North-east NHS health links with developing countries Professor Richard Walker Consultant Physician / Honorary Professor of Ageing and International Health.

North-east NHS health links with developing countries

Professor Richard Walker

Consultant Physician / Honorary Professor of Ageing and International Health

North Tyneside General Hospital/Institute of Health and Society

Establishing an International Health Links Network

International Health Links AHSN NENC Project

• Last year we commenced a project sponsored by the Academic Health Science Network North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC) to set up a regional network of international health links.

• Through the project we have, so far, identified 31 international health links in the region, working in 16 different countries

International Health Links AHSN NENC Project

• The project demonstrated that the region is full of philanthropic international activity, with lots of healthcare professionals engaging in international health volunteering and many of our NHS Trusts working in partnership with overseas organisations

Photographs courtesy of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Smiles Across Nepal, Brian Earley, Ian Holtby and Vikki Ford-Powell

International Health Links AHSN NENC Project

• We have established contact with all 31 links and from this, we have been able to gather information about their activity such as their areas of focus, numbers of volunteers and how they are funded

• This information pointed to key ways that international health links could learn from each other to develop and grow their work

Benefits of a Regional Network

• A regional network of international health links can bring several benefits to the Link, their overseas partner and NHS trust and also promote wider learning around global health, international volunteering and related fields, for example, it will help to:

Generate research and new ways of thinking Promote best practice

Encourage good governanceShare ideas and experiences

Exchange knowledge Highlight lessons learned from overseas

Demonstrate professional developmentShare resources

Establishing the Network

• The network has already benefitted Links by facilitating the sharing of donations and equipment and enabling people to connect with each other and build useful contacts

To further unfold the benefits and facilitate communication we have undertaken work to launch two online resources :

1. NENC International Health Links Facebook Page

2. NENC International Health Links Webpage

The North East and North Cumbria International Health Links Network

• NENC International Health Links Facebook Page

The North East and North Cumbria International Health Links Network

https://www.facebook.com/NENChealthlinks

• Like

• Share

• Use

The North East and North Cumbria International Health Links Network

• Webpage: A webpage containing information about the network, displaying images and information about many of the international health links in the region has been set up:

https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/get-involved/charity/international-links

• These online resources have been developed to enable the network to support and contact each other more easily and for others interested in this work to be able to better engage with the network and learn about international health volunteering.

• Through our research, the Links also suggested they’d like to meet face-to-face so there are also plans for bi-annual network meetings to take place across the region.

Northumbria / Tanzania Partnership

Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre

Global Health experienceThe benefits to the NHS…

– Membership of the NHS Overseas Volunteering Group– Northumbria Healthcare has been cited in a number of publications as an example of

good practice, including the 2013 APPG report on global health ‘Improving Health at Home and Abroad: How overseas volunteering from the NHS benefits the UK and the world’

• The trust has published research in the HSJ. ‘Innovative workforce development – the case for international health links’

• A toolkit developed by the trust to capture knowledge and skills gained from international work for the purposes of annual appraisal and revalidation has recently been published by Health Education England.

• This year the trust has been working with the Academic Health Sciences Network to establish a network of international links for the North East and Cumbria.

Why we set up the partnershipHow it all started…

• First visited Tanzania in 1999• Secured British Council Funding in 2001

– Modest beginnings - started work on physiotherapy, occupational therapy, clinical coding and wound management

• The Tanzania Partnership was officially adopted as an institutional link in 2006

What we’ve achieved so farSome of the skills we’ve shared…

• Introduced a BSc in Physiotherapy – first in Tanzania• Opened first and only endoscopy unit with equipment donated by the

Trust • Improved the recording and reporting of statistics to the World Health

Organisation through the introduction of ICD10• Introduced new surgery techniques – laparoscopic

A new ultrasound outreach serviceTackling the Millennium Development Goals…

• For every 100,000 babies born 587 women die in childbirth • We have helped to save lives by detecting life threatening conditions

early in pregnancy and….. – Trained doctors, nurses and midwives in new techniques– Set up an ultrasound clinic in three rural hospitals – Developed a short course in ultrasound which is now being taught by

Tanzanian doctors to healthcare professionals from across East Africa

The new challengeDeveloping a dedicated Burns Unit …

• Working with a multi disciplinary team to develop a clinical service for burns patients.

• Training surgeons in plastic surgery techniques to improve the mobility of patients with serious burns injuries

• Taking a whole system approach: fire prevention training in schools, acute care of burns in hospital and community rehabilitation.

Potential for links• Enthusiasm• Support and cross cultural friendships• Education• Personal development• Exchange of skills and expertise• Increased global awareness• New perspectives on life and work• Development of sustainable partnerships to

tackle health inequalities

Problems

• Insensitive or short term contacts• No impact on improving health in southern

partner• Staff who are poorly prepared or insensitive to

cultural differences may cause more harm than good

RESEARCH

Tanzanian Stroke Incidence Project

• All incident strokes in Hai and Dar-es-Salaam AMMP project areas

• History, examination, blood tests, DNA, ECG, echocardiogram and CT head scan

• Follow up at 1 month and 6 months• Two age and sex matched controls from AMMP

database for each patient - all investigations except CT head scan

Comparison of age-specific stroke rates for those ≥ 45 years in Hai, Dar-es-Salaam and African-Americans in Northern Manattan

Link

• Be in it for the long haul• Learn from others• Work with others (not just health

professionals)• ENTHUSIASM