The next Governing Body meeting will be held on November 10, from 3pm-5.30pm, at the St Paul’s Church Queen Caroline Street, London, W6 9PJ.

The papers are available in advance here.

Members of the public are invited to NHS Hammersmith and Fulham CCG governing body meetings in public.

If you have any queries or special requirements, please contact hf.ccg@inwl.nhs.uk.

Members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend.

We ask questions in relation to the meeting from the public or the press are sent to us at least 24 hours before the scheduled start of the meeting.

The full Governing Body meeting agenda and all papers can be viewed here. Key topics for discussion include:

Primary care co-commissioning

Hammersmith and Fulham CCG has formed a joint committee with NHS England for the co-commissioning of local primary medical care services, as announced here. The joint committee will meet in common with those of the other North West London CCGs. Terms of reference have been developed which include provisions for local meetings of each CCG’s joint committee, in addition to the North West London-wide meeting in common covered in previous versions. This is designed to ensure that co-commissioning is able to reflect each CCG’s local priorities and circumstances as well as to set the strategic direction for North West London as a whole.

The Governing Body will be asked to approve the terms of reference. See the Governing Body papers here and here.

Patients in Hammersmith and Fulham are now able to access GP services seven days a week, thanks to a new service launched by NHS Hammersmith and Fulham CCG.

Three practices across the borough are offering the service in the evenings during the week, as well as on Saturdays and Sundays. Patients do not have to be registered with the practice, and using the service will not affect their registration with their own GP.

Visit our website for more information on which practices are offering this service and how to access an appointment.

On Tuesday 1 December local CCGs including Hammersmith and Fulham will be hosting an event to evaluate Urgent Care Mental Health services. Service users, carers, family members, the community and voluntary sector will come together to find solutions to issues that exist with current services.

Please feel free to distribute this invite through your usual channels. Please contact Olu Odukale for more information.

The 2015 Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) on dementia has now been published. The JSNA on dementia draws on information from a range of sources, including national and local data, audit, policy and research, to provide a comprehensive picture about the local population to inform commissioning intentions for Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster. The JSNA takes account of national and local policy on dementia, the North West London strategic approach to dementia, guidance and evidence.

Visit our website to find out more or to read the report in full.

Hammersmith and Fulham CCG invests in system resilience all year round but there are additional pressures expected during the winter months which we seek to mitigate and manage as far as is possible.

This work is partly about making investments in the right service models, and it is partly about smart marketing, communications, and engagement, to make sure people who live or work in North West London are empowered to choose the most appropriate service for their illness or injury.

Service investments made collaboratively across North West London include £2.4m to boost intermediate care (patients who have been discharged but are at high risk of re-admission) services, for example, more intermediate care beds, and over £1.4m on seven day working in health and social care and on increased staffing within A&E departments, primary care and urgent care centres.

There has also been significant dedication of resource to preparing a multi-pronged communications strategy, the Stay Well campaign, to ensure residents have all the information they need to stay well during the winter where possible, and choose the most appropriate service if they do become unwell.

For more information about the Stay Well This Winter campaign, visit the campaign website.

Healthcare commissioners in North West London invite you to take part in an engagement event about the future design of our local integrated urgent care service. This follows an initial public engagement event held in June which we held to create a vision for the “front-end” of urgent care services with local people.

The purpose of this further engagement event is to present our updated vision for a joined up NHS 111 service across North West London, including in Brent, and to seek your views and about how the service should be designed and accessed by patients.

We are offering a choice of two dates/venues, as follows:

• Tuesday 10 November, 10am to 3pm, Harrow Baptist Church (located close to Harrow-on-the- Hill Tube Station and Harrow Bus Station)
• Tuesday 17 November, 12.30pm to 5pm, Hammersmith & Fulham Assembly Hall (located at Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, W6)

Spaces are limited and you are advised to book early. An agenda will be sent to confirmed participants before either event.

For more information, including details on how to book, click here.

Yearly reminders from the CCGs and Public Health bodies across North West London have begun, with residents covered by Hammersmith and Fulham CCG being encouraged to get their flu vaccinations as the winter months approach. The vaccination is critical in particular for people with long-term conditions, small children, and over 65-year-olds.

Find out more about how to access the flu vaccination in Hammersmith and Fulham, including details of our weekend flu clinics, here.

Self Care Week 2015 takes place from 16th – 22nd November. The theme is ‘Self Care for Life’, and the campaign encourages people to continue to care for their health and wellbeing throughout their whole lives.

This might mean preventing or managing illness by choosing a healthier lifestyle, it might mean having the information and practical support to manage an existing condition in the home, or it might mean improved education and understanding with regard to more severe conditions.

The Self-Care Forum has produced a range of booklets, posters, and other materials, including the Self-Care Manifesto. Hammersmith and Fulham CCG encourages you to access these materials here and distribute them throughout the week.