Healthwatch City of London Bulletin 55
Important information for patients travelling to Homerton Hospital on 15th and 16th November.
On Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 November 2021 between 9pm and 5am (overnight), the Highway Agency will be undertaking urgent re-surfacing works on Homerton Row directly outside the Hospital’s Main & Emergency Department Entrances.
Homerton Hospital remains OPEN as usual during these periods.
However, there will be NO vehicle access, other than for emergency services, to the hospital site during the re-surfacing works noted above. The usual public onsite parking facilities will be CLOSED. Hackney Council public parking zone information can be found here if parking is required. Emergencies attending via non-emergency services vehicles will be facilitated to access the hospital by traffic management operatives on the works site.
Walk on access to the site will remain as normal.
East London Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (ELoPE) group webinar
On Wednesday evening we held a very successful webinar with the East London Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (ELoPE) team. A Barts Heart Centre programme led by Dr Riyaz Patel, Professor of Cardiology and Consultant Cardiologist which aims to deliver an ambitious strategy for reducing premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and health inequality in East London, working in partnership with the British Heart Foundation. The core aims of the project are:
- Develop and deliver CVD prevention services within the Barts Heart Centre and partner hospitals across North East London
- Primary-Secondary care joint working to steer and deliver on the CVD prevention agenda for the North East London Integrated Care System
- Leverage NHS and academic expertise with key partners to drive CVD prevention efforts in and with our communities.
After a fascinating presentation which gave all those present an insight into this inspirational project we are delighted to be able to continue to support the team’s work. Look out for more from the ELoPE team in the near future. Our thanks to Professor Patel and his team for coming along and speaking to us.
Men’s Mental Health Month
November is Men’s Mental Health Awareness month. You are probably most familiar with Movember which is designed to raise awareness of men’s health. In England, around one in eight men has a common mental health problem such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and globally, on average, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day. Here at Healthwatch City of London we are holding our Mental Health and Wellbeing focus group on 18th November. We have speakers from MIND, East London Foundation Trust and the Dragon Café who will be talking to us about the services they provide for the City of London, and the special focus will be on support for men. The group is however open to anyone who would like to talk about mental health service provision across the City and will be held between 3pm – 4pm. You can join the session via zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82400703243?pwd=Q0N4THRkTEVzNzZWbUYzQ0lkc2VtZz09
Meeting ID: 824 0070 3243 Passcode: 390856
Come along and meet the team at the new Portsoken Community Centre
On Friday 19th November we will be at the opening of the Portsoken Community Centre. Come along to meet the team, hear more about our work and learn how you can get involved with our volunteer opportunities. There are many ways for you to get involved in from Trustees to project representatives, survey developers and helping us to deliver leaflets and put up posters. We’ll be there from 3.30pm. The new centre is located at 20 Little Somerset Street. Please see the event poster below for the details.
HWCoL upcoming webinars and Public Meetings
Healthwatch City of London have a programme of webinars booked for your interest and information over the next few months. The webinars are run alongside our regular events. Please see the details and how to join below.
Healthwatch City of London Annual Public Meeting
Friday 10th December 3pm – 5pm
Our Annual Public Meeting will be held on Friday 10th December, our key speakers will be Tracey Fletcher, Chief Executive of Homerton University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Professor Charles Knight OBE, Chief Executive, St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Tracey and Charles will be talking about patient engagement and enabling your voice to be heard during the reconfiguration of services and the development of the Integrated Care Partnership, In addition they will tell us how their Trusts are tackling the waiting lists. They will take questions from attendees, and we will let you know more about that as we get nearer the date.
Whilst we would have loved to hold the meeting face to face we have opted for an online meeting as we are aware that some who would like to join are still anxious about being with larger groups of people.
You can submit a question for the panel and register here
Dr David Collier, William Harvey Research Institute Webinar
Thursday 20th January 6pm – 7pm
Dr David Collier, Joint Clinical Director at the William Harvey Research Institute will be joining us on Thursday 20th January to talk about the William Harvey Research Institute. Dr Collier will talk about the remit of the Institute, how it links with Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, the current projects being undertaken and the research of the team.
You can submit a question for Dr Collier and register here
Reminder: NHS Waiting Times Survey
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many people having their operations, treatment and appointments delayed. A record number of people - more than 5.45 million - are waiting for NHS hospital treatment in England. We want to find out how this is affecting you.
All Healthwatches across the North East of London are carrying out a survey to learn about the impact of delays on people, how they are coping while they wait and what support they think would help them better manage their health.
If you have the time, please complete the survey below to let us know of your experiences. We’ll be doing some more in-depth work on this issue later this year.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HWWaitingtimes
Healthwatch City of London events
See below for the next scheduled dates for our regular ‘Listening to City Carers’ events and our Mental Health and Wellbeing focus groups.
As a result of listening to you, we have enabled a carer to receive their COVID vaccination in their home, enabled another resident to access the ELFT mental health team, given a voice for carers in the retendering process by the Corporation of London of their home care contract.
Mental Health and Wellbeing focus group
Overview: The event is open to everyone, and we will be discussing mental health provision in the City of London, identifying access issues and any gaps in the services provided to you. We will be joined by colleagues from MIND, East London Foundation Trust and City Connections. We’ll also have a presentation from the Dragon Café.
Date: Thursday 18th November
Time: 3pm – 4pm
Link to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82400703243?pwd=Q0N4THRkTEVzNzZWbUYzQ0lkc2VtZz09
Meeting ID: 824 0070 3243 Passcode: 390856
Listening to City Carers
Overview: An opportunity for Carer’s to provide feedback on their experience of Health and Social Care.
Date: Friday 26th November
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Link to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81897762127?pwd=ZUFsdVMxS2lETmczZy8rdHlDWUl4Zz09
Meeting ID: 818 9776 2127 Passcode: 575751
Healthwatch City of London website review
We are currently reviewing the information provided on our website, how it is displayed and how it works for you. We would welcome your input in completing our review. If you have any ideas how the site can be improved, please let us know by emailing info@healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk You will see changes over the coming weeks.
City Carers Community Share and Learn sessions via Zoom
Monday 15th & 29th November 11.15am / 8pm (45 minutes)
You are welcome to join a friendly group, run by residents voluntarily and independently. Learn tips from city residents who are looking after a family member, friend, or neighbour. Ask anything we have had questions from care homes through to dental last month. Open to anyone who is looking after someone in the City of London. For the zoom link or telephone number to call in. email:CityCarersCommunity@gmail.com
Latest Covid-19 statistics for the City of London
The joint City and Hackney Public Health Intelligence Team produce regular statistics on Covid-19 levels and vaccination uptake data in the City. The site is updated regularly and accessible at https://hackney.gov.uk/coronavirus-data
Keep up to date with the latest advice
HWCoL are constantly updating our advice and information pages. Please make sure you visit them regularly. https://www.healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk/advice-and-information
Celebrating 900 years of St Bartholomew's hospital
The campaign to celebrate 900 years of St Bartholomew’s Hospital and church has received a major boost with the news that the City of London Corporation has become an official partner. You can read the full story on the Bart's NHS Trust website
Get in touch with Healthwatch City of London
Visit our website for more information, news and events, have your say about your care, and spread the word about Healthwatch City of London. www.healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk email: info@healthwatchcityoflondon.org.uk Tel: 020 3745 9563 Facebook: facebook.com/CoLHealthwatch Twitter: @HealthwatchCoL
Portsoken Health and Community Centre, 14-16 Little Somerset Street, London E1 8AH
