Essex Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Winstred Hundred Parish Council

20th May 20148th December 2015

Bogus callers near Colchester

Beware of bogus callers – Colchester woman conned

Be aware of bogus callers – they have tricked their way into a woman’s house in Colchester. Two men claiming to be from the council knocked on the door of a property in Rochdale Way, Greensted, at around 7pm on Saturday, May 17 asking to check the water pipes. A woman who lives in the property was alone and allowed them in. Whilst in the premises they went upstairs and stole some jewellery.

Descriptions:

The two men had Irish accents and were both described as white.

Man 1:

Aged around 30 to 40
Short greying hair under a blue baseball cap.
Unshaven greying beard.

Man 2:

Thin
In his 20s
Short dark hair

Anybody with any information about this incident or who may have seen anybody acting suspiciously in the area is asked to contact Colchester CID on Essex Police 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Follow Essex Police advice to stay safe:

Don’t be frightened to ask for identification and always check it carefully. If you’re not sure, ask them to come back another day.
Think about installing a door chain and use it. Keep the door on the chain until you’ve seen identification.
If you need your glasses to read the identification, close the door before going to find them. Don’t leave the door open and unattended.
Remember to lock the back door before opening the front.
Don’t be pressured into letting someone into your home if you have suspicions.
Don’t keep large amounts of cash in the house.
Don’t believe scare stories. Not all callers are genuine.

For more information on staying safe, go to the Essex Police Be Safe pages on www.essex.police.uk

2nd May 20148th December 2015

PAWS April – Child’s Play to radio host

Our speaker for April was Rachel Sloane, a well-known radio presenter for Radio Suffolk.

Rachel started her working career as a nursery nurse on a children’s ward in Ipswich and was then asked by Radio Orwell to do a weekly feature on children. For the next 4 years she did a 15-minute slot called ‘Childs Play’. She was so successful at this that she was then asked to present a two-hour programme in the early morning, which dealt with current affairs and involved phone-in spots. The phone calls were vetted by a team of telephonists, who then advise as to who should be put through to the live programme. Inevitably some people who phone in are abusive or just boring, so Rachel quickly learnt how to terminate the call. After 9 years with Radio Orwell, Rachel joined BBC Radio Suffolk and presented ‘Talk About’, which was a magazine programme, and later ‘Public Eye’, which was a consumer programme. After 23 years as a radio presenter and producer she set up her own company with the help of her retired policeman husband, called Rachel Sloane Partnerships Ltd. The company trains people in public speaking, hosts conferences and provides keynote speakers for various events.

During her career Rachel has interviewed a variety of people and groups and has had some very funny and embarrassing moments, and has occasionally had to ad lib to save inappropriate language and behaviour on live programmes. She now steps in to host the morning programme on Radio Suffolk when she is not helping on cruises or organising events.

Rachel stayed to talk to members in the refreshment break.

Our next get together is on 27th May when P. Parker will be our speaker with the subject of “Wheelchair to Windsurfer”. Currently membership is full but visitors are very welcome at the cost of £3.50 which includes refreshments.

Details of all our meetings and speakers can be found on the diary of the home page of this website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring one of the following committee members: Alice Holmes 01206 735510, Jane Banks 01206 735004 or Jane Anderson 01206 735505.

27th April 20148th December 2015

NHS NE Essex Care Strategy

ne-essex-ccg The NE Essex CCG have recently published a new strategy for caring for adults, their families and carers who are facing conditions with limited life expectancy. This is part of a whole series of initiatives designed to customise NHS Service Provision for NE Essex’s needs – more can be found on their website at www.neessexccg.nhs.uk.

Part of the introduction of this end-of-life strategy document makes clear its objectives:

This document is a 5 year strategy detailing the future commissioning of end of life services across the health and social care economy. The document identifies the importance of raising the profile of achieving ‘a good death’ and putting mechanisms in place to achieve this.
The Department of Health End of Life Care Strategy acknowledges that there are many challenges to be overcome to ensure that everyone attains ‘a ‘good death’ irrespective of their background. The focus for the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group End of Life Strategy is to ensure that all patients achieve ‘a good death’ and their families and carers feel supported.

The full document can be downloaded here – NE Essex CCG End of life strategy 2014.

