Last updated at 12:12, Monday, 15 October 2012

DOCTOR Geoff Jolliffe has set himself no end of challenges as Furness’ lead commissioning GP.

Title
Author
Copyright

Description

At the moment, he finds himself focusing on four main priorities:

• Heart disease and cancer;
• Childhood obesity;
• Smoking during pregnancy;
• Support for people living with mental health issues.

Dr Jolliffe said: “From pre-birth through the end of life care, we are working hard to improve the care and experience of people living in the Barrow area, rising to the individual challenges faced by the community here in Furness.

“These are all big challenges and certainly aren’t the only ones.

“The main ones which I would like to prioritise and tackle are those which, if we change now, can make a real difference to people’s lives and quality of life in the future.”

Here, Dr Jolliffe looks at each area in depth, and explains what is being done to help tackle Barrow’s biggest health issues.

Heart disease and cancer

“In Furness in 2011 there were 122 people under the age of 75 who died prematurely of cancer.

“This is the third year we have seen an increase in the number of people dying early from this disease.

“However the numbers of people dying from circulatory diseases such as heart failure and stroke has slightly decreased over the past three years.

“In 2009, 78 people died, in 2010, 74 and, last year, 66.

“Reducing the number of people dying prematurely from these types of conditions won’t happen overnight. Changing the way the NHS helps treat and manage these conditions isn’t the only answer.

“It’s also about changing people’s individual actions and society’s view as a whole.

“We can all so easily do something to reduce our risk of developing heart disease.

“These are simple things like not smoking, reducing how much alcohol we drink, making sure we eat a healthy, balanced diet and regularly doing some activity such as a brisk walking, cycling or even gardening.”

Childhood obesity

“According to the latest figures from 2010/11, 20.3 per cent of children aged 10 to 11 in Furness are classed as obese.

“This has dropped since 2008/09, but is still above the national average.

“We’re all guilty of not necessarily eating as well as we should, but it is important that we all encourage and make it easy for children and families to be active and choose a healthy balanced diet.

“To support this, both the NHS and Cumbria County Council support a scheme in Furness called Henri, which helps children centre workers, health visitors and school nurses educate children and families about healthy eating and weight.”

Smoking during pregnancy

“Around one in six mums-to-be in Furness continue to smoke while pregnant, putting their unborn child at a serious health risk.

“That’s 16.2 per cent compared to 13.7 per cent nationally.

“Babies born to mothers who smoke are around 40 per cent more likely to be stillborn or to die within the first four weeks of life. In Furness we have specialist midwives who are also stop smoking advisors and we offer a free stop smoking service.”

Mental health

“One area where we are leading the way is respecting the rights of people living with dementia.

“Last month we launched Deciding Right in Barrow, the first project of its kind in the UK which will vastly improve the care for dementia patients.

“Deciding Right is about putting patients, their families and carers at the very heart of shared decisions about their future care, making sure they understand the choices available and providing dignity in death by making sure their wishes are followed.

“It sets out clear principles for all healthcare organisations and professionals in Cumbria to follow, focusing decisions on individual patient needs and wishes, rather than organisational policies and procedures.”

First published at 16:35, Monday, 08 October 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk