As you know, Healthwatch Southwark has collecting health stories for the 1000 Lives piece of engagement work, read more here:

We have been busy working with a variety of organisations, do you want to get involved?
If you have a health story to tell about accessing your GP, a Mental Health Service, Sexual Health Service or if you no longer have a personal budget – we particularly want to hear from you!

Contact Chip: Chithmini@casouhtwark.org.uk / 020 7358 7256

Delayed roll out of Care.Data Programme
NHS England have agreed to delay the roll out. This follows on from local concerns raised through local Healthwatchs to Healthwatch England, with Healthwatch England writing a letter to Sir David Nicholson, Chief Exec of NHS England.

Read more in ‘Local news’ below.

Best wishes,
The Healthwatch Southwark team

Alvin, Sec-Chan, Chip & Jo

Representation Update

Alvin Kinch, Healthwatch Southwark Manager, has attended many meetings across health and social care with the latest representation report available now on our website here (click on ‘Representation’).

We are also pleased to say that David Cooper and Chipo Maendesa have taken up two of these roles. Watch out for their rep reports in the near future.

Board Recruitment update
We had a good response to our call for new Healthwatch Southwark Board members including the recruitment of Chair for Healthwatch. Look out for further news on our progress in the next few weeks!

Upcoming Meetings in Public

• NHS Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group Governing Body meeting – 13th March, 2-5pm.
• Health and Wellbeing Board Meeting – 24th March,
  10am- 12pm.

Local News

Local news from across the community

NHS England announces hiatus over fears patients are in the dark

Top clinical bodies have blasted the plans to share medical records (via their Care.Data Programme). NHS says it wants to improve ‘understanding’ of the scheme.
Controversial plans to share medical records will be delayed until later this year ‘to allow more time to build understanding of the benefits of using the information’, health officials have said.
Pressure has been mounting on NHS England, the body behind the scheme, after doctors leaders said patients need to know how their data will be used outside the NHS. Read more.

NHS Care.Data programme – Healthwatch’s response
You may have seen headlines BBC online  Daily Mirror last week stating that NHS England have agreed to delay the roll out of care.data until  the Autumn instead of April 2014. This follows on from local concerns raised through local Healthwatchs to Healthwatch England, with Healthwatch England writing a letter to Sir David Nicholson, Chief Exec of NHS England, and media pressure from us and other orgs over the last fortnight calling for the delay.

Thank you to all who raised your concerns about this programme with us. Without this evidence we/Healthwatch England wouldn’t have been able to exercise our statutory powers and force the NHS to listen to what patients and the public had to say.

Summary: From April 2014, NHS England were due to roll out their data collection programme called care.data. It aimed to compile a central anonymised database by taking records from GP Practices and linking them with hospital records. Currently, information has been available from hospitals, but not what happens in GP surgeries. By collecting and linking this information, it would help to assess disease, examine new drugs  and other performance monitoring areas.

Improving health services in Dulwich and the surrounding areas – update!
In September last year we agreed plans for a new health centre in the south of the borough, serving Dulwich and the surrounding areas, and our preferred location is the Dulwich Hospital site. The health centre will be a base for the provision of a wide range of health services in the community, especially for people with long term conditions. To be added to the stakeholder database contact SOUCCG.southwark-ccg@nhs.net. Read more.

Pharmacy notification
Relocation of Pharmacy  DP and SP Ltd (Mr PH Patel) from 309 East Street to 303 East Street, London, SE 17 2SZ. There will be no significant change in services. To make any comments or to find further information click here (and scroll down to Pharmacy news).

South East London Bowel Cancer Screening Centre
The Bowel Cancer Screening Programme offers screening every two years to all men and women aged 60 to 69 (soon to be extended to cover 60 – 74 year olds). People in the invitation age range are automatically sent a screening kit through the post as long as they are registered with a GP.
Call 0203 299 7601 for more information.

The Bowel Cancer Screening team at Kings College Hospital will be hosting a number of Health Promotion sessions in the Golden Jubilee Wing at Kings College Hospital on 1st, 8th, 22nd and 28th April from 0900-1200. Please come along.

Finally, if anyone would like to arrange for us to come and have a chat or hold a short discussion, please contact us. Find out more

New exhibition – Rainbow Through the Lens | 25 Feb – 7 March
For LGBT History Month 2014, HERON’s South East London Photography group (SELPh) has collaborated with Four in Ten for this new exhibition a photographic exhibition by members of Four in Ten, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Peer Support Group of South London and Maudsley NHS (SLaM) takes place at the Morley Gallery at Morley College.
This exhibition brings together a collection of images taken over the summer of 2013 around themes of identity, wellbeing, light and places of tranquillity. Find out more.

Walk leaders and researchers needed for new walks project in Southwark
CoolWalks is a wellbeing public walks project in association with Southwark Libraries and CoolTan Arts running from February until June 2014. The libraries involved are: Camberwell, Blue Anchor, Brandon, Grove Vale and Newington.
We are looking for volunteers to research the walks, plan the routes, contribute to our blog and train as walk leaders. If you are interested in researching local history, photography, blogging or graphic design please get in touch. CoolTan Arts offer free walk leader training to all participants. Find out more.

WPF Therapy are currently taking referrals for this new wellbeing group
The group is for Southwark and will be run at WPF Therapy (London Bridge) on Monday mornings. We hope to start this exciting pilot project at the end of February. The groups (closed groups) will run for 10 weeks and will consist of themed sessions. WPF Therapy will be running three groups and are currently taking referrals for the first group. We accept referrals from agencies / professionals and also self-referrals. Read more.

