From 1 April 2013, your local GPs will be joining together in Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to take charge of how your local health services are run. CCGs will be responsible for planning and funding most of your local health services. The health services themselves are not changing.

From 1 April 2013, the new NHS Commissioning Board office in London will open to oversee the provision of NHS care in the capital.

Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), the NHS organisations who currently run health services locally, will be abolished on 31 March 2013. Strategic Health Authorities which are currently responsible for the overall performance of the NHS will also be abolished on 31 March 2013.

From 1 April 2013

NHS Organisational Changes from 1st April 2013 and Impact on

How we use your Information

The Health and Social care Act 2012 has made a few organisational changes to the NHS. One of these changes is the closure of the Primary Care Trusts. Our Primary Care Trusts have transferred their functions and responsibilities to many new bodies including:

In some instances, this has resulted in changes to the ways in which your information is handled (held, obtained, recorded, used and shared). All these organisations have the responsibility to ensure that your information is looked after in line with the requirements of the law, Codes of Practice and standards of best practice.

The care you receive from your doctor should not be affected and access to your Health records will remain with your GP.

If you would like to know more about these changes and impact on how your information is handled or have any queries please contact your health provider or the organisation where you are being treated in the first instance.

 
   
Specialist nurse for continence
Carolyn Freeman, specialist nurse for continence

Carolyn Freeman, Specialist Nurse for continenceHaving a lack of control over when you can go to the toilet is more common than you might think - an estimated 6.5 million people across the UK have a problem staying continent from their bladder or bowel. The real number of sufferers may be even higher because most prefer not to admit they have a problem.

A lot of it is about having the right approach and trying to make it easier for people to speak about it. People assume that there is nothing that can be done but 70-80 per cent of patients with a bladder or bowel incontinence can be treated and cured. The earlier someone seeks treatment the better. Although people tend to assume continence is just a problem for older people, our service is for everyone – adults and children. It is very common – affecting more people than asthma, diabetes and epilepsy put together.

What like about my job is that every day is different. Some of the phone calls received are from staff asking such questions as 'what was the name of that catheter that helps combat infection' to very personal ones about patient care.

The job is very rewarding as the problem of bladder/bowel dysfunction is one of extreme embarrassment and as we have an 'open referral' to our service, patients are so pleased when they get a friendly voice on the other end of a phone line or see a friendly face at our clinics. They are able to share their concerns with someone who listens and tries to improve their situation This I know is not unique to our service but it does give me and my colleague a lot of job satisfaction.

Another part of my role is teaching and I do believe in sharing knowledge. I spoke to 70 student nurses the other day at Greenwich University and so many of them came over afterwards and said they enjoyed the training and did not realise there was so much to incontinence problems...A few budding continence advisers for the future there I hoped!

Working for the PCT means to me an opportunity to learn something new every day - especially with all the recent changes within the NHS/PCT. This to me is both challenging and enjoyable. The PCT allows me to be autonomous with running my service and encourages me to have a say with its future. Although I live nowhere near Greenwich, I feel a part of it.

I signed my contract in August 2006! I have been a continence adviser elsewhere and set up services in the past. I have taught at Universities for as long as i can remember and enjoy putting on the courses within the PCT. I am also studying to complete my 'Masters' degree which I must admit seems to have been going on forever but this has enhanced my knowledge which I hope has influenced my practice. I look forward to continuing working within the PCT and being a part of its new future.