Mid-Notts Place-Based Partnership announce new Chair

Mid-Nottinghamshire Place-Based Partnership (MNPBP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Theresa Hodgkinson, Chief Executive of Ashfield District Council, as its new Chair.

The Mid Notts Partnership brings together over 15 health and care organisations including local authority, community services, GPs and hospitals, as well as wider partners such as the community, voluntary and social enterprise sector.

Working in partnership with people within our communities, the organisations collaborate to deliver the MNPBP’s shared ambition, which is: “Working Together to enable everyone across Ashfield, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood to live healthier and happier lives, to prosper in their communities and remain independent throughout life”

The news of Theresa’s appointment comes after previous Chair Adam Hill, Chief Executive at Mansfield District Council, announced his departure from the MNPBP to take on a new role at Rushcliffe Borough Council.

Adam said: “It has been a real honour and privilege to be chair of the Mid Notts Placed Based Partnership. Bringing together partners and stakeholders in a collaborative approach has helped to deliver real changes in the community along with improved health and wellbeing for the residents of Ashfield, Mansfield, and Newark and Sherwood council areas.

“The commitment from partners across the public, private and third sector is inspiring, and it has been great to see so many new and improved projects delivered throughout the area. These include the Bellamy Health Prevention Project, the creation of a new Community Hub in Ashfield, the introduction of Social Prescribing support across Mid Nottinghamshire, and the delivery of support for the physical and emotional health of children and young people in Newark and Sherwood, to name a few.

“These projects have been successful due to partnership working and I am extremely proud of the legacy and foundations that have been developed during my time as chair. I am pleased that Theresa Hodgkinson will be taking up the mantle of Chair following my departure, and I know that the partnership will continue to thrive in her hands.

Thilan Bartholomeuz, Clinical Director of Mid-Nottinghamshire Place-Based Partnership, said of the news: “I was saddened to hear that Adam Hill announced his departure. Adam has brought energy and direction to the role of PBP Chair and has a clear passion for improving partnerships within the mid-Nottinghamshire area. I, and the wider PBP executive Team will be sorry to see him go but are excited to welcome Theresa into the new role.

“Theresa brings a wealth of experience and a proven commitment to partnership working, which will be invaluable as we continue to address challenges and seize opportunities in the mid-Nottinghamshire area. Her leadership and vision will build on the solid foundations laid by Adam and drive us forward in delivering meaningful improvements for our communities.”

Stepping up from her previous role as Vice-Chair of the partnership, Theresa has worked within Local Government in Nottinghamshire for over 35 years and previously held the post of Director of Place and Communities. Since her appointment as Chief Executive Officer at Ashfield District Council in 2021 the council has progressed rapidly, and the district is due to see unprecedented levels of investment in its services over the next five years.

Theresa said: “I am honoured to be the new Chair of the Mid-Nottinghamshire Place-Based Partnership.

“This Partnership enables us to bring together health and social care services across Ashfield, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood. Alongside colleagues, I aim to help improve and join up services, tackling health inequalities in a purposeful and coordinated way while working alongside and championing the voices of our communities in Mid Nottinghamshire.

Theresa’s focus on working within priority neighbourhoods and ensuring all residents have the same access to opportunities, coupled with her previous experience as Vice Chair of the Partnership, means her appointment is a positive step for the future of the MNPBP.

She continued, “Our health and wellbeing is strongly shaped by the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, learn, work and age throughout our lives. I am positive that by working with key stakeholders including councils, NHS, wider Public Sector organisations, third sector, businesses, and education institutions to name a few, we will be able to deliver our plans to bring a lasting benefit to the lives of people who live, learn or work in Mid Nottinghamshire.”

Learning from Rosewood PCN’s pioneering work with vulnerable patients

The work of a Primary Care Network (PCN) and GP Practices in part of Mansfield is having a significant impact in reducing health inequalities.

The Rosewood Primary Care Network, covers five GP Practices in Mansfield town centre and the south of Mansfield District, with a combined total of more than 51,000 patients.

Dr Kathy McLean, the Chair of NHS Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board visited the PCN in October to hear about their pioneering initiatives working with vulnerable patients in the area and some of the challenges local GP Practices are facing, with the aim of continuing to build upon their positive work.

