Shropshire Health and Wellbeing e-Newsletter

Welcome to this March Shropshire Health & Wellbeing e-Newsletter. This e-Newsletter is for everyone interested in health and wellbeing in the county.

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Remember, you can find information about Health and Wellbeing events across Shropshire on our website, click here to find out more.

The Eat Well guide - Read the new advice on healthy eating

 The Eatwell Guide

The Department of Health has released the new Eatwell Guide that shows the different types of food we should eat – and in what proportions – to have a healthy, balanced diet.

The guide says a healthy diet should now include more fruit, vegetables and starchy carbohydrates.

Sugary soft drinks have been removed entirely from the new guide and foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar have been moved off the plate to a corner of the image, reflecting advice that they are not an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet.

Click here to see the new advice. ​

Shropshire's Great Outdoors Website is Officially Launched

Enjoy getting out and about in Shropshire’s Great Outdoors? Need to know more about where to go and what to do? Looking for a great family day out? A new website has been launched by the Shropshire Outdoor Partnership team at Shropshire Council making the answer to these questions just a click away.

The new website, www.shropshiresgreatoutdoors.co.uk, has been designed to provide a user-friendly experience allowing residents and visitors to the UK’s largest land-locked county to discover its fantastic countryside, exceptional views and wonderful wildlife. On the easy-to-navigate website users can explore Shropshire’s Green-flag Award winning country parks, heritage sites and play areas or get active on over 5,500 kilometres of Public Rights of Way. With the Shropshire Hills designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the internationally important Meres and Mosses in the north, Shropshire is the perfect place to enjoy the great outdoors.

Cllr Stuart West said "With the Easter holidays coming up, we hope you will make the most of the spring weather to explore the wonderful countryside of Shropshire with your family and friends. We hope the Shropshire’s Great Outdoors website will make is easier to find the perfect trip out that everyone will enjoy, whatever you’re looking for."

National expert joins Shropshire’s Social Care and Health leads to address adult social care challenges

A leading adult social care expert Professor John Bolton, national consultant in adult social care, presented a seminar to key council officers, councillors and partners across the social care and health sector at Shirehall in Shrewsbury (Thursday 3 March 2016).

Professor Bolton’s presentation focused on the pressures of adult social care and how these are being addressed both nationally, regionally and locally. Professor Bolton’s presentation also highlighted best practice and transformative practice occurring in social care across the county, including the innovative work of Shropshire’s adult social care transformation programme.

The seminar also set the context of Shropshire’s key challenge on what is the true cost of living longer, and how are we going to pay for it. 

News story from Shropshire Newsroom. Follow the link below for full details:

http://shropshire.gov.uk/news/2016/03/national-expert-joins-shropshires-social-care-and-health-leads-to-address-adult-social-care-challenges/

Go Thursdays

In need of some help, advice or guidance? Come down to The Civic Centre, Whitchurch, SY13 1AX from 9.30am to 12.30pm every Thursday. You can get support from a range of organisations including:

• Meres & Mosses Housing Association - help with housing for all
• People2People - advice and information about social care for individuals and carers
• Shropshire Towns and Rural Housing - help with benefits, homelessness and other housing issues
• Fair Share - support for savings and loans
• POhWER Shropshire - support and advice with direct payments, employment, law advice and more
• Enable - supporting people with disabilities into employment
• National Careers Service - guidance in all aspects of work and learning
• Beechtree - support and advice on CVs, job searching and skills

Need more information? Call 0300 303 1190 or visit www.shropshirehousing.org.uk

New Fit Families Weight Management Service

The Shropshire School Nursing Team have been commissioned by Public Health to deliver a weight management supportive service called  ‘Fit Families’  for children and young people throughout Shropshire. This service will commence after Easter.  The criteria to participate in the programme is 5-15 year old children and young people with a BMI on or over 98th percentile, commitment to participate in the programme with parental consent and not registered with any other weight management provider.  The child must be either living in Shropshire or registered with a Shropshire GP. 

