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Cost of Living and Warm Hubs
The Council is working with a number of Council services, Council-owned organisations and local community groups to offer residents in the borough access to Warm, Welcoming Spaces this winter.
Please see links below from Cheshire West and Chester about some of the support on offer for local people to help them through what is expected to be a challenging Winter
Lift Someone Out of Loneliness
Loneliness is an issue that can affect us all, young or old, at any point in our lives. We might live in a busy city or a rural location, on our own or with others and still feel isolated.
While loneliness is a feeling we can all relate to, sometimes admitting we feel lonely is much harder. We want people to talk more openly about feeling lonely and the impact that loneliness can have.
Follow the link to find more support and advice.
https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/lifes-challenges/loneliness/
What GPs say about Parkrun:
“An hour of walking, running, or volunteering at parkrun on a Saturday morning gives me a boost for the whole week. I’m not alone in that experience, studies show that parkrun increases people’s physical activity and improves their psychological well-being. That gives me the confidence to prescribe parkrun to my patients. It’s fantastic to have an evidence-based intervention that boosts their health.”
“I believe Parkrun has something positive to offer as a health intervention for almost every patient I look after. It is a free, community minded, non-competitive, welcoming, and inclusive experience that almost everyone seems to enjoy. I have used parkrun successfully for patients with high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, anxiety, and depression. It can often be used instead of or as an adjunct to, the other forms of conational treatment such as medication or physiotherapy.”
“The reason I went to parkrun was to meet new people. I encouraged a colleague to come with me and before I knew it, we were at parkrun every time we had the chance. It also got me thinking about how parkrun could benefit some of my patients, and how to support them in taking that first step. There are just so many ways a person can get involved in parkrun, which means there are many ways a wide range of people can benefit.”
NHS App text message: This is not a scam
We’re contacting patients to ask them to update their NHS account using the NHS App or NHS login if their email addresses are missing or incorrect, or if their email or phone number do not match those recently used in other NHS services.
For more infomation on the NHS App please follow the link below.
Veterans in Mind Service Information
Support for ex-Armed Forces personnelat Veterans in Cheshire and Merseyside https://www.gmmh.nhs.uk/military-veterans-services
GMMH020 Veterans in Mind - Trifold (2.3).pdf
Veterans in Mind 120 updated.pdf
Don’t ignore your cervical screening invite
- Screening helps prevent cervical cancer by checking for a virus called high-risk HPV which causes nearly all cervical cancers. This is the best way to find out who is at higher risk of developing the cervical cell changes that over time could potentially lead to cervical cancer. Any cervical cell changes can be treated, preventing cervical cancer.
- But don’t be alarmed if you have HPV as it does not mean you have cervical cancer - HPV is a common virus that most people will get at some point during their lives.
- Women and people with a cervix aged 25-64 are eligible for screening. Those registered as female with their GP practice are invited for routine screening every three years if they are aged 25-49 and every five years if they are aged 50-64. Those registered as male will need to request an appointment from their GP or a local sexual health clinic.
- Life can be hectic and it's easy to let your cervical screening appointment fall to the bottom of your 'to do' list, but it only lasts a few minutes - it’s a few minutes that could save your life.
- For most women and people with a cervix, cervical screening tests are not painful. However, if you are worried that you may find the test uncomfortable, remember you are in control and can ask to stop at any time. If you are worried about it being uncomfortable, or you have found screening difficult in the past, talk to the nurse or doctor doing the test so they can give you the right support.
- If you're embarrassed about cervical screening then you're not alone. Talk to the nurse or doctor doing the test, who can help put you at ease.
Cervical screening
Chester Wellbeing Walks
The Cheshire West and Chester Wellbeing Walks network has walks taking placeacross the borough including inChester, Ellesmere Port, Frodsham, Helsby, Malpas, Northwich, Tattenhall, Winsford.
Each walk is unique in its location, routes and interests with all groups keen to welcome new walkers. Our walks vary between 20 and 90 minutes long with a large emphasis on the social side to walking, including a well-deserved cuppa at the end of them.
The walks in our network are largely open to all, although some may be closed to specific demographics and need e.g. support groups
See http://cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/walks for further details.
Update to Partnership Team
We are pleased to announce that Dr Y Brindle has returned from maternity leave.
The Partnership team is as follows:
Dr C Schofield - Senior Partner
Dr Y Brindle
Dr R Potocki
Dr B Matthews
Dr P McLeod
Mr R McLeod
Dr C Lewis retired from the practice at the end of January 2022
How to access your COVID-19 vaccination status
Through the NHS App
You can access your COVID-19 vaccination status through the free NHS App from 17 May. You can access the app through mobile devices such as a smartphone or tablet. Proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status will be shown within the NHS App. We recommend that you register with the app before booking international travel.
You do not need to contact us to register for the NHS APP! This is done via your NHS Number.
By calling 119
If you do not have access to a smartphone and know that the country you are travelling to requires COVID-19 vaccination status, you can call the NHS helpline on 119 (from 17 May) and ask for a letter to be posted to you. This must be at least 5 working days after you’ve completed your course of the vaccine. We expect the letter to take up to 7 working days to reach you.
The letter will be sent automatically to the address registered with your GP. The 119 call handler you speak to will not be able to see your address to check this with you. If you’ve recently moved house, make sure you’ve given your new address to your GP practice before calling 119.
Do not contact your GP surgery about your COVID-19 vaccination status. GPs cannot provide letters showing your COVID-19 vaccination status.
Supporting your recovery after COVID-19
As you find yourself recovering from COVID-19 you may still be coming to terms with the impact the virus has had on both your body and mind.
These changes should get better over time, some may take longer than others, but there are things you can do to help.
The Your COVID Recovery website helps you to understand what has happened and what you might expect as part of your recovery.
Changes to Partnership Team
October 2020 - Dr Chris Lewis has retired as Senior Partner. Dr Lewis will be taking a short sabbatical and returning to Park Medical Centre in November.
Dr Claire Schofield is now Senior Partner.
In addition Mr Richard McLeod has joined the Partnership as Business Partner, in a non-clinical role.
The Partnership team is as follows:
Dr C Schofield - Senior Partner
Dr Y Brindle
Dr R Potocki
Dr B Matthews
Mr R McLeod
Electronic Prescribing Service
We are upgrading to the next phase of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS 4) which will mean that almost all our prescriptions will be processed electronically and sent directly to your 'nominated Pharmacy' from 7th September 2020.
Electronic prescriptions help save the NHS money.
Read more about EPS on the NHS website.