› A Warm Welcome
Hi there. We hope you are well this Spring. The cold snap is finally over, and our team would love to offer you a warm and friendly welcome. It is a pleasure to have you here for the April - June 2023 edition of our newsletter.
This edition features articles sent in by colleagues, upcoming events, and various national campaigns taking place over the next few months. ☕
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◊ General News ◊
› Cost of Living Support in Derbyshire
With the cost of living rising, it’s important to know what extra help is available, but it’s not always easy to know where to start. We have created a web page to link you to advice and support across Derbyshire.
What support is available to me?
You will find information on a wide range of issues like how to get advice on benefits, who to contact if you are struggling with a long-term health condition, how to reduce your food bills, where you can go in your area to find a food bank, or a place to get warm. You can also sign up to receive emails with the latest information and advice.
To find out more, visit our official website at: Cost of Living - Derbyshire County Council 🔗.
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› Credit Unions & Payroll Savings
Five Credit Unions operate within Derbyshire, all offering affordable alternatives to those who may not be able to access mainstream credit due to poor or incomplete credit history. Credit Unions can offer loans from £100 - £10,000 (subject to status) and lend at rates considerably lower than companies such as Payday Lenders and Loan Sharks.
Joining is easy. You can find all the information you need, including which Credit Unions you’re eligible to join on our Credit Union page 🔗. From there, you can open an account from as low as £1. Credit Unions encourage saving, so by borrowing from them, you’ll also need to save with them at the same time.
Payroll savings – the easy way to save with a Credit Union
Credit Unions also offer a unique perk to employees by allowing them to save directly from their wages via payroll savings. A voluntary amount will be deducted on payday and sent straight to a Credit Union savings account. There is no cost to the organisation for this to be set up.
For more information, or if your organisation is interested, please contact Ben Taylor via email at: affordable.credit@derbyshire.gov.uk.
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› NHS Vision Screening for School-aged Children
Calling all parents and carers – did you know that NHS sight tests are FREE for children aged 16 and under? Getting your child’s eyesight checked when they start school is really important as the tests can pick up any vision and sight problems early. Being able to see properly is vital for your child’s development and they may not know they have a problem with their eyes. That’s why getting them checked regularly is important.
Your child doesn’t need to be able to read to get their vision checked.
Want to find out more? Visit the official website here: Derbyshire Family Health Service & NHS - Vision 🔗.
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◊ Events ◊
> Let's Talk About Menopause - FREE Webinar
What do you know about the menopause? Are you, a member of your family, friend or colleague experiencing the menopause and want to know more?
Healthy Workplaces Derbyshire, (part of Derbyshire County Council), has teamed up with Henpicked 🔗, a national specialist menopause training provider, to deliver a FREE 90-minute interactive webinar for Derbyshire-wide workplaces, (excluding Derby City) on Thursday 27th April between 12.30 pm - 2.00 pm.
Menopause can have an effect on us all, whether we're experiencing menopause directly or supporting a family member, friend, or colleague. While some will sail through menopause, 3 in 4 experience symptoms and as many as 1 in 4 have serious symptoms. However, around half have never consulted a healthcare professional about their menopause. Research also shows that the majority of those experiencing the menopause are unwilling to discuss menopause-related health problems with their managers or ask for any support they may need.
If you're passionate about your own wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of your colleagues, and that means talking about menopause openly, please join the 'Let's Talk About Menopause' webinar.
In this FREE educational and engaging session, you will understand:
• What menopause is, how to recognise the symptoms and how someone may be affected by menopause.
• The options available to manage symptoms and long-term health.
• What support is available and how to access it, both at work and outside work.
If you work for a Derbyshire-based workplace (excluding Derby City), please register by Monday, 24th April, 6 pm by booking your place here 🔗.
Did we mention it was FREE? Go on, get yourself signed up!
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› Carers Festival 2023
Derbyshire Carers Association is reaching out to potential sponsors and donors for our Carers Festival 🔗 taking place on Saturday 10th June, from 11 am to 3 pm at Matlock Meadows 🔗. We are looking for businesses to sponsor the event and donations for our raffle and tombolas. Our event will also feature live music, bars, and even a bouncy castle for the little ones.
Sounds great! How do I get involved?
If you’re interested in supporting our charity event, please contact Jo Askew by phone at: 01773 833833 or via email at: joanne.askew@derbyshirecarers.co.uk.
