Moving On Tyne and Wear (MOTW)
At Moving On Tyne & Wear we support people who are currently unemployed move into employment, training or volunteering.
Download the leaflet here.
18
Feb
07
Feb
Supporting adult carers – 25 February 2pm to 3pm online
Are you a professional who provides support to carers who live or care for someone in North Tyneside? Join the North Tyneside Carers’ Centre for this free and informal session and you will hear more about the challenges that adult carers are facing during this difficult period. Contact training@ntcarers.co.uk or call 0191 643 2298 to book.
07
Feb
NEW home-schooling toolkit to support families with autistic children
The North East Autism Society has launched the toolkit as a valuable addition to a suite of online resources developed throughout lockdown. The toolkit, created by the Family Development Team at NEAS, comes in the form of a downloadable booklet, packed with tips, ideas, and useful information.
07
Feb
New NT LIFE amateur mindful photography group
Snap Out Of It! is a weekly amateur mindful photography group which encourages you to explore your surroundings, notice and appreciate the unseen, become a tourist in your own neighbourhood and then collaborate as part of a team which each week shares and discusses its images.
What’s it got to do with mental health? Mindfulness – capturing the moment. Grounding – giving space to both see and appreciate more of the world around us. Use of all 5 senses – a DBT skill. Seeing different perspective and changing focus. Self expression and exploration- learn more about what makes you tick.
The group meets once a week for 2 hours (online or in person) with fun weekly challenges based on various themes. This is a laid back, friendly bunch with no pressure or judgement – everyone decides what works for them. We share the images and where comfortable talk about what we see, what they mean and how they make us feel. Everyone’s perspective is unique, valued and correct. No judgement. Read more here. To sign up email ntlife@voda.org.uk.
More activities and groups are in the pipeline. Please keep an eye out on our Facebook page for updates.
04
Feb
Healthwatch North Tyneside News – 29 January 2021
January 2021
Welcome to Healthwatch North Tyneside’s e-News. Please feel free to forward to anyone who may find it useful and they can sign up here to receive their own copy. If you’d like an article included in a future eNews, please email l.johnson@hwnt.co.uk
Our news
Look out for our Living Well North Tyneside booklet at North Tyneside’s vaccine centre – a helpful overview of health and wellbeing services
We’ve teamed up with a group of local organisations to form the Living Well North Tyneside Partnership. The first joint project is a useful booklet providing information and advice on local health and wellbeing services.
The booklet ‘Living Well North Tyneside’ provides information on how to maintain a healthy mind and body, how to access useful services in the borough including shopping and prescription delivery services, and lots more. You should be given a copy when you go to a North Tyneside vaccine centre for your Covid-19 vaccination.
Download Living Well North Tyneside booklet
We’ve updated the popular Mental Health Support leaflet
We’ve updated the very popular Mental Health Support leaflet, providing information about places that people can access mental health support without a referral from the NHS. The leaflet has details of groups and services that you can contact to self-refer for support with your mental health needs.
Have your say
Are you waiting for treatment?
There has been national headlines about treatments being delayed and some local people have told us about their treatment being delayed by health and care service. We want to hear about your experiences of waiting for treatment and whether you feel you have been kept informed about what’s happening.
Tell us about your experience of getting prescriptions
We’d love to hear your experience of getting prescriptions in North Tyneside, including ordering prescriptions from your GP and getting the medication you need from a pharmacy.
Our website also has information about what local services are available.
Everyone who completes a survey will be entered into a prize draw to be in with a chance of winning £25 Love2Shop vouchers.
If you are deaf or hearing impaired then join us on Zoom to share your views on local health and care services
If you are deaf or have a hearing impairment we’d like to capture your views and experiences of local health and care services. Join our discussion on Tuesday 2 February at 1pm on Zoom. A Speech to Text operator will be present and a British Sign Language/English translation is being arranged. Register your interest by clicking here or the button below.
Register for our Zoom session here
Local news
An update on vaccinations in North Tyneside
Fantastic news that residents and staff from the 31 residential and nursing homes in North Tyneside have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The local vaccination programme is well underway with people in their 70s now being invited for a vaccine. Most over 80s have now received their first dose but if you are over 80 and haven’t yet got an appointment for your first dose and would like to have the vaccine, please contact your GP practice.
Please remember that the roll out is following the priority group order agreed nationally. You will be contacted by your GP or the NHS, so please don’t call your GP practice about the vaccine programme unless asked. You can find out more information about the vaccine programme here.