23rd April 20148th December 2015

Cancer Drop-In Day

Free Health And Wellbeing Event For People Living With And Beyond Cancer

Colchester’s Mayor Cllr Colin Sykes, and his wife Cllr Laura Sykes, will open the event at 10.30am

For the first time in North Essex and surrounding areas cancer patients and their families who are living with and beyond cancer are being invited to a free health and wellbeing drop in cancer information day taking place on Saturday 26 April at the St John’s Community Centre, St John’s Close, Colchester, CO4 OHP between 10.30am and 3.30pm to find out about all there is available for those affected by cancer. There will be free parking and refreshments. Macmillan Cancer Support and Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust have joined forces to host this major cancer event to provide people, who have undergone or completed treatment for cancer, no matter how long ago or for what type of cancer, with the opportunity to find out about what support, information, advice and facilities are available, to help them adjust to life with, and beyond, cancer. This event is linked to a new Self-Managed After Care service launched on the 1st April by the Trust and Macmillan Cancer that will provide one of the most comprehensive support and information services to cancer patients and their families in the UK. The event is funded by Macmillan Cancer and supported by more than 20 local organisations such as Macmillan Welfare Benefits, CHAPS – Men’s Health, Age UK, Breast Care, St Helena Hospice, Health Professionals, Equipment Suppliers, Cancer Support Groups, Marie Curie, St John’s Church Community Centre, Essex Carer Support and many more. The day will include four 45 minute presentations and question times on Benefits Advice, Counselling, Men’s Health, Physiotherapy & Exercise.

Peter Carrington, Lead Volunteer at the Macmillan Cancer Support, Drop-In & Information Centre, based at Essex County Hospital, said:

We are encouraging people and their families affected by cancer to come along to the event, so they are better informed about how they can make a positive difference to their every-day life. No one with cancer should have to face it alone; they should have easy access to high quality care, treatment, information and support, to meet their medical, practical, emotional and financial needs. Research has shown how important health and wellbeing is to the recovery and long-term health of cancer patients. For more information please phone 01206 744401.

Debbie Farthing, Macmillan Information & Support Manager said:

The cancer journey can be a particularly difficult time for many patients and their families and they need to know there is a robust safety net of support throughout diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, rehabilitation and beyond enabling them to return to everyday life and activities. This event will empower people to live more independently knowing our support and help is always available no matter when on how they need our help. We meet or talk to approximately 5,000 people, families and health professional per year and give out 18,000 plus information booklets with 309 patients and their families receiving on-going daily support from our volunteers with fast track access to health professionals where needed.

22nd April 20148th December 2015

East of England Ambulance Request

nhs-ambulance-feedback The East of England AMbulance Service are inviting feedback, if you have any comments (good or bad) to offer them, for example, on subjects such as:

Staff attitude,
Accidents,
Waiting times,
Damage to property.

Then either

Phone : 0800 028 3382

Email : [email protected]

Write : Patient Services Team, East of England Ambulance Service, Bedford Office,
Hammond Road, Bedford, MK41 0RG

3rd April 20148th December 2015

NHS with Macmillan announce new cancer support

New, improved self-management scheme launched for cancer survivors

The NHS in North East Essex, in partnership with Macmillan cancer charity, is launching a pioneering new service on the 1st April to better support survivors of cancer. It has been designed with the active involvement of patients from the cancer service user-groups.

This new scheme is designed to take some of the national ideas and build a new local service to better support people to manage their own medical and wider recovery process.

For those who have survived breast or colorectal cancers

The scheme is specifically for those who have survived breast or colorectal cancers and who are now judged as at lower-risk of relapse, with the intention to learn from this to potentially expand the service to survivors of certain other cancers. Higher-risk patients, such as those who have suffered from aggressive forms of the disease, will continue to need and get a different, more medically intensive follow-up programme.

Dr Linda Mahon-Daly, a GP at Shrub End in Colchester, leading the collaboration with Macmillan, said:

We will be providing an improved service for patients ensuring that every patient has real, continuing practical and moral support. National research and planning is all pointing towards similar services, but we are making it work practically for these patients, who often face very challenging circumstances. There is also the benefit of freeing up hospital doctors’ time, allowing them to deliver more services.

