Ask your pharmacy for advice about minor illnesses and ailments this winter

NHS Sussex is urging everyone to stay well this winter and take advantage of the wide range of health services now available at local pharmacies, including asking your pharmacist for advice for minor illnesses and ailments.

People have always been able to get prescription medicines, care and advice for common illnesses, lifestyle support and medicines advice to help manage long-term conditions at their pharmacy.

Now people can take advantage of services such as blood pressure checks for over 40 year olds and expanded support for people with Parkinson’s disease and osteoporosis, among other conditions.

So, remember to ask your pharmacist for:

  • Advice and treatment for minor illnesses such as coughs, colds and earache
  • A free blood pressure check (for over 40-year-olds with no history of high blood pressure or those aged 30-39 with a family history of high blood pressure)
  • Flu vaccinations
  • Advice on staying well and preventing disease – private consultations are offered
  • Support to maintain good sexual health
  • Help to quit smoking
  • Personalised support to get the most from your medicines

For more information visit NHS Sussex’s Help Us Help You webpages.

Successful Listening Tour will inform positive changes to local services

Findings from this year’s Healthwatch East Sussex 2022 Listening Tour are being collated and will be used to support positive changes to local health and care services.

The organisation heard from 489 residents about local services across Eastbourne via surveys, focus groups, interviews, pop-up stands and events such as the Launch Event and Big Health and Care Question Time.

Some of its key findings include:

  • The challenge of accessing GP and dentist appointments
  • Anxiety around the cost-of-living crisis and what’s to come
  • Accessibility for disabled residents
  • The public and patients highlighted their appreciation for the professionalism, care and dedication of health and care staff
  • Gaps in Mental health support within the homeless community
  • The use of heteronormative language in health and care settings
  • Lack of knowledge around rights among refugees

The organisation said that by speaking up, residents were helping to change services for themselves and many others.

They thanked everyone who shared their feedback and experiences during the Listening Tour, and all the organisations and community groups that they worked with during the tour.

Healthwatch will use the feedback it received during the two-week programme of engagement activities and events in October to make recommendations to support future health care plans.

These recommendations will be shared on its website and social media, so keep an eye on these sites for any update over the coming months.

For general Listening Tour enquiries please contact Anna Hoad, Community Engagement Officer via enquiries@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk or call 0333 101 4007.

To share feedback on health and care services in East Sussex any time, visit the Healthwatch East Sussex Feedback Centre. 

Housing Occupational Therapy team wins industry award

We’re proud to say that East Sussex County Council’s Housing Occupational Therapy team have won a national award for their excellent work.

They won the national Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) Home Adaptation Service of the Year award at the National Healthy Housing Awards.

The accolade reflects the work they do with housing authorities across the county to adapt properties for people with disabilities, older people, their families or their carers, to live comfortably in their own homes.

The judging panel thought this was a really strong example of innovation and doing things differently that the sector could learn from.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service helping people to stay safe in their homes

A safety drive by East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service aims to help people save safely and keep warm this winter with ideas to save money and help reduce the chances of a fire.

The Service’s ‘Save Safely’ campaign has brought together a number of ideas devised to keep costs down and ensure residents stay as safe as possible.

The safety drive’s advice includes:

  • Close doors. It’s amazing how much heat can disappear out of the door, and by keeping doors shut, you also reduce the chance of fires spreading from room to room.
  • Switch off at night. You may be surprised to hear that energy often isn’t any cheaper at night, so you might not actually save anything by running the washing machine overnight. Before you go to bed, or go out, check the living room, the kitchen, home office, your bedroom and so on and switch off.
  • Beat the energy vampires. Did you know that a phone charger uses power even when it’s not actually charging a phone? There may be a bit of debate over exactly how much you could save by unplugging devices which you aren’t using, but we’re still fans of the suggestion from a safety point of view.

The service’s free Home Safety Visits offer a range of advice on keeping your home warm safely; falls and accident prevention; health and wellbeing; escape route planning and much more. It will also fit free smoke alarms and other specialist equipment when needed.

To find out more call 0800 177 7069 (freephone) or visit the Service’s website.

Podcast explains how you can help ease the pressure on the NHS this winter

As we move into the winter months, the latest NHS Sussex News podcast gives you insight into the service at one of its most challenging times of the year.

On the podcast, Allison Cannon, Chief Nursing Officer for NHS Sussex, outlines how you can play your part in easing the pressures on the service at this time of the year.

Allison’s advice covers the importance of eligible people receiving their COVID-19 and flu vaccines and some of the options available for accessing health care this winter.

