Blogs

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Debbie Parkinson, PPI Lead for the Innovation Agency, describes how reaching out to others helped her through COVID-19

When COVID-19 struck, like many NHS strategic organisations we abruptly left the offices and went to work remotely. During these anxious early days and weeks we let go of many ideas which we had thought of as ‘normal’; plans and expectations for the year were put on hold or discarded, and we had to quickly reinvent and reimagine our working lives whilst at home.

PhD student Helena Tendedez reflects on how technology can help people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) during the coronavirus outbreak.

By Dr Sian Stokes, one of eight GPs working in The Village Medical Centre, Wallasey.

I am only seeing a few patients face to face; we triage patients over the phone first and then consider whether we need to see them.

In the past, a patient would call reception to request an appointment or else book online; or an appointment could be booked as a follow up.

Covidblogs

I am responsible for The Walton Centre’s outpatients’ transformation programme. Pre COVID we were well underway with our outpatient transformation project, looking at how we could reduce the number of face to face follow up appointments. This was in line with national outpatient programme mandate, harnessing the use of technology to change the way in which we deliver services.

Covidblogs

I worked in the local NHS during the 2009 pandemic and was in an NHS regional role during the cyber attack in 2017 – two major business continuity scenarios. This crisis is very different because of its prolonged duration and its scale.

Covidblogs

As well as being Associate Director for Psychology Professions at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS FT, I am on a year’s secondment to Health Education England, setting up Psychological Professions Networks (PPN) across England in addition to the existing three networks (in the North West, South West, South East).

Covidblogs

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has catapulted us into a world of uncertainty.  A natural physiological response to perceived attack is that our bodies are hijacked by a defence hormone that automatically and unconsciously sends us into fight, flight, freeze or fawn mode.  Anxiety and fear have the potential to paralyse us into inaction, as unhelpful and fearful thoughts occupy our minds, leaving us in a state of distraction.

The ten-year-on update of the Marmot Review, Health Equity in England, has presented us with some shocking statistics.

Elliot and a fellow student built a medical training device in a bedroom – and now they run a business which produces and exports different models to 100 hospitals worldwide. The Innovation Agency, AHSN for the North West Coast, helped them to access major funding which accelerated their growth.