23 Jun

Linskill’s Active Summer Challenge 2021

We are delighted to officially announce Linskill’s Active Summer 2021!
 
We have designed a challenge to offer exploration (near and far), help you learn new skills and connect with people and nature. 
 
Last year we smashed our target of travelling, virtually, from Land’s End to John O’Groats and this year we are going to Istanbul.

 

When is it running?
1st July – 22nd July 2021

What is the challenge? 
Collectively to cover the miles of the original Orient Express (but from Newcastle) which is 2146 miles (according to our calculations) over three weeks. 

To make the challenge personal to you we want you to pick three ‘mini challenges’ to complete over the challenge period and log the number of miles you walk, run or cycle every time you go out. We suggest one of them should include a mile challenge (highlighted in green in the table below).

Are there prizes this year?
To keep us all motivated there will be a weekly prize draw for everyone registering an activity that week.

Ok, this sounds interesting, what are the challenges I need to choose from?
Have a look at the table below – keep it handy!

And is there a cost?
No, it’s free! 

How do I log my miles and activities?
On day one (Thursday 1st July) we will email you a link to a google form. You then log your miles and which mini challenge (if any) you have completed. You can log your miles daily or once a week as long as they are all entered by Wednesday 30th July. Everyone will be using the same link so we will be able to have a running total. When you log your activity, you will need to enter your email address, name and total miles covered. 
 
If you use Strava you can join our group called Linskill’s Active Summer Challenge 2021 and then we can log your miles from there BUT please still log your mini challenges via the Google form.

Is this challenge open to everyone? 
Yes! Get your family and friends involved.

This all sounds awesome, how do I get involved?
Simply follow the link below to register and we’ll be in touch with weekly emails about our progress, photos of activities, route ideas and the weekly prize draw winners.

MILEAGE CHALLENGE SIGN UP HERE

To accompany the ‘mini challenges’ we are holding some extra activities at the Linskill Centre and Battle Hill Multi-Use Centre – take a look here and book yourself on.

*You do not have to sign up to the miles based challenge to participate in these activities, they are open to all. But be quick as places are limited!

ACTIVITIES SIGN UP

If you have any questions or would like more information please email community.development@linskill.org

18 Jun

Healthwatch Newcastle Newsletter – 15 June 2021

Our Healthwatch priorities for 2021—22

Our role is to make sure that you are at the heart of health and social care services in Newcastle. We listen and make sure your voice is understood by the people planning and running our local services. Earlier this year, we asked for feedback from you on a shortlist of potential priorities. We also had conversations with the people who run services and the Healthwatch Newcastle Committee met to discuss what our focus should be.

As a result of this process, we have identified several priorities for the next 12 months, including:

  1. Service provision for children and young people affected by domestic abuse. Through this work, we seek to amplify the voices of (non-abusive) parents and their children to identify the support needed to cope and recover from the impact of domestic abuse.
  2. How annual NHS health checks for people with learning disabilities work in practice to better understand: the experiences of those receiving the health check, the value they have for those people and any barriers that prevent uptake, with a view to ensuring better health outcomes for people with a learning disability.

Read more at www.healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk/priorities-for-2021-22

 

Outer West Primary Care Network says thank you to patients for their comments!

Earlier this year we partnered with six GP practices in Outer West Newcastle: Denton Park Medical Group, Denton Turret Medical Group, Newburn Surgery, Parkway Medical Group, Throckley Primary Care Centre and Westerhope Medical Group.

They wanted to gather patients’ views on additional services, accessing the practices and how/if COVID-19 affected their experience.

The practices are now thanking their patients for taking part in a survey. The results are helping them to improve health care, provide additional local services and tackle health inequalities.

Find out more and download the report at www.healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk/news/outerwest-thankyou

 

You said

A Care Coordinator works closely with General Practices in the area to support access to services, advice and information, and to ensure health and care planning is timely, efficient, and patient-centred.

Miss N contacted us because she felt like her Care Coordinator was not working in her best interests. She thought that the Care Coordinator did not listen to what she wanted and talked at her rather than to her. She was continually offered activities that did not work for her and received no other support.

We did…
As Miss N expressed an urgent need for support, we suggested she contacted the service and request a change of coordinator. We provided her with the right contact details and who specifically to speak to. We also provided her with the details of North East Independent Complaints Advocacy (ICA) so, when she felt ready, Miss N could make a complaint about the Care Coordinator service.  Please see the ‘Other news and event’ section of this newsletter if you would like to know about ICA.

As a result…
Miss N now has a new Care Coordinator and feels better and more supported than she had in the past. She also is now working with ICA to make a complaint.

“I now have a new care coordinator, thank you so much for your efforts, I would be lost without it.” Miss N

Need our help?
Do you need free, independent and confidential information about local health and social care services? Just ask online at www.healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk/just-ask or call us on Freephone 0808 178 9282 (leave a message outside office hours).

