Health News - September 2008
Prioritising dignity
A code aimed at recognising the dignity of older people in the borough has been launched at Homerton hospital.
It was developed by the Older People’s Reference Group for City and Hackney and has been endorsed by the Council and local NHS.
The code will also be used as a performance indicator for commissioning contracts for older people’s services in the borough this year.
The reference group, which is supported by Age Concern, reports to the Borough Older People’s Partnership Board. Jennie Negus, Chair of the Board, and Deputy Director for Nursing at Homerton hospital, said: “The code lays down solid foundations for what older people feel are the key areas to ensure they are treated with dignity and due respect in every area of their contact with caring organisations.
“This borough-wide approach ensures that we are all signed up and fully committed to addressing older people’s concerns and meeting their aspirations.”
Better equipped to enjoy life
Pauline Constantine is celebrating after winning a £100 shopping voucher in a competition organised by the Council.
The 72-year-old lives in Dalston and suffers from pain in her spine, hips and legs. She responded to a survey which looked at the difference adapting people’s homes can make to their lives, after benefiting from this Council service.
She is among hundreds of residents who’ve had their homes assessed for adaptations ranging from stair rails to bath chairs.
The results of the 2008 survey showed that 93.2 per cent of residents who received such equipment, felt it had improved their quality of life, with over half saying it had made it ‘much better’.
This puts the Council in the top band according to Department of Health criteria.
Everyone who returned the survey was entered into a prize draw. Pauline said: “I was very, very pleased, I wasn’t expecting to win.”
Cllr Nargis Khan, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “This survey reflects the views of people who are using equipment every day and it is really encouraging to hear what a difference they are making.”
More information
For more info on home adaptations, call: 020 8356 6262.
Eat well to feel well
People living in Wilton Estate, E8, can benefit from a series of healthy eating workshops set up by their Tenants’ and Residents’ Association (TRA).
The workshops (below), run by a qualified nutritionist, have been made possible by funding from the Tenants Levy Special Projects grant. They take place in the estate’s community hall, and offer healthy eating advice and tips about boosting energy levels. Upcoming workshops, which run from 10am to 12noon, include healthy eating on a budget on 1 October; food and mood on 5 November; and healthy eating in winter on 3 December.
For information call: 020 8356 6133.
Empowering diabetes patients
A new group education programme for sufferers of Type-2 diabetes has been set up in the borough.
The Hackney Diabetes Centre programme, X-PERT, is designed to help patients understand and manage their illness with confidence, and empower them to communicate with health professionals. It has been shown to improve the overall quality of life of patients who attend.
The centre has staff who are able to respond to the diverse needs of Hackney’s communities and the programme can be delivered in Turkish, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu as well as English. If you would like more info call: 020 8510 5007 or visit: www.xpert-diabetes.com.
New voice for disabled people
A new forum for disabled people in the borough is to be launched next month. The Hackney Family BackUp scheme is funded by the Council and will be an opportunity for disabled people to have their say about key issues.
The aim is to help disabled people take advantage of Hackney’s opportunities; to represent the interests of disabled people who want to access Council services; and to promote equality and reduce discrimination.
The forum will be launched in October, with a website and regular newsletter. For details and updates email: catherine@hfbu.org.uk; or call: 020 7275 0088 and ask for Catherine Love or Sheila Ramdular. Text phone users dial: 18001 0207 275 0088.
Surgery at sea
Surgeon Leo Cheng can usually be found helping Hackney folk as an oral and facial surgeon at Homerton hospital.
But he has also spent a fortnight for the past four years with a unique team of surgeons, doctors and nurses in West Africa, providing treatment for people suffering from disfiguring facial tumours, cleft lips, goiters and war wounds.
The team, working on behalf of international charity Mercy Ships, are based on a hospital boat, which gives them access to some of the world’s poorest countries. Each time the Africa Mercy docks, thousands of people queue up to receive an assessment for free treatment.
Leo said: “For the patients I see on this ship, life is a grinding struggle just to get a clean mouthful of water. So people, many of them very young, get infections and abscesses in their mouths and on their faces which develop into tumours and growths.
“These are so unsightly that the patients are cast out from their communities or hidden away in sheds with livestock.”
During his two-week stay, Leo performs between 15 and 20 operations, some several hours long.
He admits it is hard work but said: “It is so uplifting to see children who can smile again or young women who are able to live normally.”
Leo stressed that medical intervention is just one way to improve long-term living conditions for people: “The real heroes are the volunteers who go out into the bush and drill for wells, enabling villages to have 20 years of clean drinking water. This goes some way to ensuring that we may have to treat less patients with awful deformities in the future.”
More information
Further details available at: www.mercyships.org.
Healthy body, healthy mind
An innovative scheme is helping residents with mental health issues get physically active.
GPs can send their patients to the Healthwise Physical Activity Referral Scheme (PARS) run by GLL, the not-for-profit trust that operates Hackney’s leisure centres.
They attend supervised 12 to 26 week activity programmes including circuit training, aqua classes, and gym sessions. Meher Choudry, referred by a GP for depression and back pain, said: “I was so depressed when I first started the scheme. Now this has gone. I feel much happier.”
The discounted scheme is run in partnership with the Council, City & Hackney Primary Care Trust CHPCT), and East London NHS Foundation Trust.
Cllr Sharon Patrick, Cabinet Adviser for Public Health, said: “It’s a wonderful partnership project to meet the challenges for a total approach to health, in our commitment to promote physical, mental and social wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities.”
Putting people first
A major new Government initiative to improve the quality of social care services for adults and older people is being introduced in Hackney over the next three years.
This year saw the launch of a landmark document called ‘Putting People First’. This paper set out a vision for Adult Social Care that aims to ensure older people, those with chronic conditions or mental health problems and disabled people have the best possible quality of life and are able to live independent and fulfilling lives.
At the heart of this paper, is a focus on personalised care and support so individuals can exercise maximum control over their own lives, whatever their level of need.
The Council is responding to this by looking at ways it can ‘personalise’ the services it provides and how best to achieve that goal. It will also be engaging with everyone who receives social care support in Hackney to make sure they understand what this means for them.
There will be an emphasis on early intervention and prevention, meaning more people will be supported to stay as independent and healthy as possible for as long as possible. The Council plans to enable those who qualify for services to carry out self-assessments and develop their own support plans. This will be backed up with qualified advice and help for anyone who needs it.
To register for more info, email: consultation@hackney.gov.uk or send your contact details to:
Consultation Team – Care, FREEPOST LON18819
3rd Floor
2 Hillman Street
London
E8 1FB
Page updated: 8 Oct 2008