20,000 COVID vaccine milestone passed in North Tyneside – Read more here
Thank you to Maggie Young who asked us to share this lovely feedback about her vaccination experience in North Tyneside.
“Yesterday it was the turn of my husband and I to have our jabs. We were completely and utterly impressed by the organisation of the event. Nothing was left to chance, from simple directions to explanations and advice, all given with kindness and understanding from the medical staff and all auxiliaries.
“In these days of negativity and complaints I feel it is most important to give credit when it’s due. Thank you all for organising and providing a first class experience.”
Scam alerts
There have been reports of people receiving scam phone calls regarding the Covid-19 vaccine. Please be aware the NHS will NEVER:
- Ask for your bank details
- Ask for payment (vaccines are free)
- Arrive at your home unannounced to administer the vaccine
- Ask you to prove your identity by sending documents such as passports.
Age UK North Tyneside has also warned that North Tyneside residents are being contacted by someone claiming they are from Age UK and have been asked to help with shopping. These callers are then asking for bank details. If you receive one of these calls, please hang up immediately. Age UK North Tyneside will never ask for your bank details, and will only contact you if you have requested a call. If you are ever unsure that a call is genuine, please hang up and call Age UK NT back on 0191 280 8484 option 1.
Useful information and opportunities
Together Apart: Navigating self-isolation in North Tyneside
VODA has produced a booklet, Together Apart, providing useful information to help residents stay safe whilst self-isolating. Download the PDF here
Stay well this winter
With cold weather forecasts continuing into the coming weeks, we want everyone to look after themselves. The NHS website has a Stay Well this Winter guide on their website with useful tips on keeping warm and staying healthy.
How to stay well in winter – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Information and advice from Healthwatch England:
- Healthwatch’s response to NHS England’s proposals to update the legislation for how the NHS works at a regional level
- What does shielding mean?
- Covid-19 vaccine – what you need to know
- The latest coronavirus advice and guidance and support
Help inform CQC’s future strategy
Care Quality Commission want you to tell them what you think about their proposals for their future regulation of health and social care. They want to hear your feedback and thoughts so they can make their strategy work for everyone. You can share your views on the CQC’s website here. Closing date 4 March 2021.
NICE Public Involvement Expert Panel
NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) are inviting members of the public who are interested in getting involved in their work, to join the Public Involvement Expert Panel.
The Expert Panel was set up to improve the involvement of patients and the public in NICE’s work by having a pool of engaged patients and public members. This pool will support committee recruitment, inform NICE’s work, and enable more rapid engagement of patients and the public to respond to new initiatives in a timely way.
You can join the Expert Panel at any time here
Become a Tyne and Wear Sight Loss Council member
Are you living in Tyne and Wear, blind or partially sighted and interested in advocating for others?
Join a community of blind and partially sighted advocates and help support visually impaired people in your area to live the lives they want to lead. To find out more here or email volunteering@pocklington-trust.org.uk. Website https://www.sightlosscouncils.org.uk/
Follow us on social media for the latest local health and care news and information.
03
Feb
Countdown to Time to Talk Day
Whether you’ve already planned an activity or are still looking for inspiration, there are lots of ways to get your workplace involved.
And with our first ever Time to Talk Day virtual festival happening on the day, you can join in a host of activities from home.
We know that a small conversation about mental health, whether face-to-face, online or over the phone, has the power to make a big difference.
Let’s start talking and together we can end mental health stigma.
Join our virtual festival
We might not be able to see each other face-to-face, but that won’t stop us making some noise on Time to Talk Day!
We’re running a virtual festival full of online activities that you can join wherever you are. The sessions are open to everyone – no tickets required.
Why not get your team or a group of colleagues together virtually to join our lunch and learn from 1pm? Or if you’re looking to get moving, give Bollywood dance or laughter yoga a go for some virtual team bonding.
Share our Time to Talk Day images on your social media and help us get more people talking. You’ll also find some suggested accompanying text in our workplace activity pack
Use our Time to Talk Day virtual backdrop in any online meetings throughout the day to help inspire more conversations.
Join the fun from home with our virtual festival. You can just tune in for one or two sessions or for all of them – it’s up to you!
01
Feb
Share your experience of accessing remote mental health services during the pandemic with Mind
My name is Amy, and I’m a Community Activist with Mind. Last week I wrote to you to share my own experience of accessing remote mental health services during the pandemic.
