Care closer to home: Post Covid service now delivered at Eastwood Community Hub

Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s Post Covid Service, which provides support to adults in Nottinghamshire living with symptoms of long covid, has recently started to deliver its service from Eastwood Community Hub.

Clinics are held in various locations throughout the county and patients are offered an appointment at their nearest setting.  People who would benefit from the service will be experiencing a wide range of symptoms that affect their daily life. These can include extreme tiredness, breathlessness, memory and concentration difficulties (often referred to as brain fog), heart palpitations, dizziness, and joint or muscle pain. These symptoms can appear weeks or months after an illness and may fluctuate or persist over time.

This service is a brilliant addition to the services at the hub and the fledgling Eastwood Integrated Neighbourhood Team. Integrated Neighbourhood Teams support holistic care in the community, which is focused on co-ordinating care across different services for patients to best meet their care needs and closer to home.

Anna Allen, Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist for Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s Post Covid Service had been looking at ways the team could provide care closer to where people live.  She says: “I particularly help people in work who are struggling, some people are referred because they are in work but need support with reasonable adjustments. Some people are off sick as they’re not coping, and they need advice and guidance about how to manage and build their tolerance up and with reasonable adjustments. It’s really important that we are able to see people at a place that is convenient to them and so it’s great that we have been welcomed to the Eastwood Hub.”

The first patient to visit Anna at the new venue in December was Scott Turner. He says: “I’ve been suffering from fatigue and other symptoms since 2020, managing myself whilst also dealing with cancer but a lot of consultants thought my symptoms were linked to the cancer, but I felt it wasn’t, it felt different. After a few years of this continuing, a consultant agreed that it wasn’t normal. Every day I go to bed midday and that’s no way to live and I work full time. And so, my consultant said ‘right I’ll refer you to the post covid clinic.’

“My first meeting was in Mansfield so a bit away from me in Hucknall, and within the service, I was referred into occupational therapy. It’s great to be able to have consultations at the Eastwood Hub as it’s much closer to home and when you have fatigue it’s the little stresses that takes things out of you.”

Finlay Lowe, Economic Development Officer at Broxtowe Borough Council says: “Over the last few months, Eastwood CEDARs has continued to establish itself as a central, accessible space where residents can engage with health, housing, employment and wellbeing services.

“The hub is steadily becoming a place where support is delivered in a familiar and community‑focused setting, one of which has provided assistance and care to many residents.

“As more providers express interest in using the space, we’ll ensure activities remain well‑coordinated and shaped around what works best for Eastwood. Momentum is building, and we’re pleased to see the hub evolving into a resource that supports prevention, early help, and day-to-day wellbeing for local people.”

Listen to Anna talking about the service and how it can help you.

You can self-refer by calling the service on 07771 388185 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, emailing postcovid@nottshc.nhs.uk, or your GP can refer you. You can also self-refer at: https://forms.office.com/e/8MwC2T9dZv

If your organisation would like to use the facility, contact the CEDARS Project Manager at 0115 917 3540 or finlay.lowe@broxtowe.gov.uk

Care closer to home: Post Covid service now delivered at Eastwood Community Hub

Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s Post Covid Service, which provides support to adults in Nottinghamshire living with symptoms of long covid, has recently started to deliver its service from Eastwood Community Hub.

Clinics are held in various locations throughout the county and patients are offered an appointment at their nearest setting.  People who would benefit from the service will be experiencing a wide range of symptoms that affect their daily life. These can include extreme tiredness, breathlessness, memory and concentration difficulties (often referred to as brain fog), heart palpitations, dizziness, and joint or muscle pain. These symptoms can appear weeks or months after an illness and may fluctuate or persist over time.

This service is a brilliant addition to the services at the hub and the fledgling Eastwood Integrated Neighbourhood Team. Integrated Neighbourhood Teams support holistic care in the community, which is focused on co-ordinating care across different services for patients to best meet their care needs and closer to home.

Anna Allen, Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist for Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s Post Covid Service had been looking at ways the team could provide care closer to where people live.  She says: “I particularly help people in work who are struggling, some people are referred because they are in work but need support with reasonable adjustments. Some people are off sick as they’re not coping, and they need advice and guidance about how to manage and build their tolerance up and with reasonable adjustments. It’s really important that we are able to see people at a place that is convenient to them and so it’s great that we have been welcomed to the Eastwood Hub.”

