4 March 2025
 This month is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime with the risk increasing to 1 in 4 for black men. The risk is also higher for men over the age of 50 and those with a family history of prostate cancer.
Most men with early prostate cancer may not experience any signs or symptoms, so it is important to check your risk and speak to your GP if you are at a higher risk. The earlier the cancer is detected, the easier it will be to treat.
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Norovirus cases are continuing to rise across the country. Common symptoms include nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, high temperature, abdominal pain and aching limbs.
If you catch it, please follow these steps to avoid spreading it to others.
- Stay home for 48 hours after symptoms clear
- Wash hands with soap and warm water
- Don't prepare food for others
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 Come along to this spring’s round of Area Forums and contribute to the development of the next Hounslow Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. People and communities working together can really make a difference.
You can also talk to local councillors, council staff and people from local organisations about anything affecting you or your neighbourhood.
The Council hosts seven Area Forums across the borough, so all residents have a local event they can attend. Find yours by clicking the link below and come along to meet new people, enjoy free food and find a new project to support.
 March is also Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In the UK, over 7,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year. Symptoms include, persistent bloating, feeling full quickly or a loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and urinary symptoms.
The symptoms could be due to other more common and less serious conditions but if you regularly experience these symptoms and they are new to you, it's important that you contact your GP to get checked out.
 The Council Tax Support Scheme offers financial assistance to Hounslow residents on low-incomes or benefits, to help them pay their Council Tax bill.
The Council now aims to make the scheme fairer ensuring families, larger households and carers receive vital support. Under the proposed scheme, those in receipt of carers’ allowance will be entitled to the highest level of support.
The proposed changes mean:
- Some residents who previously did not have to pay Council Tax may now have to start paying
- The discount towards your Council Tax bill may increase or decrease
The changes will come into effect on Tuesday, 1 April 2025. Residents affected by the changes will receive a letter with a new Council Tax bill in March.
 Every three years Hounslow's Health and Wellbeing Board is required to produce a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) to identify gaps in current services and improvements that could be made in service provision.
A draft PNA has been produced, taking into account the responses from the survey earlier this year. A consultation on the draft document is now underway. Residents are encouraged to review this and comment on whether it reflects Hounslow's pharmaceutical needs through the link below.
Your comments will inform the final Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, which will be published by Wednesday, 1 October 2025.
 If you visited a Stay Steady and Active event at Hanworth, Brentford or Heston leisure centres, please share your feedback by completing a quick and easy feedback form.
The survey will take less than a minute to complete and will help the Stay Steady and Active team design upcoming events.
You can also book onto the Stay Steady and Active strength and balance programme, designed to provide tailored chair-based classes for the over 60s.
 Hounslow Family Hubs' 50 Things To Do Before You’re Five is a free website and mobile app packed with activities to support your child's development, including options for children with special educational needs.
It's based on the simple notion that quality time with family, indoors and outdoors, is a great way to support children’s development. The website puts together 50 fun, low or no-cost activities for you to explore and enjoy at your own pace.
Every activity helps children learn, with a focus on relationships and playing together.
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Healthy Hounslow is offering a free six-week course on healthier cooking, starting Friday, 7 March at the Bedfont Lane Community Centre.
The course offers hands-on cooking sessions, simple healthy recipes, expert advice and a supportive environment to learn.
You can learn how to make small changes for a big difference in your diet and wellbeing.
Find out more about the course and how to register via the link below.
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 The Council is running the next Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) families evening session tomorrow (Wed, 5 March) at 6pm.
Participants can learn about opportunities to reduce isolation, develop independence, and discover employment opportunities, including local internships with DFN Project SEARCH. Register for the event here.
Further information on the Council's Community Provisions service can be found here.
Families in Hounslow with SEND children can also find advice and guidance at the next monthly SEND surgery on Thursday, 13 March, 11.30am - 1.30pm at Hounslow House.
For further support in navigating SEND services in Hounslow, visit the Council's Local Offer website.
After two years of construction, the new Chiswick Health Centre on Fisher’s Lane is set to receive its first patients on Monday, 31 March.
The purpose-built modern health facility will house three local GP practices, West London NHS Trust community services and be the base for Chiswick Primary Care Network.
The new centre will provide a broader range of GP services, including community and mental health services. It will also host a range of local activities to support health and wellbeing.
The facility also includes the provision of 55 affordable homes for NHS key workers. Local NHS staff can register interest for this by emailing CHCDevelopment@hounslow.gov.uk, and more information will be provided soon.
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 Hounslow's Health Outreach Team (HOT) will be out offering free blood pressure checks, BMI weight checks, balance checks for residents aged 60 plus, and advice on health concerns, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, stop smoking services, mental health services plus much more.
The HOT team will be at the following locations over the next week:
- Wednesday, 5 March – Salvation Army, Feltham, TW14 9NJ – 10am to 12pm
- Thursday, 6 March – Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, TW3 3EB – 10am to 2pm
- Saturday, 8 March – Tesco Stores, Mogden Ln, Isleworth TW7 7JY – 10am to 4pm
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