Are you a smoker?

If you said yes then you are one of more than 100,000 smokers in West Sussex. If you’re determined to kick the habit why not try accessing free NHS stop smoking support through your local participating GP surgery or pharmacy. 

Whether you’re giving up for your health, the family or to save money, you’re four times more likely to be successful if you have professional support.

To find your nearest GP surgery/pharmacy offering stop smoking support, visit the West Sussex Wellbeing website for more information.

You don’t need to do it alone.

Do you feel like you could do with a time-out from alcohol after the festivities?

Better sleep, healthier skin, weight loss and saving money are just a few reasons why you should consider signing up to this year’s Dry January.

If you think you’re drinking a little too much a little too often, or you’d like to work out your regular alcohol consumption - now is the time to take control.

Get started here:

· How much are you drinking? Complete the free, two-minute alcohol test

· Alcohol advice and support available via West Sussex Wellbeing

· Online coaching offering expert, confidential coaching via Skype

· Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for guidance and motivation. 

Have you ever heard…

It’s just a job where you wipe bottoms and feed people?

Adult social care is not a job for men?

It’s all about working with old people?

You can’t turn care work into a career?

The hours are long and unsociable?

We shared these common myths about the care industry with care workers in West Sussex – watch how they reacted here​.

If you, or someone you know, live in the East Grinstead area and would like to find out more about working in care, drop-in to our recruitment event in February and have a chat with local care providers:

· Thursday 22 February from 10am to 12pm at East Grinstead Library, 32 – 40 West Street, East Grinstead, RH19 4SR

Visit here to let us know you’re interested in care work and for more information about the event. 

Looking for a new challenge in 2018?

Are you or is someone you know interested in training to be a teacher? There are 284 schools in West Sussex looking for someone like you.

Whether you want to teach, become a school bursar, a governor, a governing body clerk or apprentice, there is something for everyone.

To find out what opportunities are available, we’re hosting two recruitment fairs that will give you the chance to find out what our schools can do for you.

· Saturday 3 February 10am-2pm - Premier Lounge at Fontwell Park Racecourse, BN18 0SY

· Saturday 24 February 2018 10am-2pm - Ifield Community College, Crawley, RH11 0DB

For more details click here.

The local NHS has recently been faced with one one of its busiest festive periods.

This Christmas more people attended the A&E departments at some hospitals than ever before.

Please help local services by thinking about the most appropriate way to get medical help.

The #HelpMyNHS website helps you do this by highlighting where you can get medical treatment that is right for you. For more information see www.sussexhelpmy.nhs.uk.

In addition, the County Council and local NHS are also part of the Let’s Get You Home initiative to ensure people spend no longer than they need to in hospital.

Safer Internet Day 2018 will be celebrated globally on Tuesday 6th February with the slogan 'Create, Connect and Share Respect: a better internet starts with you.' 

The day offers the opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology and to explore the role we all play in helping to create a better and safer online community.

Get involved and visit here for more information and resources. 

At West Sussex County Council we want to find out whether our customers are happy with how easy it is to contact us.

One way we are doing this is to ask you to complete a short survey, and we would be really grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to complete it.

If you have contacted us in the last 12 months we would like to know how easy it was to contact us and then to get the help you needed.

The insight from this survey will help us to improve the service that you and others receive.