Health and Wellbeing
Rastrick Pole-to-Pole New Challenge for a New Year!
Following the success of the Rastrick Around the World Challenge, we are delighted to announce that we have an exciting new challenge planned for the new year! Once again we will be asking the residents of Rastrick to move their way around the globe in the Rastrick Pole-to-Pole Challenge!
All details can be found on the link below.
https://active.calderdale.gov.uk/blog/rastrick-pole-pole-challenge
The Pole-to-Pole Challenge is shaping up to be our most ambitious challenge yet and will involve two teams competing against each other in a race to be crowned Pole-to-Pole champions!
Beginning on the 3rd of January 2023, one team will set off (virtually) from the North pole and aim to reach the South pole, while the other will set off from the South, heading North.
Anyone is welcome to join at any stage of the challenge!
Did you know? You can record your progress with The Space @ Field Lane!
Each week, the distance travelled will be updated, with a visual provided to see who is on course to reach the opposite pole first. It’s envisaged it could take anywhere between 6-12 weeks for both teams to reach their poles and complete the challenge.
To find out more, including how to join and several helpful links to improve your fitness, no matter your level, visit the Rastrick Pole-to-Pole challenge page!
Be on the lookout for symptoms of ‘Scarlet Fever’ in children
Parents and carers in West Yorkshire asked to be on the lookout for symptoms of Group A streptococcus, or ‘Strep A’, in children (commonly called scarlet fever)
For more information on scarlet fever please visit the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/
Parents and carers in West Yorkshire are being asked to be on the lookout for symptoms of Group A Streptococcus, or ‘GAS’, in children (more commonly known as scarlet fever). Symptoms include sore throat, headache, fever and a fine, pinkish or red body rash. On darker skin the rash can be more difficult to detect visually. It will have a sandpapery feel when you rub your hand over a child’s skin.
Parents and carers who identify these symptoms should contact NHS 111 online, call NHS 111 or their GP because early treatment with oral antibiotics is important to reduce the risk of complications, such as pneumonia or a bloodstream infection.
If your child has scarlet fever keep them at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment to avoid spreading the infection to others.
Parents and carers are advised to call 999 or go to A&E only if your child is having noisy or difficulty breathing, there are pauses in your child’s breathing, your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue and/or your child is floppy, drowsy and or will not wake up.
The UK Health Security Agency advises that Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common bacteria, which lots of people carry in their throats and on their skin. It doesn’t always result in illness. However, it does cause several infections, some mild and some more serious. Whilst infections are still uncommon, there has been an increase in cases this year, particularly in children under 10.
For more information on scarlet fever please visit the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/
Carers Rights Day Event November 25 with Making Space
The event is taking place on Friday 25th November 10am-12.30pm at Brighouse Central Methodist Church. The event is a market place information and advice session and our theme is planning for the future.
We will have stalls from solicitors, funeral directors, home care providers, gateway to care and much more.
Carers can access both refreshments and a warm lunch on the day.
Carers do not need to book.
We would also welcome professionals to attend.
For more information please contact the Carers Wellbeing Service on 01422 363101
New fellows sought to help improve population health in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership’s Improving Population Health Fellowship is back for a second year, and is looking for more fellows to help make a positive difference.
If you want to find out more, we are hosting two events on 8 and 23 November from 2pm to 3:30pm. Contact verity.phillips3@nhs.net and caroline.andrews16@nhs.net for an invitation.
You can also visit our website for more information.
The Improving Population Health Fellowship, which is part of West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP) expands on the successful first year of the Health Equity Fellowship, launched in 2021. The Health Equity Fellowship saw 33 fellows from health and care sectors carry out projects aimed at tackling health inequalities, including projects targeting children’s health, mentoring people and self-managing diabetes.