 

Learning Disability Week (14—20 June 2021)

People with a learning disability may have difficulty with everyday activities, for example, household tasks, socialising or managing money.

Did you know we have accessibility tools that can help people with learning disabilities, and others, access our Healthwatch website? Users can use ‘Recite Me’ to customise the website so it meets their individual needs. Features include:

  • A screen mask to help with focus and concentration.
  • Options to have content read aloud.
  • Full control over the speed at which the text is read aloud to allow for varying auditory preferences.
  • Customisation options for text font, colour, sizing, and spacing, so that the look of the webpage can be tailor-made into the perfect format for every individual.
  • A spell-checker and fully integrated dictionary and thesaurus to help with comprehension.

Recite Me has other features everyone may find useful, including being able to translate or read content aloud in over 35 different languages.

Click on the ‘Enable ReciteMe’ button at the top right of the page to access the features at www.healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk

For learning disability advice and support visit www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support

 

Healthwatch Newcastle annual report out now

All local Healthwatch are required to produce an annual report and submit it to various organisations, including Healthwatch England, the Care Quality Commission and the commissioning local authority by the end of June each year.

Our 2020—2021 annual report looks at how we responded to the challenges of the pandemic by reassessing our work priorities and focussing on how COVID-19 has impacted on access to local services, while continuing to deliver high-quality information and signposting.

We also want to say a big ‘thank you’ to our volunteers for their support throughout such a challenging year. They helped people in Newcastle have their say on services from home, promoting surveys to family, friends and neighbours, and making befriending calls to the most vulnerable in our area. We couldn’t do it without you!

Find out more and read the report at www.healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk/news/hwnannualreport2020-21

 

 

Skills4Work — supporting young adults in the city

We met with Sean and Chris from Skills4Work Gateshead to find out more about the work they do. Skills4Work supports young adults in Gateshead and Newcastle with disabilities and/or mental health conditions to gain valuable skills in work. The group is based in Birtley. We also chatted about the COVID-19 adaptations that they have made to keep working with their members.

If you would like to become a Skills4Work Gateshead member or find out more visit www.skills4work.org

Watch our video at https://youtu.be/RqWd0UWTqsQ

 

Other news and events

Living well with bowel cancer — online event
Saturday 19 June, 10.30am to 2pm
This free virtual information and support event by Bowel Cancer UK is for anyone affected by bowel cancer. Patients will hear about how to cope with their cancer diagnosis, live better with the disease and managing the sidewwww1111qs effects of treatment.

It’s an opportunity to also hear from other people affected by bowel cancer and share experiences with others. The event will end with a relaxing wellbeing session. A working laptop, computer, smartphone, or tablet with sound and a camera will be needed for the event, which will be hosted on Zoom.

To register and to find out more visit www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/how-we-can-help/supportevents or email supportevents@bowelcanceruk.org.uk

North East NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy
Unhappy with your NHS treatment or care? Want to make a complaint but you’re not sure where to start? This is where North East NHS Independent Complaints Advocacy (ICA) can help.

ICA is free, independent and confidential. It can support you to make a complaint by yourself or with the help of an experienced worker, known as an Advocate.

To make an appointment please call Freephone 0808 802 3000.

Find out more at https://tinyurl.com/ICAnortheast

Introducing the Volunteer Passport Scheme Newcastle
If you’re looking to volunteer with a range of organisations in the city the Volunteer Passport Scheme can help you work flexibly across Newcastle.

The role is flexible and based on the time you have to give. There’s a single recruitment and training process and you can join a network of volunteers, gaining experience in a variety of volunteer roles, including:

  • Driver
  • Shopper
  • Medication pick up/drop off
  • Befriending/mentoring/welfare calls
  • Tech support volunteer
  • Charity shop volunteer, and many more


If you would like to get involved, or for more information, please email Pam.Robinson@volunteeringmatters.org.uk or Karen.Watson@volunteermatters.org.uk

Watch a film about the Volunteer Passport Scheme at https://youtu.be/IyiYhXM0hFQ

Exploring vaccine confidence
It’s important to understand what isn’t working about the current roll-out strategy for people who are less confident in the COVID-19 vaccine and use that information to help address concerns.  

Healthwatch England’s latest report explores vaccine confidence among people from African, Bangladeshi, Caribbean and Pakistani backgrounds. It uncovered five ways to increase public confidence:

      • Individual agency
      • Independence
      • Transparency
      • Experience
      • Targeted messaging can miss the mark

Read more at www.healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk/news/exploring-vaccination-confidence

This newsletter in other formats
We’re currently unable to provide paper copies of this newsletter. If you would like a version you can print out yourself, you can find copies of all our recent newsletters at www.healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk/about-us/resources

If you need this newsletter in another format please get in touch by emailing info@healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk or phoning Freephone 0808 178 9282.