The first patient to visit Anna at the new venue in December was Scott Turner. He says: “I’ve been suffering from fatigue and other symptoms since 2020, managing myself whilst also dealing with cancer but a lot of consultants thought my symptoms were linked to the cancer, but I felt it wasn’t, it felt different. After a few years of this continuing, a consultant agreed that it wasn’t normal. Every day I go to bed midday and that’s no way to live and I work full time. And so, my consultant said ‘right I’ll refer you to the post covid clinic.’

“My first meeting was in Mansfield so a bit away from me in Hucknall, and within the service, I was referred into occupational therapy. It’s great to be able to have consultations at the Eastwood Hub as it’s much closer to home and when you have fatigue it’s the little stresses that takes things out of you.”

Finlay Lowe, Economic Development Officer at Broxtowe Borough Council says: “Over the last few months, Eastwood CEDARs has continued to establish itself as a central, accessible space where residents can engage with health, housing, employment and wellbeing services.

“The hub is steadily becoming a place where support is delivered in a familiar and community‑focused setting, one of which has provided assistance and care to many residents.

“As more providers express interest in using the space, we’ll ensure activities remain well‑coordinated and shaped around what works best for Eastwood. Momentum is building, and we’re pleased to see the hub evolving into a resource that supports prevention, early help, and day-to-day wellbeing for local people.”

Listen to Anna talking about the service and how it can help you.

You can self-refer by calling the service on 07771 388185 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, emailing postcovid@nottshc.nhs.uk, or your GP can refer you. You can also self-refer at: https://forms.office.com/e/8MwC2T9dZv

If your organisation would like to use the facility, contact the CEDARS Project Manager at 0115 917 3540 or finlay.lowe@broxtowe.gov.uk

Update on Integrated Neighbourhood Working in Cotgrave!

Update on Integrated Neighbourhood Working in Cotgrave!

Launched in November 2023, the aim of Cotgrave Integrated Neighbourhood Working was to bring people together to better support the health and wellbeing of residents and make improvements to, and create opportunities in, the community.

The work involves local people, community and voluntary sector groups, and organisations like the NHS and local council working together for a happier, healthier Cotgrave. Since November 2023, the Cotgrave Local Design Team has grown to over 100 people who are living and working in Cotgrave to create strong, supportive working relationships. Young people’s groups and long-term conditions groups have been established, and the current priorities are:

• Better joint working between stakeholders
• Supporting the reduction in childhood obesity
• Reducing antisocial behaviour among children and young people
• Community communication
• Cardiovascular health

Lot of groups and activities have been supported by partners involved across Cotgrave including additional health checks, young people’s nutrition and cooking sessions, school holiday activities, school support with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and much more.

A key achievement has been the establishment of a long-term health condition group. The group was started to offer Cotgrave residents a monthly safe space and an opportunity to share experiences and offer peer support to each other through shared learning to help people better self-manage their condition. Each session consists of a cuppa and catch up, a hot topic and is finished with some chair-based exercises that members can do at home to aid and strengthen their mobility and improve balance. People from all over Rushcliffe can now attend this session, which is held on the second Thursday of each month at The Cotgrave Methodist Church from 2pm – 3.30pm.  Due to the success of the group, there will also be a trial of evening sessions arranged to support working aged people across Rushcliffe, who are not able to make the daytime group.  For more information on the group, please contact: nnicb-nn.cotgrave-inw@nhs.net

Also established by Your CVS are the Heart of Cotgrave Groups which take place at Cotgrave Futures on Candleby Lane. Every Monday 11-1pm there is an Ageing Well group and every Wednesday there is a Stay and Play group from 9.15-11.15. There’s always a friendly welcome, support, activities and exercise.

To find out more and get involved with this brilliant work, please contact: nnicb-nn.cotgrave-inw@nhs.net To get the latest on this work and other work happening across Rushcliffe and South Nottinghamshire, you can sign up to the South Notts Place-Based Partnership (PBP) newsletter by emailing: Antonia.smith2@nottshc.nhs.uk.

Ten minutes with…. Mahir Khan

Mahir Khan, placement student, MA Public Health, Nottingham Trent University

Every year, the South Notts PBP invites a university student to apply for an 8–10 week placement and this year we hosted MA Public Health student Mahir Khan, who made a huge impact in the short time he was with us.

Mahir admits to not knowing a lot about how Place-Based Partnerships work when he applied for the placement. He had learned a lot about the system in general and the ambition of collaboration between different organisations and local communities, but less about how that works at Place level.

