HealthPathways Community

·       HealthPathways is online and available 24/7. The platform is mobile-friendly and information is presented in a consultation-friendly format.

·       It provides clinicians with locally agreed information to make the right decisions together with patients, at the point of care. This includes information on how to assess and manage medical conditions, and how to refer patients into specialists and services.

·       It offers an internet-based repository of clinical pathways and concise guidance, developed by GPs and resident doctors for use by care health professionals to ensure patients receive the correct care.

·       It will ensure better, safer care by reducing unwarranted variation and accelerating evidence into practice. With new pathways constantly under development and existing pathways being regularly reviewed, it will always be accurate.

·       The system can be accessed anywhere there is an internet connection, on your mobile phone, out in the community, at home and in your primary care setting.

Better for patients

HealthPathways provides clinicians with greater clarity about the options for meeting a patient’s needs, including the appropriateness and likelihood of obtaining specialist services. This means patients benefit from being provided with care in the community, if appropriate, without spending months on a waiting list for specialist services, only to find out they do not meet the criteria.

Better for clinicians

HealthPathways helps build relationships between primary care and hospital specialists as they localise HealthPathways together. This gives clinicians who use the pathways greater confidence in the options for managing their patients.

Better for the system

The local health system benefits by lowering demand on acute and residential care services for patients who are better managed in the community. This frees up resources for elective services and provides more assistance to primary care

The first hospital pathways under development are:

• Lung cancer
• Symptomatic covid 19
• Vit D supplementation
• Pyelonephritis
• Chest pain
• ACS
• DKA
• Heart failure
• DVT

The first primary care pathways under development are:

• Anorectal and perianal abscess        
• Eczema                            
• Gout                  
• Haemorrhoids                           
• Hypertension              
• Influenza immunisation        
• Lung cancer  
• Symptomatic covid 19           
• Scabies                          
• Migraine                        
• Hyperlipidaemia                      
• Vit D supplementation          
• Rhinitis and nasal obstruction         
• Dyspepsia and GORD            
• Vertigo             
• Acne                 
• Pyelonephritis            
• Anal fissure    

If you have a recommendation for a pathway to be included, please email james.brownjohn@nhs.net with your suggestion. Please include the name of the pathway, the specialty it sits within and why you think it needs to be prioritised for HealthPathways.

Dr Saadia Saeed, MYTT

 

I am a Senior Registrar in Diabetes and Endocrinology, with a medical background spanning multiple countries. I completed MBBS from Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan. After my house job, I moved to Kenya where I worked as a clinical attaché in Nairobi, before working in a tertiary care hospital in Durban, South Africa for seven years. During this time, I also acquired MRCP (UK). After getting married, I relocated to the UK where I continued my medical journey as a specialist trainee in Diabetes and endocrinology, passing SCE in 2023. As a clinical editor, I am committed to making medical information clear and actionable, ensuring that best practices are effectively communicated within the medical community in Mid Yorks and beyond.

 

Dr Sarah Walcot, MYTT

I am a GP employed by the trust with an interest in frailty and hospital avoidance pathways. I have 14-years of experience and originally trained in general medicine. I applied to be a clinical editor so that I could be involved in clinical pathway development and innovation in the trust. I particularly want to work on reinforcing current pathways to describe how our patients may be looked after at home and supported in the community.

 

Dr Claire Barnsley, Friarwood Surgery 

I am a GP and GP trainer with 19 years NHS experience working at Friarwood Surgery, Pontefract.  I am also Chair of Wakefield LMC.  I have undertaken the role of clinical editor for health pathways because I feel like my Training and LMC roles really compliment this position.  My hope is to give GPs a voice and facilitate localised guidance from the primary care perspective to optimise our generalist skills.

 

Dr Debbie Hallot, Southgate Surgery 

I am a GP Partner at New Southgate Surgery and also work as a Clinical Advisor to the WDHCP predominantly around women’s health, and as a Salaried GP deployed to sexual health at HMP Newhall. I worked previously for the former Wakefield CCG, both as a governing body member and also as a clinical editor for Oscar. I enjoy researching and developing policies, procedures and guidance so when the opportunity to work once again as a clinical editor, this time for HealthPathways, I was delighted to be offered the role. My aim is to work collaboratively with subject matter experts and the HealthPathways team, to develop user-friendly, high-quality guidance for primary care, to support clinicians at the point of care, improving patient experience and outcomes.

 

Dr Yasar Mahmood

 

I am currently a GP Partner in two practices in North Kirklees. I have wide experience in both clinical practice in acute and chronic disease management as well as commissioning in health care. I am passionate about improving quality of patient care and as a clinical editor I look forward to identifying, editing and validating clinical contact on the North Kirklees and Wakefield HealthPathways website. I believe each clinical pathway which will be consensus clinical agreement for North Kirklees and Wakefield will help reduce clinical variation and improve patient care, and that the Healthpathways website will be used by and useful to general practice and hospital clinicians.