Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 16 July 2026 saw Hamdi Hamzah (Research & Evaluation Officer) deliver a presentation on ‘What Mobilising WorkWell Taught Us: Practical Lessons for Strategic Commissioning’. This session explored how the Research & Evaluation team in North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) captured WorkWell programme learning by using qualitative research methodologies involving relevant Neighbourhood Health teams (previously known as Local Delivery Teams). As part of the NHS WorkWell service in our region, NENC ICB aims to support more than 2,000 people in our region to stay well and […]
Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 30 June 2026 saw James Crosbie (GP, Gastroenterologist, Clinical Lead for Alcohol Harm Prevention) deliver a presentation on ‘Introducing the Alcohol Toolkit for Primary Care’. This session explored the newly launched Alcohol Toolkit for Primary Care – a practical, evidence-based resource designed to help primary care teams confidently identify and respond to alcohol-related harm. Primary care teams are well placed to have meaningful conversations about alcohol, and this toolkit supports a consistent, effective approach aligned with national guidance. In this session, we introduced the toolkit and demonstrated how it can […]
Reaching people where they are is a key part of delivering more accessible, proactive health and care. Across North East and North Cumbria, innovative approaches are helping to connect with communities who may not otherwise engage with traditional services. One powerful example of this in practice is Monty, Newcastle GP Services’ community health bus. Bringing care closer to people Monty is a purpose-built mobile clinic staffed by experienced nurses and healthcare professionals. It delivers a range of essential health and care services directly into communities, focusing on areas where need is greatest. Services include: Health checks Cervical screening Blood pressure monitoring Vaccinations Smoking cessation support Diabetes screening By bringing […]
Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 29 April 2026 saw Lisa Jones (Assistant Director for Integrated Commissioning, Sunderland City Council) deliver a presentation on ‘Learning from failure, before it happens: the Sunderland approach’. This session explored how Sunderland City Council used a whole‑system pre‑mortem to stress‑test their neighbourhood health programme before implementation. Instead of asking what might go wrong, the team intentionally imagined the programme had already failed – and worked backwards to uncover the real risks, blind spots, and assumptions that could derail success. Lisa shared why this proactive approach was chosen, how it helped […]
Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 18 March 2026 saw Kaye Walsh (Lead Nurse, Congenital Heart Disease Network) deliver a presentation on ‘Heart to heart: Co-production of a peer support resource for young people living with CHD’. Living with a long term health condition is challenging, and for young people navigating transition into adulthood this can be particularly difficult. Young people look for others with lived experience to help them navigate the turbulence of their condition and the impact it has on their everyday life. In this session, we heard about a group of young people, […]
Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 3 March 2026 saw Paul Court (Chief Executive of Healthworks) deliver a presentation on ‘Healthworks: Driving impact and reducing health inequalities’. Following a 30th Anniversary Impact Event, Paul joined us to share the work and impact of Healthworks. We heard how targeted, community‑based programmes are delivering an estimated £46.2 million in savings to health and social care services, easing pressure on overstretched systems and aligning with NHS Long‑Term Plan priorities to tackle health inequalities, improve population health, and strengthen out‑of‑hospital care. Insights from the Impact Report 2024-2025 were spotlighted, featuring […]
Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 30 January 2026 saw saw Dr Quynh Nguyen (GP and NIHR RSS Fellow, Northumbria Primary Care) deliver a presentation on ‘Re-useable tourniquets for sustainable phlebotomy’. In this session, Dr Nguyen shared local organisations’ experiences with the Daisy Grip reusable tourniquet. This innovative product is transforming clinical practice by significantly reducing single-use plastic waste and delivering real cost savings. We heard first-hand how switching to Daisy Grip has helped teams streamline procurement, cut down on unnecessary waste, and support sustainability goals. Dr Nguyen discussed practical implementation, patient and staff feedback, and […]
Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 9 December 2025 saw saw Emily Maughan and Gavin Watt (Newcastle General Practice Services Ltd) deliver a presentation on ‘Newcastle Community Health Bus: collaborative clinics in the community’. In this session we heard about pioneering work in mobile healthcare delivery through ‘Monty’ the Community Health Bus. In partnership with Newcastle University School of Pharmacy, NGPS coordinates and manages community-based health clinics aimed at tackling health inequalities in alignment with the Core20Plus5 agenda. This evolving service has delivered clinics across the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) region through innovative collaborations […]
Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 18 November 2025 saw Rachel Douglas (Programme Lead, North East North Cumbria Local Maternity and Neonatal System) and Abbie Dowse (Senior Marketing and Communications Officer, Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria) deliver a presentation on ‘Supporting personalised maternity and neonatal care in North East and North Cumbria’. In the session we heard about the new Personalised Care Toolkit, developed in collaboration with women, families, midwives, doctors, and Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnership Leads. This Toolkit is designed to support open, informed conversations and empower individuals to make choices that […]
Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 22 October 2025 saw Dr Ashley Tiplady (Deputy Head Education and Workforce Development at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) deliver a presentation on ‘Compassionate Leadership: What role for self-compassion?’. The benefits of compassionate leadership are well documented, however holding space for self-compassion as a leader can be extremely tricky, with multiple competing demands as well as psychological and organisational factors that might make self compassion tricky to embed. In this session, we reflected on this dilemma and thought about whether self-compassion might be an important puzzle piece […]
