Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB Update

Essex County Council is doing research into vaping among young people in Essex as it is something they want to know more about. To find out more, they are conducting two surveys – one with young people (11 – 18 years old) and one for their parents and carers. Essex County Council would like as many people as possible to complete these surveys, whether they or their children vape or not. Please complete the surveys and share them with family and friends. Your feedback will help the council shape their future work around vaping in Essex.

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Essex-based charities are encouraged to apply now for financial support from the Essex Fund to keep their services and projects running.

The Fund, which is managed by the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation, was set up by Essex County Council in 2000 to provide annual support to the voluntary and community sector in Essex.

Since it was set up, the Fund has given out nearly £1.5 million in grants.
Organisations and projects that help unpaid carers, improve the environment or engage people in environmental projects, provide a community resource or activities that help young people, including arts, culture and heritage projects, are all eligible for consideration.
 
Groups can apply for up to £5,000 towards their core and operating expenditure, project costs or capital items.  

Charitable activities that have received funding in previous years include interactive musical performances in care homes, mental health support for young people, and woodland well-being sessions for children with Down syndrome.

The deadline to apply to the Essex Fund is 5pm on Friday 3 March 2023. For all the information you need visit the Essex Community Foundation website.

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The Co-op and Crowdfunder have teamed up to help community organisations navigate the cost of living crisis to provide vital services this winter.

Are you welcoming people into a warm space in your community, or wanting to extend existing activities or services to support more people?

Eligible community groups could get up to £5,000 to continue or extend vital services.

You can find full information on the scheme and eligibility on the Crowdfunder website.

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Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, it's a time for us to reflect & remember those murdered during the Holocaust and also to stand against prejudice and hatred that exists today.

Iconic buildings and landmarks will light up in purple during this powerful national moment of commemoration and solidarity.

For Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 the iconic Piccadilly Lights displayed portraits of Holocaust survivors in the lead up to the national moment, and the screen lit up with a commemorative candle. A group of Holocaust survivors watched from the ground and held candles in a powerful moment captured in this short video.

If you want to be part of the day as an individual you can light a candle in your window at 4pm today (27 January) and become part of the conversation by sharing a photo of your candle and using the hashtags #HolocaustMemorialDay and #LightTheDarkness.

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Do you live with a lung condition? Have you accessed NHS respiratory services and/or pulmonary rehabilitation recently? If yes, then keep reading to find out more about opportunities to share your voice.

The NHS in the east of England are looking for people who can represent those living with a lung condition to help improve local NHS Services. The team would especially like hear from people from a variety of backgrounds and communities, work and life experience, with:

• asthma
• pneumonia
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• interstitial lung disease/pulmonary fibrosis.

There are two types of opportunities to get involved at the moment, and all patient representatives will be provided with an induction, training and support.

The NHS East of England Respiratory Network is looking for two for two patient and public voice partner roles. Find out more about the year-long position and how to register your interest on the NHS England website. The deadline to apply is Friday 24 February.

Alternatively or additionally, you can apply for upcoming patient feedback and participation activities, including participating in workshops and surveys. Over the next year, these are likely to focus on pulmonary rehabilitation and asthma experiences. Find out more about these opportunities and how to apply again on the NHS England website.

 
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Do you want to include more walking in your day? If so, Hertfordshire County Council run free, friendly and safe Health Walks. These walks are graded so no matter how far you can walk, how many hills you can deal with and length of time can all be accounted for, meaning there will always be a walk for you!

You can find information on the all the walks through a timetable, as well as details on registering to become a walker on the Hertfordshire County Council website.

You can also register your interest to volunteer as a Health Walk volunteer. This is a great opportunity to make new friends, give back to your community and help others get active and reap the health and wellbeing benefits walking has to offer.
 
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The fourth in a series of workshops to support the development of GP practice patient groups is now available. You can watch the recording and the slides used in the workshop are attached.

This session was based on feedback that this topic would be useful for practices struggling to (re) establish a group and covers:

• Step one – recruitment
• Step two – setting up and running a meeting
• Step three – keeping in touch with the patient group
• Step four – communicating with the wider patient population

We are continuing our work with the Patients Association and will be offering some one to-one work with practices and patients who would like extra support or guidance in developing their groups.  We will be sending more information on this soon but if you wish to express an interest please contact heather.aylward@nhs.net.

Also, we would welcome any suggestions for future workshops to build resources on the ICB website.

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