The National Director for Primary Care and Community Health Services for NHS England, Dr Amanda Doyle, visited the Sandwell Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) Hub in May, located at Glebefields Health Centre in Tipton.
During her visit, Amanda also met with a range of primary care representatives from the Black Country, including colleagues at Murrays Pharmacy and Princes End Dental Practice to discuss the opportunities and challenges in pharmacy and dentistry, as well as the Children’s Therapies Service, ran by Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, all of which are located in the health centre.
Amanda also met with members of the Black Country Primary Care Collaborative to discuss the work they are doing across the Black Country and how this aligns with the Primary Care recovery plan, which was launched in May.
Dr Tehmina Rahman is the clinical lead for the Sandwell ARI Hub, which offers same-day, face-to-face GP appointments for children aged 12 and under with a respiratory issue such as a cough or chest infection.
She said: “The ARI hub was initially set up in January last year in response to a significant increase in the common winter virus respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It enables children to be seen within the community if their usual GP practice is fully booked and reduces the number of children presenting to out of hours services and emergency departments as a result of not getting a same day GP appointment.
“Since its inception, we’ve seen more than 13,000 children at the hub and data shows that less than 1% of these patients required an onward referral to A&E or a paediatrics assessment unit, significantly reducing the burden that would otherwise be on A&E or walk-in centres.
“It was great to give Amanda a tour of the ARI hub so she could meet the GPs as well as patients visiting the hub, to see first-hand the vital work that is being done and the benefit that it offers to the local community.”
Ateef Azam, Principal Dentist at Princes End Dental Practice and Vice Chair of the Sandwell Local Dental Committee, said: “It was a privilege to meet Amanda and her team. Her visit highlighted the importance she is placing on trying to understand the concerns that dentists are currently experiencing and the ongoing work that needs to be done.
“The delegation of primary pharmacy, optometry, and dentistry from NHS England to Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in April provides a real opportunity to transform care for patients. It was really positive to have a meaningful discussion with Amanda on what that looks like and how we can provide a service that works for everyone in the Black Country going forward.”
Sarb Basi, Director of Primary Care for the NHS Black Country ICB led the visit and said: “It was a pleasure to meet Amanda and talk to her about the brilliant work that is taking place across primary care in the Black Country, as well as the importance of community-based health services such as those located in Glebefields Health Centre.
“It provided us with an opportunity to talk about the priorities and challenges facing primary care, including pharmacy and dentistry, and how, as a system, we can work together to enhance access and join up services for patients to make sure local people get the right care when they need it.”
