19 Jun

Active at Home Booklet for Older People

This ‘Active at Home’ booklet has been produced to provide practical guidance to older adults on home-based activities to maintain their strength and balance. It follows concerns that low levels of physical activity in older adults will lead to reduced fitness resulting in loss of independence and need for care in the future. Available to download in ZIP format.

Developed by Public Health England, Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM) and Sport England.

https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/50-resource-ordering/resources/5118

 

17 Jun

Healthwatch Newcastle Newsletter – 17 June 2020

Tell us your care story

This is an unprecedented time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected all of us in ways we might not have anticipated. It has also affected our health and social care services.

What are your experiences of services in Newcastle? This could be care received in a hospital, care home, from a dentist or mental health services, to name but a few.

Thank you to everyone who has so far told us their care story. It’s important to hear from as many people as possible, so please tell us your story (or that of a friend or relative) in our survey. If you don’t have online access we can call you back on the phone — call Freephone 0808 178 928 to arrange a call-back.

Take the survey at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/covidexperiences

 

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 2019—2020 annual report focusses on the impact we have made as a local Healthwatch. We have produced six research reports, resulting in ten recommendations that we believe will improve various services, ranging from mental health services for children and young people to helping improve access to primary care services, such as opticians and dentists, for people who are housebound.

Read more at https://tinyurl.com/HWNannual2020

 

Thank you, key workers

In recent weeks, we’ve all been more aware of the efforts of people working in social care and the NHS, including healthcare assistants, doctors, nurses, call handlers, paramedics, cleaners and many more.

Together with Healthwatch Gateshead and our local community, we made a video to say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone keeping us safe during these times.

Thank you to all the people who took part in our video!

You can watch the video at www.healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk/news/thank-you-key-workers

 

Become an NHS volunteer responder

Healthwatch Newcastle is delighted to now be able to refer vulnerable people to the NHS Volunteer Responders Scheme.

This scheme aims to provide volunteer support to those most at risk to COVID-19 to help them stay safe at home while isolating from the virus.

As part of our key priorities we aim to ensure we continue to support and engage with local people, particularly those who are vulnerable and currently who are unable to get out and about. As an approved referral partner for the scheme, it helps us to ‘stay connected’ and engaged.

Find out more at https://tinyurl.com/NHS-responder

 

Join our Committee

Would you like to help us fulfil our vision to be Newcastle’s independent and trusted voice for outstanding social care and health services for all?

We’re on the lookout for members to join our Healthwatch Committee. These are voluntary, unpaid roles although travel and carers’ expenses will be covered.

If you would like to discuss becoming a Committee member, please email Cynthia Atkin, Interim Operations Manager, at cynthia@healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk

 

Listen to us on the go!

Enjoy this newsletter on the go by downloading our podcast at soundcloud.com/healthwatch-newcastle

 

NHS Test and Trace – how it works

NHS Test and Trace launched on Thursday 28 May. The aim is to quickly test anyone who has symptoms to see if they have COVID-19.

If you test positive NHS Test and Trace contact you with instructions on sharing details of people you have had close contact with. If you’re told you’ve been in contact with a person who has COVID-19 you should stay at home (self-isolate) for 14 days from the day you were last in contact with the person.
 
Read more at https://tinyurl.com/NHS-test-trace

 

Need dental care?

Dental services in Newcastle may not look as they did before the lockdown for a little while longer. Although dental practices are now free to open, it’s expected that dentists will see those with the most urgent issues first. Routine dental check-ups and hygienist appointments will start later.

If you need care and you have a regular dentist, you should call them as a first step. The dentist will assess your situation over the phone, including giving advice and, if needed, prescriptions for painkillers or antibiotics, or arranging treatment.

Read more at www.healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk/news/need-dental-care

 

Organ donation

Organ donation in England has now changed to an ‘opt out’ system. All adults in England will be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups.

Find out more at www.organdonation.nhs.uk/uk-laws/organ-donation-law-in-england

 

Single point of access for children and young people’s mental health services

A single point of access (SPA) is available for any child aged between 0 and 18, or looked after children aged 25 or under, if they are struggling with their mental health.

The child, young person, or their parent and carer can get in touch with the SPA for information and advice. The SPA will assess the situation and refer the child or young person to the most appropriate service for support. It’s open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Get in touch with the SPA on 0303 123 1147 or ntawnt.NGSPA@nhs.net
If the matter is urgent you should contact 0191 246 6913.

 

Kooth — mental health support for children and young people

Kooth is a web-based confidential support service for young people aged 11 to 18 in Newcastle and Gateshead (or 25 and under if a looked after child). Kooth provides a safe and secure means of accessing mental health and wellbeing support designed specifically for young people.  

Kooth offers young people the opportunity to have a text-based conversation with a qualified counsellor. Counsellors are available from 12noon to 10pm on weekdays and 6pm to 10 pm at weekends, every day of the year on a drop-in basis. Young people can access regular booked online counselling sessions as needed. Outside counselling hours people can message the team and get support by the next day.

When young people register with Kooth they will have support available to them now and in the future. Support can be gained not only through counselling but articles, forums and discussion boards. All content is age-appropriate, clinically approved and fully moderated.

To find out more visit www.kooth.com

 

 

Printing this newsletter

We’re currently unable to provide copies of this newsletter. If you would like a version you can print out yourself please email info@healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk

17 Jun

North Shields Live at Home Scheme Telephone Befriending Service

North Shields Live at Home Scheme is offering a Telephone Befriending Service to older people who are feeling alone or isolated in the community. This might include those who have no family and friends nearby, but also those who have support from families in terms of shopping, but who would benefit from a regular conversation when the family is at work. The days can be very long when you are nervous about going out, and our staff are available for a chat, with suggestions about how to fill the day. We are currently running a writing project to encourage our members to record their feelings about this unique time in history. For those with any kind of access we are also offering access to an online activity programme.