Dr Milind Tadpatrikar, Clinical Lead at Rosewood PCN and his team described how they worked with practices to deliver a range of interventions with hard-to-reach groups in their area, including:

  • Learning Disability (LD) patients – since employing a dedicated LD Nurse, the number of LD patients receiving a health check rose from 36% to 83% in 2023/24, which it is hoping to increase further in 24/25. The professional relationships developed between the LD nurse and patients have been instrumental in achieving this. The LD Nurse is a joint appointment with Mansfield North PCN and works across both areas.
  • Housebound & Care Home patients – A dedicated team of nurses and care co-ordinators carry out weekly ‘ward rounds’ at care homes and have already delivered 61% of annual reviews so far in 2024/25.
  • Severe Multiple Disadvantaged (SMD) patients – A dedicated PCN-funded care co-ordinator works with a range of local agencies to access specialist care and support for 335 registered SMD patients with variety of needs including homelessness, substance misuse and domestic abuse.

Following the visit, Dr McLean said; “It’s vital that health leaders, like me, spend as much time as possible speaking with the people who care for our patients, day-in, day-out, hearing about the challenges they face and the successes they have.

“Rosewood PCN and its practices is doing some great work to tackle health inequalities, working proactively with different groups of vulnerable patients who they have identified as having difficulties accessing good healthcare. Their work is a great example of how resources can be pulled together across health and social care to achieve excellent outcomes for patients.

“We are extremely grateful to Dr Tadpatrikar and his team for sharing their experience. Rest assured, all the learning from this visit, including the challenges faced by the PCN, practices and staff, will play a part in shaping future healthcare across our area.”

Rosewood PCN visit
Pictured at the visit are: Leanne Monger –Deputy Place Partnership Director, Mid-Notts PBP; Dr Milind Tadpatrikar Clinical Lead, Rosewood PCN; Sharon Atherton, Digital & Transformation Lead, Rosewood PCN; Andrea Lucken, PA to Clinical Lead and SMD Care Coordinator, Rosewood PCN; Dr Kathy McLean, Chair, NHS Nottingham & Nottinghamshire ICB and Claire O’Mara, Primary Care Senior Transformation Manager, NHS Nottingham & Nottinghamshire ICB.

Bassetlaw model could be “blueprint for future ways of working”

Seamless working between GP Practices, Primary Care Networks (PCN) and secondary care, including A&E, mental and physical health services in Bassetlaw, is helping patients access the right care at the right time.

The model, adopted by the Newgate and Larwood and Bawtry PCNs, its GP practices and Bassetlaw Hospital has been in place August 2023 and also by Retford & Villages PCN at Retford Hospital since September 2023.

Following a recent visit to see the system in action, Dr Kathy McLean, Chair of NHS Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board described it as “a potential blueprint for future ways of working” and “a wonderful example of patient-centred integrated care”.

Under the system, patients of practices attached to either of the PCNs are able to access urgent GP appointments, either by contacting their practice directly or by streaming through from either the Emergency Department or through NHS 111. The service supports the Derbyshire Health United urgent nursing service with medical oversight and provides an acute respiratory infection (ARI) hub model at times of high demand. 

Patients contacting the practice over the phone can be channelled to the hospital-based GP service, rather than seen at the Practice, particularly if their need is more likely to need hospital services after the GP appointment.

The service operates weekdays during the day providing a seamless link between GP, nursing urgent care and mental health services, with streaming from A&E at Worksop & co-location planned.

A separate PCN hub at the Retford Hospital site was established in September 2023 and has focussed on frail patients, with a view to hospital admission prevention and an urgent care service, again following an Acute Respiratory Infection Hub model, but with a wider range of presenting conditions to support system resilience.

The two hubs provide just under 1,000 appointments per month between them.

Dr McLean said: “It was great to see a seamless service which has been developed entirely with the needs of its local population in mind, only possible thanks to hard work, trust and co-operation across the system. It’s a wonderful example of patient-centred integrated care, which I see as a potential blueprint for future ways of working in other parts of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.”