth will be running 5 "Let's Get Going" courses in Reading primary schools in the academic year 2014-15 as part of its action on childhood obesity. The courses are suitable for kids of ages 7 to 11 and can involve parents as well as children in learning about healthy food and activity.. The schools will be chosen on the basis of the Public Health childhood measurement programme. This is an advance on a previous year when 3 courses were given and should be welcomed. But given that Reading has nearly 40 primary schools it may be that more will be needed to get to grips with childhood obesity. You can find out more about "Let's Get Going" on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/letsget.going.56 We described last year's trial roll-out to 3 schools here ,

South Reading Clinical Commissioning Group holds its Ammual Meeting on 2nd July 2014.from 1pm to 2.30pm at the Museum of English Rural Life, Craven Road, Reading RG1 5EX. The Annual Report and Accounts has been published and is available at the South Reading CCG website

Macmillan Cancer Support and the Royal Berks NHS Foundation Trust have organised a feedback session for those caring for a friend or family member living with or after cancer. Carers are invited to the sesion to help develop services to support carers. This will take place from 10am-12pm on Wednesday, 25th June, at Earley Crescent Resource Centre, Warbler Drive, Reading RG6 4HB. To attend or to find out more contact Natalie Thomas, Macmillan Well-Being Support Worker on 07799891409 or mailto://hwp-tr.MacmillanwellBeing@nhs.net.

The Governing Body of South Reading CCG met in public on 4th June with Dr Ishak Nadeem in the chair as Dr Elizabeth Johnston was on leave The Governing Body heard reports of progress against several of its targets for 2013/14. Firstlly, the proportion of diabetic patients receiving all 9 recommended care processes in the year was raised to 49% - a big jump if still far short of best practice. Secondly, the number of children having their immunisations in their first year was very close to the recommended 95% which should guarantee collective immunity against epidemics of childhood diseases. Sadly, the actual number was just 8 short of the target, losing our area about 60,000. But the number will be sufficient for effective protection. Thirdly, despite record numbers attending the RBH A&E department, a credible action plan is in place to return to meeting the 4-hour waiting target. Similar arrangements are in place for the diagnostic tests wating time target. The Governing Body also heard about service developments for the coming year, including the new Hospital@Home service, which will start with the capacity to look after up to 10 patients at home across Reading, where last year the patients would have had to have been treated in hospital. Mr Derek Fawcett, Secondary Care Consultant Governing Body member, raised his concerns that the piecemeal commissioning of services didn't allow for the overall strength of the acute providers (principally the Royal Berks Hospital) to be taken into account.