Please find below an update from NHS Berkshire Health Network
Talking Therapies in BerkshireProblems such as anxiety, depression,
stress and phobias are very common. Talking Therapies is a friendly and approachable
service that helps people with these problems. They are there to help adults
aged 17+ living in Berkshire and we have a team of advisors and therapists who
can help you to overcome life’s difficulties and problems and manage them
better. You can refer yourself to Talking Therapies now, or ask your GP or healthcare
Professional to refer you.If you’re not sure if this is the right
service for you, complete an online self assessment form.
Support for young people - the Little Blue
Book of SunshineLife can be tough when you are young! If
school is pants, you’re trying to figure out who you are and parents are
stressing you out… then why wouldn’t you feel down on the world? But, that’s
rubbish if it means you feel bad about yourself, lose confidence or can’t
bounce back.The #littlebluebookofsunshine
explains some of the things young people can do right now to feel better, or
who to turn to if things feel too much. Copies are available at school and you
can also download a copy.
Street Triage ServiceMental Health Triage is an ongoing
initiative where police and mental health services work together to ensure
people who present to police with a mental health crisis receive the most
appropriate pathway to care.
Mental health professionals accompany or
assist police at incidents where the possible mental ill health of an
individual gave rise to concern. They offer the police professional advice on
the spot, access health information systems, and help to liaise with other care
services to identify the right kind of support required.
Berkshire West’s street triage service has
been a success in reducing inappropriate application of section 136 to detain
individuals experiencing mental health crisis in the community. In
recognition of this valuable service Berkshire West’s Clinical Commissioning
Groups have agreed in partnership with the three Local Authorities to
commission the street triage service through for the next two years. The
service covers the whole of Berkshire West and it is supported by Thames Valley
Police and Berkshire Health Care Foundation NHS Trust.
Improving mental health services for veterans
and armed forces personnel approaching dischargeThe Transition, Intervention and Liaison
veterans’ mental health service provides the treatment and support for
veterans, and is now also be available to armed forces personnel approaching
discharge.
Support includes recognising the early
signs of mental health problems and providing access to early treatment and
support, as well as therapeutic treatment for complex mental health
difficulties and psychological trauma. Patients may also be provided with help
with employment, reduction in alcohol consumption, housing and social support.To access the service as a veteran,
patients must:
- have served in the UK armed forces
for a full day
- be registered with a GP practice
in England or be willing to register with a GP
- be able to provide their military
service number or another form of acceptable proof of eligibility.
Those people meeting the criteria can
self-refer or request referral via a GP, health care professional or service
charity. The service can be contacted by email sc.veterans@nhs.net or
by calling 0300 365 0300.
Integrated IAPT ServiceBerkshire West’s Clinical Commissioning Groups,
in partnership with Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, have
successfully secured national funding to implement the ‘Integrated Improving
Access to Psychological Therapy Service’ in Wokingham and Newbury District
Locality to support people suffering from Long Term Conditions experiencing
mild to moderate anxiety and depression.
Dying matters Awareness Week 2017
Every year in May, Dying Matters Awareness Week gives us an unparalleled
opportunity to place the importance of talking about dying, death and
bereavement firmly on the national agenda. This year, the campaign is asking
"What Can You Do?" This aims to get people more active in planning
for dying and death and helping support those who may need it in times of grief
and bereavement, be they friends, family or in your wider community.
Every year in May, Dying Matters Awareness Week gives us an unparalleled
opportunity to place the importance of talking about dying, death and
bereavement firmly on the national agenda. This year, the campaign is asking
"What Can You Do?" This aims to get people more active in planning
for dying and death and helping support those who may need it in times of grief
and bereavement, be they friends, family or in your wider community.
Every year in May, Dying Matters Awareness Week gives us an unparalleled
opportunity to place the importance of talking about dying, death and
bereavement firmly on the national agenda. This year, the campaign is asking
"What Can You Do?" This aims to get people more active in planning
for dying and death and helping support those who may need it in times of grief
and bereavement, be they friends, family or in your wider community.
Every year in May, Dying Matters Awareness Week gives us an unparalleled
opportunity to place the importance of talking about dying, death and
bereavement firmly on the national agenda. This year, the campaign is asking
"What Can You Do?" This aims to get people more active in planning
for dying and death and helping support those who may need it in times of grief
and bereavement, be they friends, family or in your wider community.
Every year in May, Dying Matters Awareness Week gives us an unparalleled
opportunity to place the importance of talking about dying, death and
bereavement firmly on the national agenda. This year, the campaign is asking
"What Can You Do?" This aims to get people more active in planning
for dying and death and helping support those who may need it in times of grief
and bereavement, be they friends, family or in your wider community.Find out how you can get
involved in the conversation.
Bowel cancer screening could save your
life, but you have to return the test!The NHS in Berkshire has been raising
awareness about the importance of screening for bowel cancer during April, in
support of Bowel Cancer Awareness month.
In the UK, from the age of 60 until your
74th birthday, a bowel screening kit is sent to your home automatically every
two years. You don’t need to have experienced any symptoms of bowel cancer; the
test picks up early signs of cancer that may otherwise go undetected. It is this
early diagnosis that has proven to be the life-saving key to bowel cancer
treatment.Treatment for early signs of bowel cancer
has been very effective, but there is still a long way to go.
Most people will carry out the test, return
their sample in the post and within two weeks be told that there were no signs
detected. It will be another two years before you are asked to carry out the
test again. For others however, the test may find blood in the sample in which
case, you will be invited to a local screening centre to talk about your
results. This does not mean you definitely have cancer; the bleeding could be
caused by a non-cancerous growth or another health problem. You will be offered
more tests to find out what is causing the bleeding.Find out more from Cancer UK
Please take a moment to read what the CCB team were busy getting up to in 2016-17. Many of our projects continue with earnest in 2017-18 and if you would like any information or to learn more about any of them please get in touch with the team on 0118 9612000 and admin@ccberks.org.uk. Please click here to read a copy.
Does your community have a defibrillator? Would you know how to use it in an emergency? If you don’t have one in your village, have you considered having one – either by fundraising as a community to buy one or obtaining a grant from the British Heart Foundation?
All these questions will be answered at the Community Council for Berkshire (CCB) training event. The meeting will be run by Heartstart Swallowfield and will include emergency first aid training and a practical demonstration of how to use defibrillators.
This training is FREE to attend and light refreshments will be provided. Access to rural areas can be time consuming for community first responders and emergency services, particularly if the weather is bad, so the knowledge of local people could save a life! The meeting is being funded by Adult Community Learning Wokingham Borough Council and is taking place on Wednesday 21st June at the Arborfield Village Hall from 7pm - 9.30pm. Preference will be given if you reside or work within the Wokingham Borough.
If you would like to attend please complete a booking form: https://ccberks.wufoo.eu/forms/z1ehn9m005ollb3/
