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For information about case number nationaly and localy click here.
If you would like information, advise or support concerning Coronavirus then we recommend that you visit the Harlow Council website.
If you want to vounteer to help support those who are self-isolating or to offer help in any way as an individual then we recommend that you sing up here.
To volunteer support as a business then sign up here.
The Health and Wellbeing Core Group meets to consider how we can best help the Church to be informed and involved in Health and Wellbeing withing Harlow.
PAH is preparing plans for a new hospital to serve the residents of Harlow and surrounding areas. VIsit their dedicated microsite for more information.
We have recentely promoted a Mental Health First Aid course which over 10 people from local Churches attended along with others from the Community. It was an excelant way of raising awareness about mental health issues and encouraging all of us to talk about mental helath and wellbeing.
Harlow Frontline is an excelant source of local informaiton about health and wellbeing services offered accross the town. People can be referred by professional or can self refer. We are encouraging churches throughout the town to register with Harlow Frontline, both in terms of the 'spirtitual health' they cpontribute to as a church, but also the additional services that many of them provide, e.g. in running toddler groups, support for the elderley and other regular activities. Take a look for yourself.
Harlow has over a thousand properties which have been devloped unde the 'Permitted Development Rights' legislation. We are working with voluntary and statutory organisations in the town to see how we can contribute to the health and wellbeing of residents in these blocks and help them integrate into the local community. For more infromation about PDR in Harlow email ron@heart4harlow.org.uk .
As well as the direct work of the Core Group, we have been represented at the Harlow Health & Wellbeing Partnership Board which includes a number of parners engaged in health & wellbeing in and around Harlow.
In July 2018 we were invited to the launch of the Wellbing Strategy, click here to take a look at what it contained.
We are represented on this important partnership group which includes Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust; Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust; NHS West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group and Essex County Council who are meeting with Volantary and Community Organisations and Social Partnership (VCSE) to explore areas of collaboration.
Click here for an introduction to the One Health and Care Partnership.
Click here for the last update (Nov 20)
Rainbow Services facilitates the Harlow Voluntary Sector Forum which provides regular newsletters and meetings for discussion of relevant topics and networking.
Hope 4 Harlow brings together churches with a range of other partners to provide shelter for the homeless every night of the week throughout January and February. If you would like to know more about volunteering then take a look at this information. To offer your help please contact MartinHarris.
NEWS
Dec 20
For the Department of Health and Social Care's latest Voluntary Sector Newsletter click here.
For the latest information about the One Health & Care Partnership please click here.
For the result of the New Hospital Poll, click here.
Nov 20
Heart 4 Harlow has been invited to join the Dementia Action Alliance. We will be working with key members of the DAA over the coming weeks to orginise an intial awareness session, hopefuly leading to one or more Dementia Friendly Coffee Mornings and assistance in individual churches gaining Dementia Friendly status. Please contact me if you would like to know more.
Doctors surgeries in Harlow have come together under two Primary Care Networks, to find out more, including which suregeries are included in each, click here. (September 2019)
The Michael Roberts Charitable Trust has appointed Andy Thornton as it's new CEO - find out more here.
Health & Wellbeing Core Group Update
Update from meeting 23/11/20
Our Core Group meeting looked at a range of things associated with Health & Wellbeing including the following:-
- Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Groups (KHWG) provide:-
- A Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Group is a safe and supportive space:
- for people who feel or have felt overwhelmed.
- providing tools for self-management.
- in a facilitated peer mentoring style setting.
- Issues covered include; disappointment, loss, anxiety, anger perfectionism, shame and resilience. Feedback so far has been amazing.
We are exploring how best to support these within Harlow and intend to have this as a major item for our first Heart 4 Harlow Forum of 2021 on the 18th May. We will then decide if we encourage individual churches to run their own KHWG’s or whether this is something that could be run between churches.
- We had feedback from the Dementia Alliance Action Group for Harlow and it’s plans to work with the churches in four ways:-
- To run a Dementia Awareness Event for Harlow Churches – details to follow shortly
- To develop Dementia Awareness Champions within the Churches
- To help Churches reach Dementia Friendly status (which, it was pointed out in our meeting, would make us more friendly to everyone!)
- To run specific activities to support those with dementia and their carers, e.g. dementia friendly coffee mornings.
- We discussed the Heart 4 Harlow Community Awards which will be launched in January. These awards will have the same heart but a very different outworking to the previous Heart 4 Harlow Awards that Robert used to organise. More details to follow.
- We had an update from Christian Okeke about PAH, including the extension of the Chaplaincy area on the present site and the positive work on designing the chaplaincy are in the new hospital.
- We had an update from Ann Kosla about St Claire’s Hospice, including their new ‘’Nameste Care Project’ and an update concerning their Compassionate Neighbour Project, details of both are below.
- Namaste Care Project – Namaste care offers sensory activities in a safe and comforting environment. It centres on understanding the things that people like and enjoy and which make them feel happy and relaxed, so that these activities can be personalised, meaningful and engaging. Therefore Namaste may include a variety of activities such as:
- offering gentle touch, e.g. through hand massage
- playing favourite music
- making a memory box
- reading favourite books / poems
- encouraging gentle movement
- Compassionate neighbour Project Update –
- Training has been going well since lockdown - nearly 50 people in total since march. Our annual target is 50 so we will be very much over target this year.
- We have offered care homes staff support but not taken up at all, so now there is a clinical offer alongside the social and emotional support offered via CN's.
- There is development re support for people with end stage dementia through our Namaste training and roll out, there is a social media campaign for twiddle muffs too.
- We had a huge reduction in referrals during full lockdown, but there has been a sudden influx in referrals with a waiting list now of over 30 people waiting to be assessed.
- I have also created an unfunded 1 1/2 hour training programme for people that are front line that are supporting people that due to covid have had an increase fear of dying. The training is designed to help people not be frightened to talk about death and dying and increase their ability to manage those conversations confidently.
If you would like to keep in touch with the things the health & Wellbeing Group is associated with, then please subscribe to the Health and Wellbeing Mailing List. Please would you also consider becoming a Community Link for your church.
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