He says: “My time with South Notts PBP really opened my eyes to how collaboration works at a Place and neighbourhood level. It helped fill a gap in my knowledge and has enabled me to relate what I learnt in the classroom to what’s really happening on the ground.

“My very early observations of the work that’s happening in the community was that I could very clearly see the impact of collaborating across organisations and how breaking the historical silos could really help target the health needs of specific communities.”

As he continued his learning journey with the PBP, Mahir had the opportunity to get involved in some key projects using the premise of the ‘Building Blocks of Health’.

The ‘Building Blocks of Health’ recognise that almost every aspect of our lives impacts our health and ultimately how long we will live. This includes our jobs and homes, access to education and public transport and whether we experience poverty or discrimination.

Mahir says: “I have been involved in a range of initiatives focusing on prevention and service collaboration. One of the key projects was the integration of the building blocks in acute settings, where I worked closely with the front door integrated discharge team at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) through the processes at the point of discharge.

“I shadowed the team, reviewed their forms and came up with some amendments in the forms to incorporate some unmet social needs – such as housing, socio-economic status, social isolation – all of which can have an impact on readmission.

“I was also involved in the Healthy Hearts for Hucknall events, reviewing the delivery of NHS Health Checks. Under the guidance of PBP programme director Helen Smith, I looked at the form which was being used to collect the data from the patients and, our aim was to make it more accessible and easier to understand , especially for those with limited health literacy. Incorporating the concept of health literacy, I simplified it to make it more accessible and patient friendly, which event organisers said had a big impact on the number of people filling up the form during the event.  This effort will help in identifying potential risk group”

Mahir’s work proves that by collaborating with partners, re-examining processes and making small changes can have a big impact. He also worked with Your Health Notts and reviewed materials for their weight management campaign, making constructive improvements to the campaign creative and wording.

Jill Langridge, South Notts Place-Based Partnership Clinical Lead, says: “It’s been a pleasure to have Mahir working with us over the last ten weeks. He got stuck into several projects and events across our patch and it’s clear by the level of impact of the work he has done for us that he fully understands the vision of the PBP.”

Mahir says that he’s learned a lot during his time with the partnership and he’ll take the learning back to his education and future career. He says: “What I’ll take back is that I learned how collaboration really works and how it can have a real impact on community health and patient outcomes. It’s important that there’s more of this integration because it connects everyone to a unified vision, which means better health and wellbeing for local health communities. This experience has not only shaped how I view integrated care but also how I see myself contributing to health systems in future.

“It was pleasure to work in a highly professional environment. The environment in which every team member truly wants to make a difference. It was inspiring to witness the unwavering passion of professionals all driven by shared commitment to finding real solutions for the health needs of the very communities they serve.

“I’d also like to say a massive thanks to Programme Director, Helen, for all her support and help and for sharing her knowledge and insights throughout my placement.

We wish Mahir all the best in his studies and his future career!

South Notts PBP Programme Director, Helen Smith pictured above with Mahir

Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Pilot

From 2026, all new pharmacists will be qualified as Independent Prescribers (IP), which means that they will be able to write prescriptions for clinical areas they have the relevant knowledge for.  Ready for this, NHS England are working with local areas to explore how community pharmacists and their teams can use prescribing within the NHS in Community Pharmacy as part of a pathfinder pilot

The Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder pilot is in addition to the Pharmacy First scheme. Four pharmacies in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are taking part in the pilot which enables them to prescribe medicines directly to patients for a range of additional on the day illness, without them having to see their GP. Two of these pharmacies are local to South Notts in East Leake and Brinsley.

Emma Anderson of Evans Pharmacy in East Leake is one of the IP pharmacists delivering the Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder pilot. This means that patients can see Emma to receive NHS treatments for an on the day acute illness, including chest infections (patients aged 12 years and over), new onset skin conditions (patients aged 1 year and over) and new onset skin conditions (patients aged 1 year and over).

This service will usually be available at the following times, but patients are advised to call ahead (telephone 01509 852 810) or ask in the pharmacy to find out about these additional services and check availability:

• Mondays 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm
• Thursdays 9am to1pm and 2pm to 5pm
• Fridays 9am to 2pm

This has the potential to significantly improve the access to a range of NHS treatments for on the day acute illness for residents of East Leake, Keyworth, Ruddington and the surrounding area in Rushcliffe, who would previously have had to make an appointment with their GP.

