Mental Health is one of the LINk’s priority issues for this year. On the 4th February we will be holding a workshop looking at this issue. The aim of the workshop will be to identify and explore people’s experiences of accessing support groups and specialist services such as psychiatrists; talking therapies and the Crisis Team.

The findings from this workshop will be made available to key service providers and commissioners with recommendations from the Halton LINk on improving services.

The workshop will be held at Halton Voluntary Action, Sefton House, Public Hall Street, Runcorn from 1.00pm - 3.00pm. Places are limited so if you are interested in attending please contact Irene Bramwell at the the LINk support team on 01928 592405.

www.haltonlink.org.uk01928 592405

The Halton LINk has been in correspondence with Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust over the last few months expressing our concerns over the plans for charging for use of the hospital shuttle bus service. We are now very pleased to hear that Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has announced that its shuttle bus service between Warrington Hospital and Halton General Hospital will be staying completely free of charge to all users.

Whilst wanting the service to remain free to patients, the hospitals had considered introducing fares for hospital visitors using the service to help pay for the costs of the bus that runs seven days a week between the two hospital sites. The fare was also designed to put off any people using the service for non-hospital visits.

After further reviewing the costs of the service, the hospitals have decided to keep the journey free of charge for all users for the immediate future.

The shuttle bus was introduced in 2006 to help patients travelling

between the two hospital sites for appointments and procedures as well as staff who work across the two sites. It has remained free for all users since it was introduced and a new, larger bus with disabled access was introduced on the route in 2008. The bus makes around a dozen each way journeys a day between the two hospitals.

The hospitals are also establishing a travel and transport group that will look at all aspects of getting to the hospitals - from buses and car parking through to walking and cycling. Representatives from the local councils in Warrington and Halton have been invited to join the group alongside staff and patient representatives.

Issue 3 - January 2010

The HAL Halton LINkNEWSLETTER

Enter & View Team

Hospital shuttle bus service to remain free to all users

Mental Health - Depression Workshop

The Halton LINk can visit and report on health and adult social care services in the borough – this activity is known as ‘enter and view’.

We are now looking for volunteers to join our enter and view programme. These volunteers will visit certain premises in order to look at good practice or perhaps see how services can be made even better. The role requires a number of skills, but training will be given to all successful applicants. An enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check will also be carried out on successful volunteers.

The Halton LINk is keen to see a diverse range of its members having the opportunity to take part in enter and view activities so please contact the LINk Support Team on 01928 592405 or email info@haltonlink.org.uk.

Staff at Warrington and Halton Hospitals are urging local people to get ready for winter and ‘choose well’ when it comes to your NHS services.

The hospitals have seen a rise in the number of patients attending Accident and Emergency in November and December with a range of viruses and other illness. They are working with local GPs and other health professionals to make sure that local people are aware of the options in the community for health treatment so they can avoid using hospital emergency services when they don’t need to.

The first simple step that hospital staff are asking local people to take is to prepare a well stocked medicine cabinet.

Simon Wright is the hospitals’ director of operations: “Self-care is the best choice to treat very minor illnesses and injuries,” he explains, “A range of common winter illnesses and injuries can be treated at home simply by combining a well stocked medicine cabinet with plenty of rest. Make sure you have paracetamol or aspirin, anti-diarrhoeal medicine, rehydration mixture, Indigestion mixture, plasters and a thermometer. Unfortunately we do have some people coming to A&E with very minor illnesses.”

There are a range of other options available to help you Choose Well. NHS Direct can give information on all aspects of healthcare advice at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk or by calling 0845 46 47.

Your local pharmacy also provides

excellent advice on common winter health problems.

If it is more serious and you have an illness that just won’t go away, then make an appointment with your GP. There are also NHS Walk In Centre services in Widnes, where you can walk in without an appointment for advice and treatment from trained nurses and a similar GP service in Warrington at Garven Place.