Many people, once their treatment is successfully concluded for these cancers, can find themselves without effective follow-up support. There are about 200 new lower-risk patients each year in NE Essex for each of these cancers. Under the new scheme, they and their families will be invited to attend a workshop specific to their type of cancer, which will help them understand and prepare for problems they may face, for instance certain physical side-effects that may follow. Patients will then be discharged from routine outpatient appointments; they will be assigned a Macmillan “buddy”, a trained volunteer with experience and interest in this type of cancer.

There will be a clear, rapid procedure to get the patient back under consultant care if needed and patients will still be able to contact their clinical nurse specialist (CNS) for advice on medical problems.

Michelle Bath, Macmillan Development Manager for Essex, said:

Following active treatment many patients tell us they feel alone and try to ‘get back to normal’ but their cancer experience has had such a big impact that they’re no longer sure what their ‘normal’ is. By training volunteer buddies we are aiming to give patients a support network and somebody to speak to about their concerns. This will give patients a listening ear that isn’t a member of their medical team but they will know how to access medical support if they suspect a change or recurrence of their cancer.

Clinically proven effective follow-up medical investigations, such as regular colonoscopy and mammography will still be carried out, as at present, to ensure that any problems are found and dealt with quickly.

Donna Booton, Matron for Cancer Services at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, said:

This is an exceptional scheme for the patients of North East Essex. It will reduce their fears and give them the support and knowledge they have not received before in order to be able to move on with their lives. This is also an example of excellent collaborative involving Colchester Hospital Trust, North East Essex Clinical Commissioning and Macmillan Cancer Support.

The volunteer buddies are initially funded and trained by Macmillan offering patients their wide experience, good information and non-medical advice. Perhaps crucially they will offer support for the patient, if needed, with re-building life routines, such as finding a job and other services. Patients will know they have continuing support and quick, easy access to further help as needed. Each patient will get the support they need as an individual, rather than the current system of routine out-patient appointments at hospital for everyone.

Dr Shane Gordon, Clinical Chief Officer at NE Essex CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) said:

This is a brilliant scheme; it will directly support many cancer survivors to rebuild their lives successfully. It is an excellent collaboration between Macmillan and the NHS which meets the support needs of patients at any time and links effectively with professional clinical services.

A lot of work has been done in the NHS nationally to understand why so many people who have been successfully treated for cancer, don’t feel they get effective follow-up support. There is good evidence too that the current routine follow-up appointments are not the most effective way of picking up any symptoms of recurrence of the disease, but patients do need help with any side-effects of treatment and sometimes with re-building their lives after treatment.

There will be an ongoing series of general cancer workshops, run and funded by Macmillan, on topics such as finance, diet and exercise and sexual health, which will be available to all cancer patients. Pilot workshops will be held and then evaluated, with the patient groups defining the feedback questionnaire which will be used.

3rd April 20148th December 2015

NHS Personal Health Budgets

NHS North East Essex CCG introduces personal health budgets for local people

People in Colchester and Tendring who get funding from the NHS for their continuing healthcare will now have a greater say in how that money is spent.

From tomorrow (1 April 2014), everyone eligible for on-going treatment and support for a complex medical condition has the right to ask for a personal health budget. That includes the option of asking for direct payments to be made to them, or to someone who looks after them. Then, with the help of local NHS professionals in putting together an individual care plan, each person can choose how to use their allocated budget for a tailored package of health services.

Each patient will be able to get a range of help that is appropriate to them and their condition – such as clinical treatments, therapies, personal care and equipment – from NHS, private and voluntary sector providers. Or the personal healthcare budget can carry on funding the healthcare and support that is already working well for them, if they don’t want to make changes.

“Personal budgets are not entirely new. Some people already have the benefit of direct payments for social care, and continuing healthcare is the right place to start with personal health budgets. It is one of the few areas where the NHS commissions healthcare person-by-person,” said Lisa Llewellyn, Director of Nursing and Clinical Quality at NE Essex CCG. “We have learned from pilots across the UK that personal health budgets give patients greater involvement in planning their care, and greater choice, flexibility and control. So they can then buy services they know will best improve their health and wellbeing, and that are right for them and their families.”

NHS organisations in Essex are working in partnership with ecdp, an organisation run by and for disabled people, to help introduce the new approach. edcp has a pioneering track record in supporting disabled people at local, regional and national levels and has worked with a number of local authorities to help people to manage direct payments.