The School Nursing Team said:

'We will be receiving referrals for 'Fit Families' from health professionals, partner agencies, parents, young people and schools.  We have developed a referral form which once completed will be sent to the school nurse lead for Fit Families for allocation to the appropriate school nurse base to make contact with the family.

This will be a supportive lifestyle programme with the focus on improving diet, increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour.  This will be delivered over a six month period with follow up at one year.  We will offer six one to one individual sessions and some group sessions.'   

For more information, please contact Jane Cook, School Nurse on 07896 812233.

School Nurse Clinics

School Nurse Drop-in Clinics in Ludlow and Craven Arms

Are you a young people aged 13-18 years, or a parent/carer of a child or young person aged 5-18 years? You can access health advice at School Nurse drop-in clinics in Ludlow and Craven Arms.

Advice available on: Healthy eating, toileting, emotional wellbeing, sleep issues and much, much more.

Where? : Ludlow - Rock Spring Centre, SY8 1SX
When? : 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month (excluding school holidays). The first session will take place on 21st April 2016.

Where? : Craven Arms - Sure Start Children's Centre, SY7 9NW
When? : 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month (excluding school holidays). The first session will take place on 14th April 2016.

To find out more information, please call 07896 812233 or visit ww.shropscommunityhealth.nhs.uk

Healthy Help at Hand for Oswestry

Oswestry Rotary Club and Oswestry Library are working together to host a Health Awareness Day for the town’s residents on Saturday 23rd April from 10am to 2pm.  A wide range of health organisations and support groups will be in attendance at the library to offer help to all age groups over a cup of tea.

Staff from Oswestry’s Minor Injuries Unit will be giving free blood pressure checks, while Healthwatch Shropshire will be encouraging people to have a go on the Wheels2Work Smoothie Bike, using pedal power to make a delicious smoothie! Short walks for beginners or those who haven’t walked for a while will be led by the Walking for Health team, setting out from the library at 11am and 2pm, and a hamper of goodies from Derwen College’s food centre will be won by a lucky participant in the library’s treasure hunt. 

Organisations taking part include: Minor Injuries Unit, Alzheimer’s Society, St John Ambulance, Shropshire Deaf & Hard of Hearing Forum, Oswestry Stroke Club, Fire Brigade, Citizens Advice Bureau, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Wise & Well Team, Sensory Impairment Service, Derwen College, Oswestry Leisure Centre, Time for You Oswestry & District Assn for the Elderly, Healthwatch Shropshire, Age UK, Chalk CIC, Shropshire Disability Network, NHS Choices, Walking for Health & Ramblers, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, Make a Mark, Shropshire Council Children’s Centres

For more information, contact heather.rodenhurst@shropshire.gov.uk or phone 01691 677388

Baby Shower at Bridgnorth Library on 9 April 2016

Shropshire Council’s Bridgnorth Library is delighted to announce the imminent arrival of the Bridgnorth Baby Shower. Taking place on Saturday 9 April 2016 between 10am and 1pm, this is a free, celebratory event for expectant parents, or parents of a baby under one year old. 

On hand with support and advice will be midwives and representatives from a whole host of organisations such as National Childbirth Trust, Surestart Bridgnorth, Bookstart and Health Watch. Also staffing information stands will be baby-related businesses including Baby Sensory, Hopskotch and Waterbabies.  All will be contributing to a free goody bag for each mum attending the Baby Shower.  

Annabel Gittins, one of the children’s librarians, said:- 

“We are delighted to have so many agencies and businesses together showing all the support available for parents and parents-to-be.” 

Stuart West, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: 

“Bridgnorth Library is a hub of so much information and activity, and it is a great opportunity to show how important libraries are within their communities.” 

With refreshments from the WI and fun activities on offer too, 9 April is one due date not to be missed.  For more details, call 01746 763358 or email bridgnorth.library@shropshire.gov.uk.

Updates from our partners:

Freedom Shropshire Newsletter, Edition 19, March 2016

Freedom Shropshire Newsletter, Edition 19, March 2016.