If it’s an injury rather than an illness, the hospitals’ two Minor Injuries Units can treat a wide variety of problems including cuts and grazes, sprains and strains, less serious broken bones, infected wounds, minor head injuries and eye problems. You can visit the Minor Injuries Unit at Halton General Hospital from 9am to 10pm every day. At Warrington Hospital, Minor Injuries is accessed through the Accident and Emergency department. “The Accident and Emergency department is the final option,” concludes Simon Wright, “There’s a wide range of excellent advice and information services available to you and that can help you get early intervention to stop a minor illness causing a problem.

“We would also urge people to keep an eye on their elderly friends, relatives and also neighbours this winter. Make sure they are getting early advice and treatment if they are unwell so it doesn’t become something more serious. Looking out for each other in the community is so important at this time of the year.”

LINk Coffee & Chat

The Minor Injuries Unit at Halton General Hospital is open from 9.00am to 10.00pm every day of the week and provides treatment for less serious injuries, such as sprains, fractures, cuts and grazes to the residents of Halton.

Many local people go to A&E at Warrington Hospital with minor injuries, when they could be usually treated much more quickly at Halton’s Minor Injuries Unit.

In A&E departments staff must give priority to serious and life-threatening conditions, so if you go there with a minor injury, you may have to wait a long time to be seen (although Warrington Hospital does have a minor injuries area as well).

If you live in the Halton area and your injury is not too serious, it is usually better for you to go to the Minor Injuries Unit at Halton General. You do not need an appointment to visit the unit. However, the unit is for injuries and is not an alternative to going to your GP for a minor illness.

The unit is run by a team of highly qualified nurse practitioners who have experience and expertise in treating minor injuries. The team is supported by senior medical staff from A&E at Warrington.

The Minor Injuries Unit is located at Entrance 2 of Halton General Hospital. This is at the rear of the hospital site near the main car park areas.

The unit is open from 9.00am to 10.00pm every day of the week. Outside of these hours you should use the A&E department at Warrington Hospital for urgent care needs that cannot wait until the unit is open.

Minor Injuries Unit

at Halton HospitalChoose well this winter

The LINk support team are holding outreach sessions during January and February at the following locations:

MIND Centre, Widnes• 27th January 1.30pm - 3.00pm

• 3rd February 1.30pm - 3.00pm

• 10th February 1.30pm - 3.00pm

Halton Brook Community Centre • 15th February 9.30am - 12.00pm

Palacefields Community Centre • 17th February 9.30am-12.00pm

Drop in for a tea or coffee and a chat and let us have your thoughts on the health and social care issues that concern you.

For further information call Irene on 01928 592405

Age Equality ConsultationIn April 2009, the then Secretary of State for Health asked Sir Ian Carruthers OBE, Chief Executive of NHS South West, and Jan Ormondroyd, Chief Executive of Bristol City Council, to undertake a review of age discrimination and age equality in the health and social care sector. The review was set up to help health and social care meet the ban on age discrimination and the new public sector equality duty in the Equality Bill.

The review published its report to the Secretary of State, ‘Achieving age equality in health and social care’, on 22 October 2009 and the consultation paper now invites views on the recommendations and conclusions made that are not directly tied to the legislation.

To view and respond to the consultation got to : http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/C o n s u l t a t i o n s / L i v e c o n s u l t a t i o n s /DH_108887

Closing date: 15 February 2010

Consultations

A Department of Health consultation has been launched on legal rights to waiting times and NHS health checks for patients.

The proposals, set out in The NHS Constitution: A consultation on new patient rights, will mean that from 1  April 2010, patients will have the legal right to maximum waiting times to start treatment by a consultant within 18 weeks of GP referral, and to be seen by a cancer specialist within 2 weeks of GP referral.

If the NHS is unable to meet this commitment, it will be required to take all reasonable steps to find a range of alternative providers that can. This will enable a patient to receive their care more quickly, if this is what they want. The alternatives could include private providers at NHS prices.

In addition, everyone aged 40 - 74 will have the right to an NHS Health Check every five years to assess their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. Identifying any risk early should help to reduce the incidence of these diseases and the damage they cause.