18 Jun

Happy to Chat – Wallsend

Happy to Chat started in January 2020 with the aim to get people in North Tyneside talking to each other. The project proved to be very popular, however due to the pandemic all the plans came to a stop. Now with restrictions lifting we are keen to start this project up again.

People sat in a relaxed session with a cuppa having a chat. A simple idea with a big impact to people’s lives in the community.

We are aiming to launch Happy to Chat at the start of June. The sessions will be held at Dreamshine’s Well-Bee-Ing Hub in Wallsend, every Thursday from 10:00-12:00.

Address: The Well-Bee-Ing Hub and Cafe, 84 Park Road, Wallsend.

Because of Covid 19 Happy to Chat will be different although the principle will be the same – encouraging people to talk. Everyone attending needs to be booked in in advance.

Details can be found in this document.

11 Jun

Early support for young people: Fund the Hubs

The pandemic has sped up a crisis in young people’s mental health that was already growing fast.

Hundreds of thousands of young people are struggling with their mental health – and too often they can’t get support when they first need it.

The earlier a young person gets support for their mental health, the more effective that support will be.

That’s why we’ve partnered with Young Minds, Youth Access, the Children’s Society and the Children and the Young People’s Mental Health Coalition to call on the UK Government to fund a network of early support hubs across England’

Watch the video

This network of early support hubs would provide easy-access mental health support across England. Anyone aged 11-25 would be able to drop-in, without an appointment or a referral, in their local area.

Similar hubs already exist in some parts of England, and are helping prevent young people from reaching crisis point. Extra funding would support these existing hubs, and establish new ones in areas without them.

Will you watch and share our campaign video calling on the UK Government to take action? Remember to use tAhe #FundTheHubs hashtag if you share on social media!

Share the video

We know early support hubs work. Australia has an established network of over 100 hubs. Young people are telling us this is what they want. Let’s listen to them.

Take care,

Sorsha at Mind

10 Jun

Virtual Webinar: Access to inclusive sport in Tyne and Wear for visually impaired people – 16 June 2021 (5:30 pm – 7:00 pm)

The Thomas Pocklington Trust is hosting a webinar on 16th June about inclusive sport for visually impaired people.

Visually Impaired and want to know more about accessing sports like blind football, cricket and tennis in Tyne and Wear? Want to hear about the benefits of getting involved in sport?

Our Tyne and Wear Sight Loss Council invites you to our ‘Insight Fitness’ webinar, where you can put your questions to our panel of sport experts. It is happening on 16 June, 5.30pm via Zoom.  To read more and to register click here.

10 Jun

Adult AD/HD Support Group NE Meeting – 18 June 2021

Hi Folks:

I’d just like to let you know about our next meeting in South Shields, which will be held on a different night than we used to us, as something of an experiment. We may hold meetings more often, possibly on weekends:-

South Shields: FRIDAY 18th June (6-9pm)

Venue: Age Concern (ACTS) Dora Dixon House, 29 Beach Road / corner of Anderson Street, South Shields NE33 2QU. Thanks again to Age Concern for their invaluable support.

Download the flyer for this meeting here.

As soon as we have some news to share about other meetings we intend to hold across the region, we will inform you asap via email and on the website.

We look forward to see everybody again soon!

best wishes

bill

Bill Scott

Adult AD/HD Support Groups North East

aadhd_ne@yahoo.co.uk
07856212564
http://aadhd-ne-uk.weebly.com/

07 Jun

Northern Pride Festival moves online for 2021

June is Pride month, dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ+ communities all around the world.

It’s usually celebrated with parades and marches but with coronavirus and social distancing still in place, things will be a little different this year.

North East festival-goers are invited to show their pride virtually this year, as one of the UK’s largest LGBTQ+ events moves online. Follow Northern Pride on Facebook to keep updated.

07 Jun

Virtual volunteering information event (North Tyneside) – 9 June 2021

Wednesday 9 June at 3:30pm
If you’re interested in finding out what volunteering opportunities are available across North Tyneside then you are welcome to join us on for a virtual cuppa and a chat with the likes of VODA, The Carers Centre, Age UK North Tyneside and Citizens Advice. This is a chance to hear about roles available within those organisations and ask questions to find out whether the role is something you are interested in. There’s no commitment needed to sign up to volunteer, so if you’re looking to explore your options with some friendly faces then this is the zoom for you! Please register in advance

04 Jun

‘Safe to be me’ – resource guide from Age UK

Age UK

This resource guide offers practical advice on providing the kind of service in which older lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) people can feel safe to be themselves.

This resource is written for anyone working or volunteering in health, social care or the voluntary sector who would like to support older people who are LGBT. It will also be helpful for training providers to ensure courses integrate discussions and scenarios relating to the needs of people who are LGBT.

Find out more