Mike Adams, chief executive of ecdp, said: “Along with the NHS, we recognise that the individual is the expert in how a health condition affects his or her life. Personal health budgets offer the opportunity for people to work in partnership with the NHS on how their health needs can best be met. Many people have said that being fully involved in discussions and decisions with their healthcare professionals is the right thing and will make them more positive about the care and support they receive, and better in control of their quality of life. The benefits seemed to be felt more strongly by people with the highest health needs.

Mike added: “You can manage the care and support you choose in different ways, ranging from doing this yourself through to getting help from another person, or from an organisation like ecdp to implement what’s in your care plan on your behalf. You can review and update your choices with your local NHS team when you need to, for example if your health changes or something in your plan isn’t working for you. You can also continue to receive the support in the same way as now if that is your preference.”

People who want to consider whether a personal health budget might be right for them should speak to their healthcare professionals – GP or practice nurse, district nurse or a member of their Continuing Care Team. There is also more information about personal health budgets on the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk/personalhealthbudgets

7th February 20148th December 2015

PAWS January – The Storyteller

John Lilley - The Storyteller — John Lilley – The Storyteller

Forty-one members and two guests enjoyed the speaker at our meeting in January. John Lilley is a writer and narrator of stories, and entertained us with tales of his early years training to be a doctor. On one occasion, while observing an older doctor, he was amazed at the treatment given to a patient. He was obviously a little tired of the same lady coming in week after week with ‘complaints’. He got his largest syringe and took a little blood out of the lady’s left arm and put it back into her right arm, then told her that her blood had been circulating the wrong way round, but that now it would circulate in the correct direction. She went away very happy at the solution to all her problems!

Another story involved an old spinster who lived in Wallflower Cottage in a little village. He was curious about the name of the cottage, and after several visits discovered the reason. The lady had been engaged to a man in her early years until she discovered that he had several ‘girl friends’ and was very annoyed; unfortunately he died very suddenly before they could get married, but not before he had willed everything he had to his fiancé. After his death she bought the cottage and had lived there happily for many years. She then slipped into the conversation with John Lilley that the oil of wallflowers was a deadly poison in the correct amount. He put two and two together and made a swift visit to the police to tell all!

The stories and poems that John read were very amusing and told with great expression and feeling. We all agreed that we should invite this charming gentleman another time to tell us more stories.

Our next get together is on 25^th February when D. Chignall will talk to us about Beatrix Potter & The Lake District. Currently membership is closed but visitors are very welcome at the cost of £3.50 which includes refreshments.

Details of all our meetings and speakers can be found on the diary of the home page of the Winstread 100 website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring one of the following committee members: Alice Holmes 01206 735510, Jane Banks 01206 735004 or Jane Anderson 01206 735505.

12th April 20138th December 2015

Secure your outbuildings

thief At the recent Parish Council meeting (see draft minutes here) councillors heard from Essex Police about a spate of thefts and attempted thefts from sheds and outbuildings in and around Peldon. Possibly coincidentally, there have also been reports from around the area of folks selling equipment from the back of vehicles – in particular chainsaws and the like from the back of a small black van.

Police ask that if you sport any suspicious behaviour like this to please call them on 101 with as many details as you can provide.

27th September 20128th December 2015

PAWS September – Paragon or Prude

Sheila Gray – President with Dr. Maureen Scollen

After what seemed like a long summer break (if you can call it a summer) 34 members and 4 visitors attended our September meeting when Dr. Maureen Scollen came along, wearing a copy of an early women’s police uniform, to tell us all about “Paragon or Prude”. With such an intriguing title it certainly lived up to expectations, as Maureen kept us very entertained with a mixture of stories of her life as a serving police officer and also the history of women police officers. It really was an excellent evening. We are hoping now to organise a trip to the Police Museum at Springfield of which Maureen is a trustee.

Our next get together is on October 23rd when Oggie Weldon is our speaker, her subject being “Hats For All Occasions”. Membership is currently full but visitors are welcome at a cost of £3.50.

Details of all our meetings and speakers can be found on the diary on the home page

of the Winstred 100 website. If you would like any further information about P.A.W.S. please ring any of us on the following numbers: Alice Holmes 01206 735510, Jane Banks 01206 735004 or Jane Anderson on 01206 735505.