Mental Health Awareness Week

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and this year it focuses on an aspect vital to everyone: sleep.

Just think of how not getting enough sleep for one night can leave you tired and grumpy, affecting your ability to carry out your normal daily routine.  Extended periods of poor, little or no sleep, can take this to extremes and severly depletes your reserves and coping mechanisms.

A good night's sleep is crucial to your body as well as your mind, as it is while you sleep that your body heals itself and your brain processes everything you've done that day allowing you to wake up rested and refreshed.

But often, it is only when we lack such things that we realise the true importance of them.  There is a lot of truth in the saying 'you don't know what you've got until it's gone'.

So the Mental Health Foundation are working to promote the importance of sleep this Mental Health Awareness Week.  

If you want to find out more about sleep, Mental Health Awareness Week or the work that the Mental Health Foundation do, click here.

Your LINk

What do you want the North East Lincolnshire LINk to look at?

Tell us the issues or concerns that you think we should be aware of here or leave a comment.

Equally, tell us what you think works well in North East Lincolnshire's Health and Social Care!

Hello to all LINk Members and Followers!

It is nice to be back after maternity leave. You will be please to know i am already working on the annual report and if you want to find out more visit our website at www.nellink.org.uk

Hope to see you all soon.

Transition to HealthWatch

LINk is currently in the process of submitting a bid to the Department of Health for HealthWatch pathfinder status... watch this space

Monthly Meeting

The next LINk monthly meeting will take place next Tuesday, 17th May from 2pm until 4pm.

We hold our meetings at Corpus Christi Community Centre on Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend, you don't need any experience or special skills.  Just being a resident, patient, family member or friend of a patient, or a professional working in North East Lincolnshire qualifies you to have your say.

Website launches providing information about adult social care and health

RESIDENTS in North East Lincolnshire have received a tonic from health chiefs and volunteers.

A website providing universal information and advice about anything to do with adult social care and health has been launched.

The site – www.Services4.me.uk – is being run by the Care Trust Plus (CTP) in partnership with the council and Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire.

It is designed for everyone living or working in North East Lincolnshire, whether they are using adult social care or healthcare services, pay for their own care or are a carer.

Showcase of high-tech gadgets

THE latest technological advancements to safeguard the elderly and vulnerable residents have been showcased in North East Lincolnshire.

The new equipment has been fitted to a demonstration bungalow at the Willows Older People's Mental Health Resource Centre to showcase their advantages to the area's care professionals.

It is hoped the newly-equipped bungalow will demonstrate how the area's vulnerable and elderly residents could live in the future.

Among the high-tech gadgets installed are fall detectors and medication reminders.

How to spot signs of ovarian cancer

WOMEN in the Humber region are being urged to look out for signs of ovarian cancer...

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and health bosses in the region want to make people aware of the symptoms of the condition.

The early symptoms to look out for are pain in the pelvis and lower stomach, persistent bloating and difficulty eating.

Regional director for public health at NHS Yorkshire and the Humber, Paul Johnstone, said: "When it comes to cancer of any kind the earlier it is detected the better chance the patient has of making a full recovery.

More area GPs launch pathfinder

ANOTHER group of GPs in Lincolnshire has been announced as pathfinders for a major NHS reform.

Skegness And Coast consortium will join three other pathfinders to help test how well GPs respond to their new care commissioning role after Primary Care Trusts were scrapped.

The group will be taking on commissioning responsibilities as part of the Government's plans set out in the NHS White Paper, Liberating The NHS: Equity And Excellence.

Dr Noel O'Kelly, a member of the Skegness And Coast consortium, said: "This is an exciting opportunity for our consortium to test national policies and influence how health services will develop for the future."

Fleur Taylor, assistant director for practice-based commissioning for NHS Lincolnshire, said: "These GPs will be at the cutting edge of the NHS reforms that will see GPs responsible for the budgets of their local population."
Clusters of GPs at Lincolnshire West, East Lindsey and Wellcomm were previously announced as national pathfinders in January.

Mum to set up group for diabetes sufferers in North East Lincolnshire

A SCARTHO mum is forming a new network of families affected by diabetes to help give out advice and support.

Jo Raven, 34, of Edge Avenue, is set to start Grimsby's only diabetes support group, based at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.

Her eight-year-old son, Joseph, was diagnosed two years ago andwith the nearest organisation based in Scunthorpe, Jo thought it was about time carers and parents in the area came together to share their experiences.

Wellbeing of carers in spotlight

Wellbeing of carers in spotlight

CARERS in North East Lincolnshire are being urged to take care of their own wellbeing.

