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Practice nurses in Kettering are now treating minor injuries

The organisation taking over responsibility for purchasing health services for the majority of Northamptonshire from April 2013 has been recognised in a national report on best practice in healthcare commissioning.

NHS Nene Clinical Commissioning Group (Nene CCG) is among the 12 CCGs featured in the report entitled Clinical Commissioning in Action. The report has been jointly published by the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC), the NHS Alliance, and the NHS Confederation.

The CCGs featured have been chosen for work they have undertaken to make a difference to patients already, before they become statutory organisations in April 2013. According to the report: "Even before authorisation, many clinical commissioners are already demonstrating their potential to make a real difference to patients and communities.

"This document, which we hope will serve as an inspiration throughout the NHS, presents case studies from up and down the country where clinical commissioning did just that."

Nene CCG is featured for the project to train nurses in Kettering to provide minor injuries treatment at GP practices. The scheme aims to reduce pressure on A&E services and encourage local patients in the Kettering area to use services appropriately in a more convenient setting, closer to their home. Many injuries seen would include sprains, cuts and grazes, but some would require further investigation. Practice nurses are able to order x-rays, avoiding patients needing to see a GP and speeding up the process.

Dr Raf Poggi, GP Chair for Kettering Locality for Nene CCG, said: "There is a lot of collaboration between practices. Patients who are in a practice which doesn’t offer this will be able to access a practice that does. Changes like this which have made a huge impact on patient care can be made very quickly just by engaging the right people."

You can access the Clinical Commissioning in Action report here