Getting the flu jab

As winter approaches, coughs, colds and flu start to circulate. We're all much more likely to catch the flu at this time of year. It’s unpleasant for anyone, but for certain people, flu can be really dangerous or even fatal.  

Some people are eligible for a free flu jab and if you fall into any of the groups below, make sure you get yours.Flu jabs are free for:

• anyone aged 65 and over
• pregnant women
• children aged two, three or four
• anyone living in a residential or nursing home
• people with certain long-term conditions including heart problems, kidney or liver disease, lowered immunity, diabetes, neurological conditions or stroke.

Contact your GP now to arrange your jab, or see the NHS Choices website for more information and full details on who is eligible. 

If you care for someone else, make sure you get a flu jab too.

It’s important to keep healthy and well, particularly important if you’re caring for the elderly, ill or disabled. Every winter, the vast majority of unpaid carers miss out on a free flu jab, despite the fact that they are entitled to request one. If you receive a carer’s allowance, or you’re the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill, speak to your GP or pharmacist about having a free flu jab along with the person you care for.

 If as a carer you’re struck down by flu you could become too ill to care for someone else. If no-one else can step in to look after the person you care for, they could be at risk. So check with your GP to see if you’re eligible for a free flu jab to reduce the risk to your own health and the person you look after. Find out more at:

http://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/health/looking-after-your-health/flu-jabs

Stoptober – it’s not too late to stop smoking

If you want to stop smoking, now’s the time to quit. It’s not too late to sign up to Stoptober and it’s never too late to quit.

There are lots of free support tools available, from apps to packs and New Leaf, our local stop smoking service are on hand to offer personal quit plans, explain what's happening to your body and offer cheap or free nicotine replacement therapy to help you quit. Contact New Leaf Nottingham City on 0800 561 2121 or text NEW to 80800 or visit your local GP or pharmacy.

Sign up to stop at https://stoptober.smokefree.nhs.uk/

Be seen, be safe as the clocks go back

That’s the message to all road users in Nottinghamshire as the clocks go back an hour this weekend.

Pedestrians, cyclists and motorists all need to make themselves more visible during the dark winter nights.

·    Make sure you can be easily seen, especially at night, on dark days and in bad weather.
·    Bright or fluorescent clothes show up best by day, even in dull or misty weather.
·    In the dark, reflective material is best and shows up in car headlights - remember fluorescent clothing doesn't work after dark. You can put reflective tape on your coat or school bag to help you be seen by drivers.
·    It is against the law to cycle at night without a white front light, a red back light and a red reflector at the back, so make sure that your bike is properly equipped and working.
·    Cross the road at the safest place possible e.g. zebra, pelican and patrolled crossings. Remember to: Stop, Look, Listen, Live.
·    If you're out at night, choose routes that are well-lit by streetlights and cross the road at well-lit places.

For more information on children’s safety during the winter, go to:

http://www.capt.org.uk/who-we-are/news/focus-on-winter-safety

Remember, remember…safety at Halloween and on Bonfire Night

Children’s party costumes and fireworks are the focus of a trading standards operation in the county as we approach Halloween and Bonfire Night.

The Council’s Trading Standards team is focusing on these seasonal goods from a health, safety and compliance perspective.

In terms of party costumes, the Council is working as part of a national campaign to test and check outfits to see if they pose a safety risk. It follows high profile cases around the UK in previous years of material being easily flammable and products displaying poor health and safety guidelines for consumers.

If you have any concerns on particular products or to receive further advice, please phone the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06. 

New integrated sexual health services for Nottingham

Nottingham citizens will benefit from an improved Integrated Sexual Health Service following the award of a new contract approved by Nottingham City Council.

The new integrated service was developed following a formal public consultation undertaken earlier in the year and will start on 1 April 2016

The new free and confidential service will improve sexual health by providing open access to sexual health promotion, information and advice, contraception, including emergency contraception and pregnancy testing, and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

Services will be available at accessible locations in ‘one stop shops’, where the majority of contraceptive and sexual health needs will be met by an integrated team of professionals. This means that access advice, contraception and treatment for sexually transmitted infections will be available in a single visit.  The service will also work closely with other services, signposting patients to other relevant specialist providers where this is appropriate.  

Your view counts: Help us make Nottingham happier and healthier 

Nottingham City’s Health and Wellbeing Board wants to hear your views on how to make Nottingham City a happier and healthier place in which to live, as planning gets under way to develop the next Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Your views and opinions on improving health will enable the Board to understand which health and wellbeing issues are important to local people and this in turn will help to shape the next Strategy.

To give people an opportunity to have their say, three citizen engagement events have been arranged.

Ø  Tuesday 3 November, 1pm – 3pm at Clifton Cornerstone

Ø  Wednesday 4 November, 4:45pm – 6:45pm at the Council House Ballroom

Ø  Monday 9 November, 5:15pm – 7:15pm at Bullwell Riverside.

To attend any of the events, register online at www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/HappierHealtierLives or telephone 0115 876 4336.

The current strategy covers the four years from 2013 – 2016.

Take A Seat 

Have you noticed how few seats there are dotted about the City where older people can simply sit for a few minutes to catch their breath? Many older people want to remain independent and get out and about shopping and visiting friends, but are unable to walk long distances without having a rest.

The Take a Seat initiative is addressing this. By offering a seat to an older person (and displaying a sticker to let people know they're part of the scheme) local shops, businesses, churches, banks and clinics can demonstrate that they are age friendly and support older people's independence when they are out in Nottingham. 

Find out more at: http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/article/30241/Take-a-Seat-Campaign