Allison also talks about how winter pressures impact on the NHS workforce and explains what you can do to help ease those pressure at this busy time of the year.

The podcast can be heard on NHS Sussex’s website. 

It can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Deezer – just search for ‘NHS Sussex News’.

It’s also available to listen to on Alexa smart speakers – to verbally set the command, folk say ‘Alexa, enable NHS Sussex News’, then ‘Alexa, play NHS Sussex News’.

Podcast explains how digital technologies can support patients in their home

How NHS Sussex is embracing digital technology to support people’s health and wellbeing in the comfort of their own home is the topic of the latest NHS Sussex News podcast.

Lisa Emery, the organisation’s Chief Transformation, Innovation and Digital Officer, talks in easy-to-understand terms about the concept of ‘virtual wards’.

Virtual wards are an initiative being rolled out nationally to support patients who are awaiting surgery, recovering from hospitalisation or able to complete treatment outside of hospital to be regularly monitored by a clinical team in the place they call home, using a range of simple technologies.

Lisa also talks about the benefits of the free NHS App, and how it provides simple and secure access to a range of healthcare services from your smartphone, that might otherwise mean a call to your GP or NHS 111.

Available on all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and Deezer, the NHS Sussex News podcast can be accessed via Alexa smart-speakers, on Twitter @NHSSussex or through the news page of the Sussex Health and Care website.

 

GP practices working together to offer evening and Saturday appointments

Surgeries across East Sussex are offering evening and Saturday appointments to give people access to care at a time that best suits them.

It is now possible to get an appointment between 6-30pm and 8pm Monday to Friday and between 9am and 5pm on Saturdays.

The additional face-to-face, telephone or video call appointments will be provided by groups of practices working closely together to provide services and share resources.

This means when patients ask for an evening or Saturday appointment, it may not always be held at their usual practice but at another one nearby.

To request an appointment, contact the GP practice you are registered with or contact NHS 111.

Learn more about accessing the weekday and Saturday appointments.

Protect yourself during the festive period with COVID-19 and flu boosters

The NHS in Sussex is calling for anyone who is yet to get their COVID-19 Autumn Booster to come forward and ensure their health is better protected during the festive and New Year period.

The protection from vaccines reduces over time so the booster is being offered to those at greatest risk from COVID-19 to increase their protection during the winter months when viruses spread most easily.

Appointments are available at walk-in centres in Eastbourne and Hastings to make it as easy as possible for you to get the top-up jab, or you can book an appointment on the National Booking Service online, by calling 119 or by following an invitation from a local team.

To date, more than 565,000 people in the county have received their COVID-19 boosters.

People eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine include everyone aged 50 and over and those with conditions that put them at greater risk of the disease, such as people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women.

People in these groups are also eligible for a free flu vaccination.

If you have a question about the Sussex COVID-19 vaccination programme you can contact the Vaccine Enquiries Team at sxicb.vaccineenquiries@nhs.net or by calling the vaccine enquiry phone line 0800 433 4545 (open 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday).

Project launched to cut waiting times for adult gender services in Sussex

NHS England has commissioned an adult gender service pilot in Sussex to reduce waiting times for people needing specialist gender identity assessment and treatments.

The service is available to adults that are registered with a GP in Sussex and already on one of NHS England’s seven National Gender Identity Clinics.

There are around 800 people in Sussex waiting for these services.

The plan is to open the new service in Spring 2023 after completing a six-month engagement, planning, recruitment and training period that is underway.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) is keen to work with individuals and the local trans and non-binary community to make sure the pilot service meets needs and is shaped by lived experience.

The service will be led by SPFT in partnership with Nottingham Centre for Transgender Healthcare, which delivers the East of England Gender Service and is the link clinic for the Indigo Gender Service, both of which deliver gender service pilots across the country.

After two years, the service will be assessed and next steps agreed, which could include extending the pilot for an additional year. The evaluation will also be used to inform national policy.

White Ribbon Day campaign sets goal of tackling misogyny as World Cup begins

Held at the start of the football World Cup tournament — a time when domestic violence incidents spike — this year’s White Ribbon Day message highlighting the dangers women encounter was especially important.

Held on 25 November, #TheGoal of this year’s campaign was to highlight the challenges and dangers women and girls face in traditionally male-dominated contexts like the football pitch and public transportation.

The annual event raises awareness of violence against women and girls by addressing its root causes such as harmful attitudes and behaviours around masculinity.

White Ribbon Day coincides with the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which ends on 10 December, an international campaign led by women’s groups.

Events to mark the whole 16 Days campaign in East Sussex and nationally include:

East Sussex County Council’s website has more information about domestic abuse and where to get help.