We are now looking for a total of 70 fellows across four different areas of the Improving Population Health Fellowship:
- Health Equity: 30 fellows
- Adversity Trauma and Resilience: 30 fellows
- Suicide Prevention: five fellows
- Climate Change: five fellows
Dr Sohail Abbas, Deputy Medical Director, NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and Chair of the Health Inequalities Network, for WY HCP said: “We are delighted to launch year two of our fellowship now even bigger than before. If you are passionate about making a real difference to our local communities this could be the programme for you. That might be about tackling health inequalities, addressing barriers that people affected by trauma can experience when accessing services, protecting our environment or helping to prevent suicide.”
Being a fellow involves working on a project relevant to your fellowship theme and delivering it in your workplace, or by joining a system-wide initiative across West Yorkshire. Fellows will need to dedicate a day each week to carry out the fellowship training (mainly delivered virtually) and the project work.
The Fellowship will run from March 2023 to March 2024. We welcome applications from all health and care sectors, including community and voluntary colleagues across West Yorkshire.
Robin Tuddenham, Place Lead for Calderdale and joint Chair of the Improving Population Health Programme Board said: “The fellowship is designed to attract applicants that are representative of the communities we serve. Last year we saw some fantastic projects being delivered and, in some cases, expanded to other areas helping to create more equitable health and care systems and reduce health inequalities. This year we look forward to welcoming 70 more fellows with new ideas, tactics and perspectives to pioneer change and meet our ambitions.”
Applications are open from 7 November and close on 9 December. To apply all you need to do is complete a statement of interest. The Fellowship is open to all primary, secondary, community and voluntary sector colleagues across West Yorkshire irrespective of current job role, grade or profession.
Aziz-ur Rehman, a Health Equity Fellow from year one, said: “This is the first time I have been valued for my overall knowledge around the wider health agenda and I felt totally comfortable with every aspect of the fellowship. It is certainly not there to trip you up but to nurture what you have and make it usef
UKHSA warns parents not to miss children’s vaccinations
The following is an excerpt. Find full press release here :
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging parents and guardians to ensure their children are up to date with all their routine childhood immunisations including polio and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations. This comes as new data shows vaccination coverage for young children fell last year for virtually all programmes.
Vaccination rates have fallen over several years and additional disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, beginning in March 2020, is likely to have caused some of the decreases in vaccine coverage seen in 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022 compared to earlier years.
It is important vaccination coverage is recovered as soon as possible to levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) of 95% for all childhood immunisation programmes to help prevent the spread of avoidable serious – and sometimes deadly – diseases such as measles and polio.
Since the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1968 it is estimated that 20 million measles cases and 4,500 deaths have been prevented in the UK.
Measles is highly contagious so even a small decline in MMR uptake can lead to a rise in cases. Since international travel has resumed closer to pre-pandemic levels, it is more likely that measles will be brought in from countries that have higher levels of the disease and cause outbreaks.
Measles can lead to complications such as ear infections, pneumonia, and inflammation of the brain which require hospitalisation and on rare occasions can lead to long term disability or death.
The NHS is running a MMR catch-up campaign so some parents may be contacted directly.
Grants of up to £5,000 to eligible Voluntary Sector organisations
Grants of up to £5,000 to eligible Voluntary Sector organisations who are looking to trial a new idea or project or continue existing projects especially around
1) homelessness and housing
2) poverty and disadvantage
3) mental health and wellbeing
4) community cohesion.
Visit https://cffc.co.uk/general-grants-round-2022-2/ for full information and application criteria
Application Deadline: 31st October 2022
Emotional Health and Wellbeing Support Fund – Apply by Sept 22
Grants of up to £25k Available to Groups to Support Calderdale Residents Improve their Emotional Health and Wellbeing
Voluntary and community sector groups can apply for a grant of up to £5k, up to £10k, or up to £25k to improve wellbeing with children up to 5 years old helping them get ready for school, or help young people develop well so that every 15 year old has hope and aspiration, that people have good emotional health and wellbeing resulting in fewer suicides, and people over 75 have strong social networks and are part of our community.
For complete information and application guidance, visit:
Emotional Health and Wellbeing Support Fund
Application Deadline: September 22nd at 10.00am