A number of drop-in events are being held across the region, where experts will be on hand to offer advice on everything from making lifestyle changes to keeping healthy, heating your home and claiming benefits.

Health and Social Care Bill

Health and Social Care Bill

For some more information on the Health and Social Care Bill, please see the link below: Health and Social Care Bill

 

Language therapists meet at cinema as new movie highlights stammering

THE release of The King's Speech has struck a chord with language therapists in Cleethorpes.

The Oscar-tipped historical drama, which opened at cinemas last week, follows the story of a speech therapist, played by Geoffrey Rush, who helps King George VI, played by Colin Firth, overcome a stammer.

UNITED: NHS speech therapists meet at Parkway Cinema, Cleethorpes to mark the release of The King's Speech. From left are Eve Sutton, Christine Handsley and Cheryl Hughes.

Residents urged to quit cigarettes and cut the risk of lung cancer

CHRISTMAS may only just be over, but thoughts are turning to the New Year ... and the inevitable resolutions. Here, health experts urge smokers to consider kicking the habit

HEALTH bosses are urging smokers to quit the habit – and cut their risk of lung cancer.

They say giving up smoking is the most effective way of reducing your chances of getting the disease ... and what a better time of the year to consider it?

NEL LINk success!

North East Lincolnshire LINk is number one!

Staff in the LINk office are celebrating after being approached by a marketing company, FORSTER, who have been commissioned to undertake a National promotion of LINks.

Our LINk has been highlighted as an example of good practice through the work we have been doing on our Young People’s DVD.

We will be used as a case study for the national promotion, and they advised we were top of their list to contact!

New clinic will improve ongoing care for head injury patients

A NEW clinic at Grimsby's Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital is providing a lifeline for patients with minor head injuries.

Traditionally, patients attending the hospital's emergency care centre with a minor head injury were discharged and given an information leaflet.

CLINIC: Diana, Princess Of Wales Hospital.

Now a fortnightly clinic is being held which allows patients who have suffered a minor head injury to have a follow-up examination to ensure they are not experiencing any continuing problems.

Pioneering breast surgery at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital

A NEW reconstructive breast surgeon will offer pioneering treatment at Grimsby's Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.

Jenny Smith, 40, will offer ground-breaking surgery to women in the region as part of her new role as consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon at the Pink Rose Suite.

Among the procedures Jenny specialises in is using tissue from the stomach area to reconstruct the breast following cancer surgery – a method currently only available to women willing to travel to Hull.

Regulator CQC says it will drive improvements for Mental Health patients

The Care Quality Commission today (27 October) highlighted areas of poor practice in mental health services for patients who are subject to the Mental Health Act, and pledged to use its regulatory powers to lever improvement. Publishing its first annual report on the use of the Act, CQC said its findings raised important concerns about how some care providers, in both the NHS and private sector, were adhering to the principles of the Act and its Code of Practice.

Agony aunt and campaigner Claire Rayner dies at 79

Agony aunt and campaigner Claire Rayner dies at 79

A look back at the life of Claire Rayner

Tributes have been paid to agony aunt Claire Rayner, who has died at the age of 79. She told her relatives she wanted her last words to be: "Tell David Cameron that if he screws up my beloved NHS I'll come back and bloody haunt him."

LINk Fun Day film!

LINk Fun Day film!

The North East Lincolnshire Local Involvement Network held an annual Fun Day on 8th March 2010

We celebrated our first birthday with the people of Immingham, Grimsby and Cleethorpes with lots of great activities for them.

The local television channel, Channel Seven from Immage Studios, came and interviewed attendees; as did local radio channel Compass FM.

Check out our video of the event at:
http://www.youtube.com/v/2k1EOccALjc&hl=en&fs=1

Volunteering puts Kirstie on course

Monday, August 17, 2009

FACED with the prospect of long-term unemployment, Kirstie Logan, 23, from Waltham, turned to volunteering to occupy her time – and she hasn't looked back.

After graduating from the University of Kent with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, she returned to her family home in North East Lincolnshire to search for work.

Welcome to the NEL LINk blog!

Well, here we are at the beginning of our blog!

Here you will be able to find out the latest of what's going on in the world of the North East Lincolnshire LINk or discussion of current health and social care issues.

What's going on at the LINk?

Today we're getting ready for our Governing Body meeting at 2pm.

Tomorrow at 10am, we're meeting with Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals to comment and input on their Quality Accounts.  If you want to come along, get in touch!