Good news for Tynedale tenant farmers

Farmers across West Northumberland are at the heart of our rural economy, including tenant farmers,  not least given the essential role they play as a route into farming.

Their voices must be heard, which is why, following the comprehensive review of tenanted farming chaired by Baroness Rock, the Government has made some key announcements:

• creating a new farm tenancy forum to put a more formal engagement and feedback structure in place between DEFRA and the tenanted sector will embed tenant farmers further in policymaking, improve communication with the tenanted sector and help make Government schemes as accessible as possible.
• developing a new Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and industry-led code of practice on expected standards of socially responsible behaviour for all parties involved in agricultural tenancy agreements.
• launching a call for evidence this summer on a proposed ‘tenant farming commissioner’ or ombudsman.

These are positive steps, building on previous work, such as making it easier for tenants to participate in the sustainable farming incentive by offering 3-year agreements, making all productivity grants accessible to tenant farmers, including the £168m of investment launching across 2023, and around half of the 22 long-term, high-ambition landscape recovery projects selected in the first round involving tenants working with other farmers and land managers.

Ponteland Over 50s Fair

On Thursday, 1st June, I will be holding the Ponteland Over 50s Fair. The Fair is sponsored by Newcastle International Airport and supported by Northumberland County Council and Newcastle Jobcentre.

The Fair aims to inform local people about social organisations, services available and job opportunities in and around Ponteland, Northumberland.

The event will benefit everyone over 50, residents who have retired, or people who know someone who is retired and would like to discover local activities and support. The Fair is an excellent opportunity to increase awareness and interest in local organisations.

Many stalls will be from local clubs and organisations to charities, utility companies and banks. Organisations will also offer support and advice on care services, pensions and wills. 

The Fair will be held:

Date: Thursday 1st June 2023

Venue: Sports Hall at Ponteland Leisure Centre

Time: 10 am - 2 pm

Meeting the new CEO of Northumberland County Council

I recently met the new Chief Executive of Northumberland County Council, Dr Helen Patterson, at County Hall in Morpeth. 

I made clear to the CEO my priorities for Tynedale and Ponteland.

We discussed many issues, such as improving our roads, environment, housing, crime and anti-social behaviour and improving active travel across Tynedale and Ponteland. 

I look forward to working with Dr Paterson to deliver for my constituents across West Northumberland. 

Primary Care Recovery Plan

The Government are making it quicker & easier for you to get the care you need from your GP practice & local pharmacy 

The plan includes:

✅ tackling the 8am rush with better phone & online systems

✅ pharmacies supplying medicines for more conditions

✅ more staff & more appointments

This feels like a very sensible and effective plan to make the most of both our GPs’ time and the skills of our community pharmacies.

The Plan will:

1. Empower patients by rolling out tools they can use to manage their own health, and invest up to £645 million over two years to expand services offered by community pharmacy.
2. Enable patients in over 90% of practices to see their records and practice messages, book appointments and order repeat prescriptions using the NHS App by March 2024.
3. Ensure integrated care boards (ICBs) expand self-referral pathways by September 2023, as set out in the 2023/24 Operational Planning Guidance.
4. Expand pharmacy oral contraception (OC) and blood pressure (BP) services this year, to increase access and convenience for millions of patients, subject to consultation.
5. Launch Pharmacy First so that by end of 2023 community pharmacies can supply prescription-only medicines for seven common conditions. This, together with OC and BP expansion, could save 10 million appointments in general practice a year once scaled, subject to consultation.

Implement ‘Modern General Practice Access’ so patients know on the day how their request will be handled, based on clinical need and continuing to respect their preference for a call, face-to-face appointment, or online message. We are re-targeting £240 million – for a practice still on analogue phones this could mean ~£60,000 of support over 2 years.

1. Support all practices on analogue lines to move to digital telephony, including call back functionality, if they sign up by July 2023.
2. Provide all practices with the digital tools and care navigation training for Modern General Practice Access and fund transition cover for those that commit to adopt this approach before March 2025.
3. Deliver training and transformation support to all practices from May 2023 through a new National General Practice Improvement Programme.

Build capacity so practices can offer more appointments from more staff than ever before.

1. Make available an extra £385 million in 2023/24 to employ 26,000 more direct patient care staff and deliver 50 million more appointments by March 2024 (compared to 2019).
2. Further expand GP specialty training – and make it easier for newly trained GPs who require a visa to remain in England.
3. Encourage experienced GPs to stay in practice through the pension reforms announced in the Budget and create simpler routes back to practice for the recently retired.
4. Change local authority planning guidance this year to raise the priority of primary care facilities when considering how funds from new housing developments are allocated.

Cut bureaucracy to give practice teams more time to focus on their patients’ clinical needs.

1. Reduce time spent liaising with hospitals – by requiring ICBs to report progress on improving the interface with primary care, especially the four areas we highlight from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges report, in a public board update this autumn.
2. Reduce requests to GPs to verify medical evidence, including by increasing self-certification, by continuing to advance the Bureaucracy Busting Concordat.
3. Streamline the Investment and Impact Fund (IIF) from 36 to five indicators – retarget £246 million – and protect 25% of Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) clinical indicators.

Coronation visits in Prudhoe

I had a brilliant day on Friday, the day before the Coronation, in Prudhoe, chatting to residents about their views. 

Firstly, Cllr Gordon Stewart and I visited the Miners Lamp Community Hub and Café.

For the Coronation, the community and pupils from Adderlane Academy are making a pathway of painted pebbles around Eastwoods Park. The pebbles will be laid into the ground around the park.

This project is a fantastic initiative, and it was great to see how excited everyone was ahead of the Coronation!

Pupils of Adderlane Academy at the Miners Lamp Cafe

It was then great to be out and chatting to local residents on doorsteps in the pouring rain! If I missed you, please do complete my local issues survey, so I know your VIEWS: click HERE.