The consultation also seeks views on going even further and including more rights in the future.

These could include:

• the right to access to NHS dentistry • the right to personal health budgets

• the right to choose to die at home

• the right to choose a GP practice offering extended access to evening and weekend appointments

• the right to key diagnostic tests for suspected cancer patients within one week of seeing a GP, with an interim milestone of 2 weeks.

You can take part in this important consultation by visiting the Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk/en/consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_108012 and download the ‘The NHS Constitution: A consultation on new patient rights‘ document or alternatively telephone the LINk Support Team on 01928 592405 and we will send you a paper version.

Closing date: 5 February 2010

PATIENT RIGHTS

PERSONAL BUDGETS

Age Concern are looking at services for people with dementia and their carer’s. They are working closely with the Alzheimer’s Society and Halton Carer’s Centre to establish what services are presently available and how people who develop memory loss can still be included in the clubs and groups they have attended for many years. Age Concern would like to hear from anyone who may attend or run a group to find out how they include people with dementia within their group, or what would help the person maintain a place in the group. This might include training or help from a volunteer.About 500,000 people in England have dementia and although it can occur at any age, it’s more common in older people.

About one in 20 people over 65 has dementia. (NHS Choices)The aim is to improve:

• the public’s awareness of dementia. • extend existing services and establish new groups. • support people with dementia to keep their place in the community

for as long as possible. • Improve training • produce easy to understand information.

If you can help, would like more information or would like to attend the steering group for this project, please contact Linda Butt on 01928 575400 or email, lindabutt@acmm.org.uk

Dementia Initiative

NHS Car Parking: Consultation on Improving Access for Patients This Consultation document seeks views on the implementation of free NHS hospital car parking for inpatients

To download the consultation document go to www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_110557

Consultation Closing Date: 23rd February 2010

Time to make it happen

HALTON

Have you made any resolutions for 2010 yet? Why not resolve to have your say about any local health or social care issues - good or bad.

Your local LINk is here for you, so do use it. As the LINk is made up of individuals and community groups, we can help to influence and improve our NHS and Adult Social Care services with the people who run these services.

You can help your LINk to make a difference - don’t put it off for another year! Contact Lyn, Irene or Dave on 01928 592405.

LINk highlights from 2009 :

• The official launch of the LINk took place in March and elections for the Board were held in May

• The Halton LINk was invited to take part in the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) Roadshows, held during September & October, organised by Halton Borough Council

• LINk Workgroups have been set up to look at the priority health and social care issues that have been raised by LINk members

and the people of Halton

• The LINk held a very successful Big Care Debate event and sent a response to the Department of Health

• Information events / workshops have been held covering; Swine Flu, Dental Services in Halton, ‘Transforming Community Services’, Tobacco Harm Reduction and Electronic Patient Record Systems

If you would like any further information on the work and of the LINk, or would like to get more involved in the Halton LINk, contact the LINk support team on 01928 592405. The photographs below are just a few snapshots from the life of the Halton LINk in 2009

Halton LINk, Halton Voluntary Action, Sefton House, Public Hall Street, Runcorn WA7 1NGTel: 01928 592405 email: info@haltonlink.org.uk web: www.haltonlink.org.uk

Halton LINk is hosted by Halton Voluntary Action, Charity No. 1025903.A Company Limited by Guarantee, Reg. No. 2590747 Registered in England

If you need this newsletter in a different format, e.g. CD or you would like a larger print version then please contact us.

1. Halton LINk Interim Steering Group 2 - 3. Halton LINk Launch 4. Some members of the newly elected LINk board 5 . Site visit to Beaconsfield Medical Centre6. Community Event - Party in the Park 7. Community Roadshow - Halton Lea 8. Building Britain’s Future Event 9-10. Big Care Debate Event - The Foundry, Widnes11. Swine Flu Information Event 12-13 ‘Who Sees What’ workshop 14. LINk Support Team at Ditton Community Centre

1 2 3 4

5 6 7

8 9 10

13 141211