To view/download the latest Newsletter, simply click on the image below!  

 Latest Energize E-newsletter is available to view!

Inside this issue read about the latest Shropshire Homes School Sport Festival, a new parkrun for the county, community assets guidance, Big Lottery Funding advice, two funding opportunities, latest NGB updates, job opportunities and much more!  

Please click the picture above to view or open the PDF document:

Or access via: https://issuu.com/energizestw/docs/enews_16.03.16

Hospital seeks Twiddlemuff volunteers!

News from The Shropshire and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. Click here to read the full story.

Shropshire’s two acute hospitals are seeking volunteers to help with a project which benefits patients with dementia.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SATH) launched its Twiddlemuffs campaign in December last year.

Twiddlemuffs are thick hand muffs with items attached to the inside and out, designed to provide a stimulation activity for restless hands for patients with dementia.

People with dementia may develop various restless behaviours. Experts say that giving an unsettled patient something to occupy their hands can benefit them. Twiddlemuffs provide a source of visual, tactile and sensory stimulation at the same time as keeping hands snug and warm.

Twiddlemuffs have also been shown to have benefits for patients with learning disabilities and patients receiving chemotherapy.

Twiddlemuffs are simple to make, but those which are donated to our patients need to meet certain standards. More information, including a Twiddlemuff pattern, is available from our website at www.sath.nhs.uk/twiddlemuffs

Residents doing their bit in support of Shropshire’s Big Conversation

News story from Shropshire Newsroom. Click here to read the full story.

Since the launch of Shropshire Council’s Big Conversation, residents have been telling the council what they are doing to help alleviate the £77m deficit.

In a recent meeting in Oswestry, chief executive Clive Wright presented an overview of the Big Conversation, and spoke to residents on how people can save money by taking some really simple steps. Leading by example is Wendy Cherrington, Mayoress of Oswestry, who has been working hard to improve the outgoing waste and recycling products from their home.

Peter Cherrington, Mayor of Oswestry, said:

“Since we became involved in the Big Conversation, my wife Wendy has increased our recyclables, by 48% which is a terrific number.”

Clive Wright, Shropshire Council’s chief executive, added:

“I’d like to thank the Mayoress of Oswestry for doing her bit to help support Shropshire Council’s Big Conversation.  Mrs Cherrington has doubled her recycling which is a fantastic achievement.

“We know many people recycle, but if more others followed suit, we’d considerably reduce the council’s cost on waste and could potentially save up to £5m each year.”

A total of 2,271 people and organisations took part in the Big Conversation survey which ran from 17 November 2015 until 6 January 2016.

The Big Conversation survey was the first phase of a five-year conversation the council wants to have with Shropshire people to ask them what council services are most important to them, and what they can do to help and make the remaining resources it has go further.

The survey asked people about the council service areas they thought were the most important to protect from reductions in spending. Residents were also asked their views around working with active communities.

• Some 61% of respondents agree that Shropshire Council should make more use of local residents and volunteers to deliver services in order to make savings, whilst only 22% disagree.
• 71% of respondents agree that communities should be enabled to do more for themselves. Some 12% of respondents disagree.
• 32% of respondents are willing or very willing to contribute through participation or volunteering. Only 15% stated they are not willing to do so. To view the details of the survey report and for more information about the Big Conversation visit shropshire.gov.uk/bigconversation or email:bigconversation@shropshire.gov.uk.

Feedback will also inform the development of the next phase of the Big Conversation, which will run after April 2016 for the coming years.

Got some news to share?

If you have a topic or article that you would like to feature in this newsletter, please contact us by email: shropshiretogether@shropshire.gov.uk or telephone: 01743 253972.

Health and Wellbeing Board - Next Meeting:

The next public Health and Wellbeing Board meeting will be held on Thursday 21st April 2016, starting at 9.00am at Shirehall in Shrewsbury.

The agenda and relevant papers will become available on the Health and Wellbeing webpage prior to the meeting. Please see the attached link below to access previous meeting agendas:

Health and Wellbeing Board