Anyone can make a referral, by calling Barbara Harland on 07720 680 347, and self- referrals are also welcome. We will contact the person and risk assess how much support is required and the frequency of calls will be agreed. This can be daily, twice a week or weekly, and can be re-assessed at any point should the level of need increase or decrease.

With many services on hold at the moment we are also offering support to partners and carers of people living with dementia.

Kind Regards

Barbara

Barbara Harland

Live at Home Scheme Manager

North Shields Live at Home Scheme

Wallsend Community Fire Station,
6PF Hadrian Road, NE28 6HS

Tel: 01912 636917

Mobile: 07720 680 347

www.mha.org.uk

16 Jun

Age UK North Tyneside Telephone Befriending Service

Good afternoon everyone, I hope you’re all well, safe.  Just to let you know, our Befriending Service is reaching out to offer Telephone Befriending support to even more customers now.

Our Telephone Befriending Service is there to offer older isolated people a friendly chat over the phone.  We provide a lifeline to the outside world because we make time for conversation and friendship.  Customers who might usually request home visit befriending are contacting us.  Also, many of our older neighbours, friends and community members who are normally out and about are now isolated at home. We want to help ensure their continued safety and good health during this difficult time.

Qualification for service

As much as we’d like to support everyone, I am very sorry to say that we cannot be a counselling or bereavement service, or a complimentary mental health service, or a dementia service: our Telephone Befriending Volunteers just aren’t trained for this level of support.

Please, to avoid disappointing your customers sitting within these most vulnerable groups, support them by referring in to more appropriate services.  If you think we can help in other ways, why not ask our customer services team for advice today on 0191 2808484

Referral process for telephone befriending

All referrals to be made by telephone until we let you know that things have changed (this may be several months).

Please ring 0191 2808484 and ask to speak with our customer services team to raise a telephone befriending request to our CRM system.

The customer services team will set up a customer record and you will have the following information ready –

Customer name, address, telephone number, date of birth, mental and physical health history that you are aware of, the reason for your request, some customer background.

It is essential that you leave your full name, your organisation and your direct dial telephone number. Our customer services team will record this information inside your referral request, as I will be speaking with you first about your referral, before contacting the customer direct.

Please check before ringing us that you have the customer’s permission.

Thanks for reading,

Best wishes, Beverley

Regards

Beverley Swan
Befriending Coordinator

C&V
Age Uk
Bradbury Centre, 13 Saville Street West,
North Shields
NE29 6QP
01912808484
0872 1108 450
Beverley.Swan@ageuknorthtyneside.org.uk
www.ageuk.org.uk/northtyneside

16 Jun

Re-engage – Would you like a call companion?

If you’d like a bit of extra company, we can match you with one of
our friendly call companions. They love a good chat and they’re
great listeners too.

To be eligible for a call companion, you need to be:
• aged 75 or older
• living alone or in sheltered housing with little contact with
family or friends
• at a stage in your life when you struggle to leave the house.

Download flyer here.

13 Jun

Black mental health matters

Being sectioned under the Mental Health Act is one of the most traumatic things that can happen to someone. In 2018 an independent review of the Mental Health Act made over 150 recommendations for urgent reform to improve people’s choice over their treatment, and ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect. After 18 months, we are still waiting for the UK government to make changes to this discriminatory and outdated legislation. This just isn’t good enough.

Under the current Mental Health Act, Black men are four times more likely to be sectioned and three times more likely to be restrained or held in isolation while in hospital. For people like Colin, who have experienced being sectioned, this discrimination leads to distrust in mental health services, making it even harder to ask for help.

Watch Colin’s video

“When they look at me, they don’t see Colin, they don’t see me as an individual with an identity, with a specific history. They see a catalogue of Black men, who come off this stereotype of being big and dangerous and angry.”  Colin

Black lives matter, and black mental health matters. If the UK government is serious about tackling institutional racism it must move forward with its long-delayed reform of the Mental Health Act.

Will you share Colin’s powerful account of the discrimination he has faced?

Share on Twitter

Nobody should have to go through what Colin has experienced. Tackling this discrimination needs to start with changing the legislation at its core, so that all of us with mental health problems get the quality care and treatment we deserve.

Take care,

Nancy

12 Jun

Domestic abuse advice and information

Friends and family members are being urged by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria to ‘make domestic abuse everyone’s business’ in a new campaign designed to set out how they can help those at risk. Further information is available here

Children North East have launched a domestic abuse helpline. Please share the Domestic Abuse Helpline poster.

Women’s Aid have published a number of Evidence briefings: The impact of Covid-19 on survivors and services based on their Covid-19 survivor survey.

Safe Newcastle have organised interactive training: ‘Recognising and Responding to Domestic Abuse During the Covid-19 Pandemic’. This two-hour virtual interactive training session is to enable frontline practitioners to recognise and respond safely to DA survivors when working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. All bookings are managed via the Eventbrite website.  Click on the ‘Register here’ hyperlink next to the session you would like to attend and complete the online registration form.

Dates and start times in June 2020:
Tuesday 16 June, 10am Register here
Wednesday 17 June 2pm Register here
Thursday 18 June 10am Register here

12 Jun

Stop Hate UK – hate crime information

Stop Hate UK provides independent and confidential Hate Crime reporting services for Newcastle, whether you are a victim of Hate Crime, you have witnessed incident you believe to be a Hate Crime or you are a third party to an incident that could be a Hate Crime. For further information and contact details visit the Newcastle City Council website: Reporting hate crime

Information has been translated into 48 languages and can be accessed here: https://www.stophateuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/LF104_Langauge-Booklet_May2020_LR.pdf