Now I have a favour to ask of you – can you share your own experience with Mind?
Many of you will know that since the pandemic, the NHS is giving a lot more of its support by telephone or online, rather than face-to-face. For me that meant having counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) over the phone and online, with mixed success.
If many mental health services are going to keep being run like this, we need to make sure they’re getting it right. That’s why Mind want to find out more about your experiences.
Have you had to speak to your GP or Community Psychiatric Nurse by phone rather than face to face? Or maybe you were offered counselling sessions via zoom, or referred to an online therapy programme or app? We want to hear from you, even if you didn’t end up using the service.
We also know that the system is set-up so that many people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities often don’t get support, or experience poor treatment when they do. So we’re particularly keen to hear from people from these communities to find out if accessing services remotely is improving your experiences or making them worse.
It’s also important to note that UK Government guidance clearly states face to face support should be available for people with mental health problems who need it most. This is even the case during the tightest lockdown restrictions, so please reach out for this support if you need it.
For me, sharing my experience has been important, as I hope it will help other people get the right support for them at this difficult time. Your feedback could also help shape the future of mental health services! All feedback will be shared anonymously with policy makers and NHS decision makers to help them make the right changes, so thank you for taking part.
Take care,
Amy
01
Feb
Whatever you’re feeling, you’re not alone
Content warning: This email contains content some supporters may find upsetting.
Since the pandemic began, we have all been dealing with lots of difficult emotions. These include loneliness, grief, frustration, maybe even relief.
Almost a year on, the feeling we perhaps hear about the most is anxiety. Many of you have contacted us to express your worry about getting sick, concern for your loved ones and doubt about when the pandemic might end. If this is how you’re feeling right now, you may find our online Coronavirus information hub helpful.
It’s important that we be mindful of everyone around us during these difficult times, and make life as easy as possible for each other.
One of these people was Lauren. She wrote about how the pandemic made her anxiety spiral and her mental health deteriorate. But she also wrote about what has been helping her cope and boosting her wellbeing. Lauren has kindly written a blog to share her experiences – we hope you find it interesting and useful.
Content warning: This blog contains descriptions of anxiety and depression that some supporters may find upsetting.
I’m learning new techniques and skills which are helping me overcome my social anxiety, as well as training my brain to accept my anxiety, and not let it control me.
We’re here for you on these tough days. Remember, you can find some information, including tips on how to cope, on our website.
Whatever you’re feeling, remember you’re not alone.
Take care,
Candy at Mind
01
Feb
No facial expressions, no empathy, no nothing
My name is Amy, and I’m a Community Activist with Mind.
Since the start of the pandemic, the NHS has been giving a lot more of its support by telephone or online, rather than face-to-face. This was put in place to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
While some people have really benefited from these remote services, others have struggled to use them, or, like me, have found that not all the services work for them in this way.
I have struggled with my mental health since the age of fifteen, as a result of falling victim to bullying. I began to self-harm during this time, and I was also diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder. Fortunately I was able to get support, including in person Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which I found engaging and stimulating for my mental health.
However, when lockdown came around, I felt as though there was nowhere or no one to turn to. I started to struggle with intrusive thoughts that I had never experienced before. This is when I decided to reach out for help.
I was offered both online CBT and counselling. Having CBT online through a chat feature was obviously a lot different to being face to face with a counsellor. I felt as though the counsellor didn’t understand what I was going through – imagine speaking to someone and they have no facial expressions, no empathy, nothing. It wasn’t a fault of the counsellor at all, it was simply just the fact that this was all happening through a screen.
On a more positive note, the counselling that I was offered over the phone was much more suited to me, and I have definitely found it to be helpful. Although it was still somewhat different to face to face support, I could still connect with someone and know that they were understanding me and listening to me. Counselling has massively changed my life over the past few months, and I encourage anyone struggling right now to reach out and speak up.
But talking to someone over the phone or online isn’t for everyone. If many mental health services are going to keep being run like this, we need to find out more about what is and isn’t working for people, so we can make sure everyone gets the right support for them. That’s why I have shared my experience with you, and with Mind.
Thanks for reading my story. I will be in touch again soon to let you know how you can share your own experiences and support Mind’s research.
Take care,
Amy
27
Jan
Support your family’s and your own mental wellbeing during lockdown
Shout have put together some tips from one of their clinicians Gillian, about what you can do to help support your children and yourself while navigating school closures and the pandemic.