Winter weather can be seriously bad for our health. Following these tips will help keep you and your family warm and well this winter:

• More than one-in-three people in Havering are eligible for a free flu jab. It’s not too late to get yours from your GP
• If you have a cold, cough or the flu, visit your local pharmacy as soon as you start to feel unwell. They can offer expert advice and treatment without you needing to book an appointment
• Heat your home to at least 18 degrees and wear several thin layers of clothes to keep warm

Find out more.

Become an Antibiotic Guardian

Doctors are worried that antibiotics might stop working within the next 30 years because of over-use and misuse, so a new campaign has been launched to protect them. Here are some simple things you can do to preserve our antibiotics for the next generation:

• Don’t ask for antibiotics to fight a cold or flu: they don’t work against the viruses responsible for these illnesses, and over-the-counter medicines are much more effective
• If you are prescribed antibiotics for an infection, always take as your GP directs and finish the whole course
• Get online to join the 25,000 others who have signed up to be antibiotic guardians, and learn more about how you can help.
  

This is Havering – a demographic and socio-economic profile

“As part of the corporate Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) work programme, we have published This is Havering – a demographic and socio-economic profile.

This resource provides a snapshot of key geographic, population, household and socio-economic facts and figures for Havering and is a reference document for all internal and external  stakeholders.

The main document, and a PowerPoint version, can be found and downloaded from the “Download section” on the right-hand side here.

The documents will be updated quarterly – the next version is due by the end of December 2015.

Live a better life

Havering Mind has a new service called ‘Live a better life’.

This wellbeing programme is about bringing people together through social, healthy and sporting activities that help to improve your physical and mental health.

They work with you to help you develop coping skills for stress and provide you with the opportunity to get involved in physical and group activities. You can boost your confidence, combat isolation and strengthen your connections with the wider community through our ‘Get Out’ peer networks.

The 12-week programme is available to support anyone over the age of 18 living in Havering with a mental health issue and will consist of health workshops, physical exercise activities and mental health support.

Find out more by email.

HIV service is Clinic of the Year

The HIV service provided by Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust has been named Clinic of the Year.

The award was presented by NAZ – a sexual health charity dedicated to reducing health inequalities, especially in black, Asian and ethnic minority communities.

The clinic, run from Outpatients East at Barking Community Hospital, was described as a place “where staff and patients work hand-in-hand to create an environment of empowerment and motivation for people living with HIV”.

Thank you and good knight

A knight in shining armour has been to Queen’s Hospital to thank his very own hero.

Philip Jenkins, 49, has been visiting the Romford hospital, from Nottinghamshire, at least twice a year for seven years to receive treatment for the potentially crippling condition of essential tremor.

Consultant neurosurgeon Ian Low fitted a neuro-stimulator device in Philip’s brain which stops his muscles from shaking.

Hearing that Philip performs in historical re-enactment events , Mr Low mentioned that he would love to see him in costume.

So a dashing knight, in full regalia, appeared at Queen’s for his latest consultation and to thank the staff who have been treating him.