For further information on our upcoming events, activities, and support groups, please head over to our official website 🔗 and be sure to check out our Events 🔗 and Support Group 🔗 pages too.
Finally, if you wish to attend our event (which is open to all), please contact Katie Matkin to book your place/s via mobile at 07773 173416 or by email at: katie.matkin@derbyshirecarers.co.uk before Friday 26th May to guarantee your booking.
We would like to thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you there! 🎉
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Derbyshire Carers Association - Carers Festival Promotional Banner (2023)
◊ National Campaigns 2023 ◊
APRIL
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› Stress Awareness Month
Stress is something we all endure at the best of times during our lives. Whether it's at work, at home, or on your daily commute, the impact of stress can be serious. If not dealt with properly, stress can take a toll on us physically and mentally and increase the risk of insomnia, heart disease, depression, and more.
What can I do to reduce my stress levels?
A great way to minimise your stress levels is completing Stress Management Society's '30 Day Stress Challenge'. This features various activities to enhance your wellbeing and keep you active. Key advice includes making sure you get sufficient sleep, consuming nutritious fresh fruit to stabilise energy levels and reducing foods high in sugar. Check out the resources here 🔗.
For more information, please access the official website here: Stress Management Society - Stress Awareness Month 2023 🔗.
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› Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK. Yet the latest data shows that almost one-third of people who were sent an NHS bowel cancer screening kit (pictured left) in England last year did not complete it.
Early diagnosis is vital, as detecting bowel cancer at the earliest stage makes you up to 9 times more likely to be successfully treated.
The 3 main symptoms of bowel cancer are:
- Persistent blood in your poo 🔗
- A persistent change in your bowel habit
- Persistent lower abdominal (tummy) pain 🔗, bloating, or discomfort
Contact your GP if symptoms persist for 3 weeks or more.
NHS bowel cancer screening checks if you could have bowel cancer.
Everyone aged 60-74 who is registered with a GP and lives in England is automatically sent an NHS screening kit every 2 years.
The programme is expanding to make it available to everyone aged 50-59 years. This is happening gradually over 4 years and started in April 2021.
Full instructions are included with the kit and available to view online here 🔗.
For more information about bowel cancer and the screening programme, click on the links below:
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MAY
› Mental Health Awareness Week
This year, Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 9th – 15th of May.
1 in 6 workers experiences problems such as anxiety, low mood, and stress at work. An estimated 300,000 people lose their jobs each year due to mental ill health too (The Stevenson/Farmer Review).
If you are looking for tools and advice on how to best support the mental health of your employees, then consider using ‘Mental Health at Work’. This is an online gateway developed by ‘Mind’ that brings together resources, toolkits, blogs, and case studies all into one place. Interested? Then visit the website here: Home – Mental Health at Work 🔗.
Additionally, you can discover the support available to you locally by visiting: Derby & Derbyshire - Emotional Health & Wellbeing 🔗.
If you would like to plan ahead and promote Mental Health Awareness week in your workplace, then visit: Mental Health Awareness Week - Mind 🔗. Mind will release all the relevant information and resources you should need to promote the 2023 campaign in due course.
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JUNE
› Cervical Screening Awareness Week
This year, Cervical Screening Awareness Week will be taking place from 19th - 24th of June.
Around 2,700 people are diagnosed with cervical cancer in England each year. Despite this, nearly 1 in 3 people don’t currently take up the NHS screening offer. Cervical screening (smear test) is one of the best ways to protect yourself from cervical cancer.
All women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25-64, who are registered with a GP, should be invited by letter to make an appointment for a regular screening.
During the screening test, a small sample of cells will be taken from your cervix (the opening to your womb from your vagina).
The sample is checked for ‘high risk’ Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes to the cells of your cervix. 99.8% of cervical cancer cases in the UK are caused by HPV infection, however, not all HPV types are ‘high-risk’ (Cancer Research UK, 2023).
- If these types of HPV are not found, you do not need any further tests until your next routine test is due.
- If these types of HPV are found the sample is then checked for any changes in the cells of your cervix. These can then be treated before they get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.
For more information on cervical screening, please visit the official NHS Cervical Screening webpage here 🔗.
To find out more and get involved, click on the links below:
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◊ Social Media ◊
› Stay Connected with HWD
Want to stay in touch? Follow us on our official social media pages below:
You can also contact us via email at: healthy.workplaces@derbyshire.gov.uk. A member of our team will get back to you shortly.
That's it for this edition. Stay well and have a wonderful Spring! 🙂🌻🌄
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