NHS Cheshire and Merseyside March 2024 Blog
Thursday, 14 March 2024
Ramadan Mubarak to all who are observing this holy month, including our Muslim colleagues working in health and care across Cheshire and Merseyside.
I had the pleasure of attending the annual conference hosted by our Beyond Programme in Liverpool on March 4. It was encouraging to learn more about the impact of the programme on improving the health and care of children and young people across Cheshire and Merseyside.
I know initiatives such as increasing the use of technology to support patients with Type 1 Diabetes and freeing up expert Paediatric Advanced Nurse Practitioners to support responses to paediatric NHS 111 calls are already making a big difference.
Other initiatives – including a three-year supervised toothbrushing programme targeted at areas of high deprivation – are also set to make a long-term difference to children and young people’s health in the months and years to come.
Separately, although there has not been a measles outbreak in Cheshire and Merseyside since 2012, the recent outbreak in the West Midlands has now been declared a national incident due to the highly contagious nature of the virus (one person with measles can infect a further 20).
At the time of writing there has been just a handful of confirmed cases in Cheshire and Merseyside and there is currently no outbreak here.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and local partners to collectively urge parents and carers to check their children’s vaccination records to ensure they are protected. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 99% effective in protecting against measles and rubella and the vaccine is free on the NHS - irrespective of age.
Finally, we celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, and I would like to pay tribute to all women working across Cheshire and Merseyside’s health and care system for the valuable contribution they continue to make towards forging a more inclusive NHS. Thank you.
Graham Urwin - Chief Executive