Category: About MLCSU

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Building Capable Communities for Learning Disability and Epilepsy

In an effort to address the pressing issue of premature avoidable death in individuals with learning disabilities living with epilepsy, we are pleased to announce a forthcoming webinar focused on building capable communities. The webinar aims to bring together experts, professionals, and stakeholders to explore effective strategies and initiatives that can make a real difference in improving outcomes for this vulnerable population.

The statistics are alarming, with nearly a quarter of people with learning disabilities experiencing epilepsy – a condition that significantly affects their health, safety, and overall well-being. Tragically, epilepsy carries an increased risk of sudden unexpected death (SUDEP), underscoring the urgent need for action.

Join our virtual webinar on June 7th, 3-5pm, to gain insights from families, explore research on risk factors, understand the case for whole-system approaches, learn from healthcare leaders, discover the Step Together Benchmarking Tool, network with peers, address health inequalities, and access valuable resources for improvement.

This webinar is open to healthcare professionals, commissioners, clinicians, support organisations, and all those interested in improving outcomes for individuals with learning disabilities living with epilepsy.

To reserve your spot for this important event, please visit: https://www.midlandsandlancashirecsu.nhs.uk/event/preventing-premature-death/

Join us for this crucial webinar, as we work together to build capable communities and combat premature avoidable death in people with learning disabilities living with epilepsy.

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Finalists for contract management excellence

MLCSU named finalist in UK National GO Awards for contract management excellence

We are proud to announce that we have been shortlisted as a finalist for the UK National GO Awards for our exceptional contract management services. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to excellence in contract and supplier management, and we are thrilled to be named among the best in the industry.

We have been shortlisted as a finalist in the Contract and Supplier Management 22/23 category for our entry titled “Effectively Utilising Independent Sector Capacity.” It is an honour to have our efforts in contract and supplier management recognised, and we are proud of the hard work our team has put in to achieve this milestone.

The GO Awards are widely considered the gold standard for excellence in public procurement in the UK. Being named as a finalist is a recognition of our dedication to delivering high-quality services to our clients. It is also a recognition of our commitment to innovation, efficiency, and collaboration in the industry.

We are excited to be among the finalists in this year’s awards and look forward to the opportunity to showcase our achievements at the ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on 1st of June 2023 at the voco St John’s Solihull.

We would like to extend our congratulations to all the finalists in this year’s awards. It is inspiring to see so many innovative and dedicated organisations striving to deliver excellence in public procurement. We are honoured to be included among such an esteemed group and are excited to continue working towards our goal of delivering exceptional services to our clients.

Being shortlisted as a finalist in this year’s UK National GO Awards is a significant achievement for MLCSU, and we are incredibly proud of our hardworking staff who have made this possible. We are committed to delivering outstanding contract management services, and being recognised for our efforts only strengthens our resolve to continue innovating and improving.

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MLCSU’s Informatics team recognised for excellence by ISDN

We are excited to share that our Informatics Team has been awarded the prestigious ISDN ‘Excellence in Informatics Level 1 Certificate’. They were presented with the certificate at the North West Connect Conference. The team has been acknowledged for achieving consistent good practice in “Informatics Workforce Development”.

The ISDN accreditation is a peer-assessed standard of excellence in informatics and requires organisations to demonstrate and evidence capability and good practice against a wide range of criteria. At the presentation ceremony, colleagues from the informatics team were all smiles as they proudly held up their certificate. Pictured left to right were Katie Burrows, Louise Ross, Rupa Chilvers, and Debbie Bywater, along with Paul Copeland, Paul Chadwick, and Neil Morgan.

Debbie Bywater, Chief Information Officer(CIO) at MLCSU, had the honour of opening the conference, which this year was focused on building the skills for a sustainable data and digital enabled future. This event was a great opportunity for the team to network with colleagues from across the North West and to hear from a number of thought-provoking speakers and patient advocates. They were also able to share their own insights and experiences and raise awareness about some of the innovative digital and data projects they have been working on.

Commenting on the team’s achievement, Debbie Bywater, CIO, said, “We are extremely proud to have achieved Excellence in Informatics Level 1. The accreditation process was a very positive experience and provided us with an opportunity to reflect and recognise the good work we have undertaken. It is a fantastic achievement that reflects the hard work, commitment and important contribution informatics makes to our organisation and those we support.”