Further details about services available through the NHS Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder at Evans Pharmacy, East Leake please see https://www.evanspharmacy.com/evans-pharmacy-east-leake-i49 

Thamid Khan of Brinsley Pharmacy on Brynsmoor Road in Brinsley, is also taking part in the Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme. This means that patients can see Thamid to receive NHS treatments for on the day acute illness, including adult ear conditions, new onset skin conditions and chest infections. 

This service will usually be available Monday to Thursday, with appointments between 9.30am and 5pm, but patients are advised to call ahead (telephone 01773 714 150). 

For further information about the NHS Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, please email Preemal Solanki preemal.solanki5@nhs.net or Rebecca.dickenson7@nhs.net at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB.

Independent Prescribing Consultations

Future of healthcare in Rushcliffe

The latest ‘Future of Healthcare in Rushcliffe’ event took place at the East Leake Community Pavilion on 19 June 2025 and was attended by over 70 local people.

The event was a great opportunity to learn, share and take away some great ideas about how to improve your own health and wellbeing, that of the wider community and how to make the most of local services to help do this. With a particular focus on digital developments.

Speakers from across the local NHS, community services, and digital health shared insights on prevention, self-care, and the evolving role of local pharmacies and digital tools. Attendees valued the open discussions, interactive marketplace, and shared vision for improved communication and collaboration.

 Key themes included digital inclusion, community engagement, and the future role of Patient Participation Groups (PPGs). See www.rushcliffehealth.org for more information on local health and care services and opportunities or you can contact your GP practice to ask about joining your PPG.

PCN’s innovative work recognised in Occupational Therapy Excellence Award shortlists!

Two Nottingham West PCN projects have been recognised for their innovation and excellence by being shortlisted in the Occupational Therapy Excellence Awards.

Nottingham West Group Work has been shortlisted in the Most Innovative Practice Award. This programme delivers structured, scalable mental health and neurodiversity support through accessible, preventative interventions. It includes mental health skills groups, ADHD/Autism screening groups, and neurodiversity workshops, offering psychoeducation, self-management tools, and peer support. Technology is seamlessly integrated to enhance accessibility and engagement. Recognised by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and visited by HRH Princess Anne, the programme has demonstrated measurable improvements in mental well-being, reduced GP burden, and cost-effective service delivery.

Nottingham West Mental Health Occupational Therapists (MHOT) have been shortlisted in the Excellence in Mental Health award. MHOT were introduced across the PCN in response to growing mental health needs and the NHS Long-Term Plan’s call for integrated, community-based care. This innovative model embeds MHOTs as first points of contact, addressing issues such as anxiety, depression, and social challenges through personalised, non-pharmacological interventions. Supported by real-time data tracking, the service ensures seamless, multidisciplinary care and continuous improvement. With high patient engagement, reduced demand on GPs, low reliance on medication, and measurable cost savings, this initiative exemplifies excellence in accessible, effective, and preventative mental health care.

Rushcliffe dementia event a huge success!

The Dementia and Carers Roadshow took place on Thursday 3 April at Rushcliffe Arena on Rugby Road in West Bridgford offering a variety of local support to help improve the lives of carers and people living with dementia.

Delivered by the Rushcliffe Dementia Action Network (RDAN) in partnership with Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) and Rushcliffe Primary Care Network, the event provides support for people living with dementia, their families, and for all carers.

The event had a full marketplace, with exhibitors including:

• Alzheimer’s Society
• Rushcliffe Community Voluntary Service 
• Carer Advice and Support 
• Social Prescribers
• Age UK Notts 
• Legal advice 
• Benefits advice 
• Local Police Team 
• Health and Wellbeing information 
• NHS Talking Therapies

Attendees also had the opportunity to take part in free workshops throughout the day with no booking required. The sessions covered information on how to avoid scams and fraud, as well as setting up Lasting Powers of Attorney and Mental Capacity Advice and a Dementia Friends information session.

South Notts Dementia Link Worker Gwynneth Owen said: “The event is  a fantastic opportunity to bring together people living with dementia, their carers, and the wider community, offering support, advice and free engaging taster activities.

“Our goal is to raise awareness of what is available locally and ensure everyone affected by dementia feels supported and included. With a variety of interactive sessions and expert-led workshops, we hope to provide valuable resources and meaningful connections that make a real difference.”

Find out more about what support is available for people living with dementia on the Rushcliffe PCN website.