Community events and training near you

Blackfriar’ Settlements’ Feb Job Skills and Career Month
Following on from the success of the UK Online healthy living days, Blackfriars are holding an ongoing February Job Skills and Career month. These sessions are available to anybody. It’s a great opportunity to meet people, see what’s out there and get some expert advice. Find out more

SCYSS Parents/Carers Forum | Sat 28 Feb
Join us to socialize, share our experiences and explore how hospitals can improve access to scanning services.
Read more and register.

Blackfriars  Settlement events | Mon 3 March
Personaliasation – general information day
It is open to everyone to attend. It will be an event for organisations to inform everyone about what they do with regards to Personalisation as well as a general day of fun and refreshments. Attached is the flyer with all the information for the event.

Access Network event | Thurs 6 March
This is at 1:30-2:30 at the resource centre SDA, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB. Focus: Sports Inclusion.
Details: – vision to provide a place where people with seen and unseen disabilies can find out about accessible venues, products and services, provide a forum for people to air their views on access and find solutions to problems whether that be an issue with transport, housing, public services or just attitudes. Read more.

Free Money Advice
Tuesday 9am – 1pm, at Southwark Resource Centre with Leonard Cheshire. Money advice including setting up your own business -0845 671 7173 mobile 07951 530 032 Find out more: www.lcdisability.org/southwarkadvice

Mental Health Act event for service users and carers | Tues 11 March
South London and Maudsley and NHS Foundation Trust are running this event. The event will: jargon bust the MHA, Untangle the maze of confidentiality, grasp the nearest relative role, understand the sectioning process, learn how to secure patient rights.
To book contact Bob Lepper on 020 32282588 or email Robert.lepper@slam.nhs.uk. Read more

Southwark Pensioners Forum – Date of next meeting | Thurs 20 March
This event will run from 1.30 PM TO 3.30 PM (PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF TIME!!). A sandwich lunch will be provided.
Getting the best from your medicines
Catherine Nestor, Interim Communications Manager at NHS London Commissioning Support Unit, will talk together with a Community Pharmacist on how to ‘Get the best from your medicines’. This is to be held at InSpire at the Crypt, Liverpool Grove, St Peter’s Church.
Come along and find out how to make your medicines work for you!. Read more.

Want to be involved in your GP practice & Clinical Commissioning Group work?
NHS Southwark CCG will be running a series of training sessions over the coming weeks for local people who are or want to be involved in the work of their GP practice and the CCG:
Skills for successful meetings | 26 March
To help patients enhance their skills and confidence about participating in groups and meetings we are running this session (same session on two different dates). If you are involved with your local practice (or want to be) this session can help you to develop skills to have productive meetings. Read more.

Free Self-advocacy skills training CoolTan Arts | March 2014

• 4 March Why train in Self Advocacy? What are the Benefits? 11-1pm
• 5 March World Read Aloud Day 2-4pm
• 6 March International Women’s Day 1-6pm
• 11 March How to Develop your Self Esteem 11-1pm
• 18 March Panic Attacks by Karen Unrue 11-1pm
• 20 March Guest Speaker (watch this space!) 2-4pm
• 25 March Managing your Anxiety Part 1; 11-1pm
• 27 March Housing benefits, under-occupancy rules & mental health with Sally Causer, Citizens Advice Bureau – 2-4pm.

Find out more

Keeping you up-to-date with national news

Invite Supporting family carers of people with dementia – DAA The Carers’ Call to Action
Please sign up and support the Dementia Action Alliance – The Carers’ Call to Action. DAA have 5 aims in ‘our shared vision’ to support the needs and rights for family carers. DAA will be supporting everybody, working in partnership across all organisational boundaries, to ask the right questions, explore examples of good practice and find solutions to address the needs and rights for family carers of people with dementia.
The Older People Partnership Board, which Healthwatch attends, is hoping to set up a local dementia alliance initiative, If  interested contact info@healthwatchsouthwark.co.uk.

Sign up today.

NHS England London Region invite to help shape commissioning – Opportunities to be involved
NHS England London Region is pleased to invite you to be a part of shaping the way we commission our directly commissioned health services. We have opportunities to participate in the following activities. Procurement Project Team Members for Redbridge & Tower Hamlets, a reading Group, a procurement Project Team. Read more

Recent NICE published guidance

NICE guidance and updates

NICE recommends NHS funding for new cancer treatment – read more

Keeping communities healthy through NHS Health Checks – read more

NICE delivers “wake-up call” to NHS on domestic violence –
read more

You can find out more information on the NICE website:
www.nice.org.uk

National events

Latest events from across the country

This Mental Health and Faith Communities
and launch of the Friendly Places Pledge
| 4 March NCVO
We believe there is a significant and positive role for faith communities to play in the support of those with mental health problems, both within their own congregations and in the wider community. We invite you to join us to explore mental health in the context of faith communities; Raise awareness of how faith communities can respond to mental health issues; Launch the Friendly Places Pledge; and Highlight existing good practice. Book today.

Train the Trainer: Breast Health Promotion course | Wed 5 & Thurs 6 March
This accredited course is ideal for anyone promoting health and wellbeing messages in the community. It’s designed to give trainees the confidence and skills to cascade the breast awareness message. It includes how to be breast aware, the breast screening programme and breast cancer risk factors as well as how to help overcome barriers to accessing health service. Read more.

Medicine and Me: Living with diabetic eye disease | Fri 21 March
‘Medicine and Me’ meetings aim to provide a forum in which patients’ concerns about their illness are given top priority. The meetings provide an opportunity for patients and their families to share their experiences, to hear about the latest research and to question the experts. These meetings bring together patients, their families, carers, advocates, patient support groups, clinicians and researchers to discuss care and research issues.
Book today.

Register today for your ticket to attend the NICE Annual Conference | 13-14 May
The NICE annual conference is being held from the 13-14 May in the ICC in Birmingham. There is an early bird price offer if you book your place before the 14 March. Book today.