The team’s ISDN accreditation is a testament to their ongoing commitment to professional development and staying up-to-date with the latest developments in informatics. You can see all of our achievements here: https://www.midlandsandlancashirecsu.nhs.uk/awards/

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Dr Sam Gower to speak at NHS Continuing Healthcare Conference

We are thrilled to announce that Dr Sam Gower, CHC/IPA Clinical Services Director at MLCSU, will be a speaker at the upcoming Convenzis Group Navigating NHS Continuing Healthcare Conference on May 4th.

This online conference is a highly anticipated event that brings together healthcare professionals, policymakers, and industry experts to discuss the latest developments in continuing healthcare within the NHS. It is an excellent opportunity for attendees to network with peers, gain insights from industry leaders, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends in healthcare.

Dr Gower is an experienced healthcare professional with over two decades of experience. As MLCSU’s CHC/IPA Clinical Services Director, he is responsible for providing strategic direction and operational management to deliver NHS Continuing Healthcare. His expertise and experience will be invaluable to conference attendees.

The conference will cover various topics, including the future of continuing healthcare, healthcare technology innovations, and best practices in patient care.

Don’t miss this excellent opportunity to learn from industry leaders and connect with healthcare professionals from across the UK. We hope to see you at the conference.

You can register at: www.convenzis.co.uk/events/navigating-nhs-continuing-healthcare-best-practices-and-challenges

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A pledge to being green: MLCSU staff share personal and professional pledges to reduce carbon emissions

Empowering MLCSU staff to make personal and professional pledges for a sustainable future

A staff campaign to mark the two-year anniversary of the NHS commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2040, resulted in 63 staff pledges and increased awareness of the green agenda.

In support of the NHS staff engagement campaign, Healthier Planet, Healthier People, MLCSU committed to reducing its carbon footprint by dedicating an entire month to green issues.

Known as Go Green Month, the ambitious campaign encouraged and empowered staff and teams to make their own personal and professional ‘green’ pledges. The campaign successfully engaged staff across the organisation and as many as 63 video and written pledges were made on a dedicated page on the staff intranet. Pledges ranged from simple personal changes, such as stopping buying single-use plastic products, to systemic professional changes such as adopting greener digital solutions to encourage greener ways of working.

Aims of the campaign

Other aims of the campaign – which took place in October 2022 – were to raise awareness of the wider Greener NHS campaign and MLCSU’s own Green Plan, and bring people together to share ideas and tips on how they could reduce their carbon footprint.

To do this, we created green branding assets across the staff intranet – Nugget – and on the staff Twitter channel. We also shared articles, tips and resources across a range of platforms, including Nugget and Microsoft Teams. In total, we produced 18 Nugget articles, eight Tweets (with 570 impressions), five staff blogs, and hosted eight Go Green spotlight sessions (led by our Green Champions) with 88 attendees. Blogs ranged in subjects from vegan diets to simple IT solutions – such as sending fewer emails.

Go Green Month followed the NHS’ recognition that as one of the main carbon contributors in the UK, the NHS can make an impactful change by reducing its own carbon footprint. Healthier Planet, Healthier People also recognises that health and climate change are interlinked and that making conscious choices to tackle climate change will improve the nation’s health.

CSUs are not legally bound to create a ‘Green Plan’ but as part of the NHS, the MLCSU has a responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint. As part of this commitment, we created a Sustainability Group made up of colleagues from across the organisation and led by Chief Information Officer Debbie Bywater to create a Green Plan for MLCSU.

As part of this plan, MLCSU is committing to reducing its carbon footprint by 80 per cent by 2028 – 2032. To achieve this, MLCSU must decrease its carbon footprint by 15 per cent year-on-year. This will help contribute to the NHS’ broader target of reducing its carbon footprint by 80 per cent before 2040.

Making a difference

Go Green Month is part of this wider aim to engage staff in making personal and professional commitments to reduce our carbon footprint. Small actions from a 1.3 million-strong workforce will add up to make a big difference.