Diabetes UK
Hounslow Voluntary Group
Latest News
We have been short listed to the last 3 finalists for an Award from the London Health Commission
Judges from The London Health Commission have short listed us for an award on partnership achievement with the NHS. This is for our work on diabetes awareness, prevention initiatives and patient support activities. It recognises the work of the diabetes desks at West Middlesex University Hospital and the Health Centre, as well as the stands we operate at roadshows. It recognises the Meetings we organise for our members with presentations from experts on aspects of diabetes which help us to better self manage our sugar levels, and the talks we give to others on diabetes and prevention. The Awards will be presented at an Awards dinner at City Hall on 2nd July 2008.
For updates and info See www.londonshealth.gov.uk/lhcawards.htm
The Hounslow Diabetes Retinopathy Screening Service (DRSS)
The Screening Service started in September 2007 and appointments were being allocated in relation to birth month. As the DRSS is now on target, and have capacity, for those patients who have not yet been screened, they may ring 020-8998-5541 and request an early appointment. For Hounslow PCT patients, the screening take place at one of 3 sites at: The new Heart of Hounslow Health Centre, 92 Bath Road, Hounslow; The Feltham Health Centre; and also Acton Town Medical Centre, 122 Gunnersbury Lane Acton. If you cannot make the appointment given to you, please don’t just not turn up! If you wish to change the time of the appointment or wish it at a different location, please contact the call centre on 020-8998-5541 and change your appointment to one that is more convenient for you. If you have already received an appointment and missed it, the DRSS will be more than happy to arrange another - Please call them as soon as possible to arrange another appointment.
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"Honorary Contracts" with Hounslow PCT
Hounslow PCT have agreed to offer Honorary Contracts to volunteers who get accredited as a Health Trainer. With an Honorary Contract, volunteers will get a ID badge, and be eligible for offers in the NHS Discounts Scheme.
Healthy Lifestyle Training Courses
We have arranged for up to 25 of our volunteers to go on these courses to be accredited as a “Healthy Lifestyle Trainers”. We sent 4 volunteers on the Healthy Lifestyle Training Course held at the beginning of March and all 4 passed. Congratulations to Pat Smithers, Jeanette Hare, Elaine Williams and Ron Grant. They will get a level 2 Award in “Understanding Health Improvement” from the Royal Institute of Public Health. These courses will assist us with the training of our volunteers who work at our diabetes information desks. The basic topics cover: What does health mean, basic concepts of health, the NHS, self care management, food and nutrition, physical activity, sexual health, smoking cessation, drugs & alcohol, ways of identifying lifestyle changes, how to influence people to change their behaviour, and handling confidential information. The course is run by the Local Authority Public Health Team and will be based in the Civic Centre, Lampton Road, Hounslow. There will be no cost to our volunteers. The course runs for 4 days from 9.30am to 4.30pm. The next course will run one day a week from 18th June to 8th July. Anybody wishing to attend the course please contact our Vice Chair Colin Stacey on 020-8893-3808.
Healthy Lifestyle Advice Service
Having completed the Healthy Lifestyle Training Course (see above), and been accredited with the level 2 Award, we will be allowed offer advice on healthy lifestyle changes. It is intended that we would work as a team, supported by other (non Diabetes UK) Healthy Lifestyle Trainers from other communities. As a voluntary group we would be able to refer patients to this advice service, as well as from our Diabetes Awareness Desks, as would GPs, Diabetes Specialist Nurses, Diabetes Intermediate Care etc.
“Lifestyle Roadshows”
“Lifestyle Roadshows” are run by West Middlesex University Hospital. They are an active way to reach out to the community in order to prevent and early detect for heart disease and diabetes. Typically they go out to community locations like schools. Nurses do free blood tests to identify high cholesterol levels and glucose levels to screen for cardiac heart disease and diabetes. They have stands by ourselves (for information on diabetes), the Upbeat Heart Support Group, Smoking Cessation, TB, Oral Health, The Dieticians, The Lifestyle Team and the Public Health Team. This year there has been a more joined up approach linking with the Public Health Team at the Local Authority, the Voluntary Sector (like ourselves) and the PCT. For our part, we have committed additional volunteer support and funds to support these road shows. For the coming year we hope to do at least one road show a month and cover at least 4 schools, the Mosque, the Gurdwara and Brentford Football Club. We have also gained support from extended school coordinators and the school obesity nurse to make school visits more effective. We believe that we are the only Borough in London to deliver this
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Culling of dormant members from our Hounslow Voluntary Group
Sending out newsletters is expensive, so we cannot afford to send letters to people if they no longer read them. We have gone through an exercise of identifying members on our mailing list that have not attended any of our meetings for the last year. Our Membership Secretary Jasbir Chana will be asking them whether they still wish to remain on our mailing list. If you are one of these people, please write to or call Jasbir to notify him that you wish to continue to receive the newsletters.
Please may we use your email address to send out your newsletters.
We used email for the first time this month to send out newsletter to members. Sending out letters by post is expensive and slow. So if you received this newsletter by post, and we can send it to you by email instead please send an email request to Jasbir at membership@diabeteshounslow.org.ukfor him to identify your email address. We will appreciate your assistance, as it will save us money and a lot of manual effort.
3D (Diabetes Diagnosis Discussion) Groups
The NHS requested Diabetes UK to develop a method of assisting people who have recently been diagnosed with diabetes. As a result Diabetes UK came up with the 3D (Diabetes Diagnosis Discussion) Programme. Your Chair David Cahill and Committee Member Mrs Pat Smithers were involved in the pilot stage of this programme. The programme has now been developed to roll out to Voluntary Groups across the country for them to hold meetings. These meetings will be open to people who have been recently diagnosed with diabetes, for them discuss their feelings and experiences. We will be investigating how to invite members of the public to these meetings and hopefully be piloting some meetings in conjunction with the Diabetes Intermediate Care Service, where they can refer newly diagnosed patients to these meetings. If the meetings are successful we hope to offer this service to all GPs and Diabetic Specialist Nurses throughout the Borough.
Statin Tablets for reducing Cholesterol
Has your doctor switched your Statin tablets? For further details see “Patient Power”
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