Hammersmith and Fulham GP Federation recently won a national award for their work in raising awareness of cervical screening as the borough was identified as one that has the lowest uptake rates in England.

The Team reached out to the community in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham by working with most GP Practices through engaging with diverse groups and organisations in the borough. The aim was to target those that have not attended appointment when invited. Since 2018, over 1000 women attended a screening appointment as a result.

The initiative was supported by working in collaboration with RM Partners, Sobus, the west London Cancer Alliance hosted by The Royal Marsden.

For more information visit:

Hammersmith and Fulham GP Federation – click here

Jo`s Trust – click here

By Sharon Tomlin, Sobus Community Organiser

Like me, I’m sure many of you are busy with your budget for 20-21, and dealing with the day to day pressures of balancing service delivery with good governance, fundraising and supporting and developing our teams of staff and volunteers – there are never quite enough days in the week to get it all done!

In the meantime, COVID-19 is making major headlines, as experts try to predict the course that this might take.  The best evidence suggests that much higher numbers of the population will likely be affected, but the majority of people (over 80%) only experience mild symptoms (similar to having the Flu). Those with underlying health conditions and frail/elderly people are most at risk, so it would be prudent to make sure we’re following the advice available, and protecting both ourselves and the people we support as far as we possibly can.

Do give some thought to how your business can adapt to a short term change – whether staff could work from home, whether phone or conference calls could replace meetings etc.  In the meantime, keep an eye out for regular updates from the NHS and other central government departments for further advice.

As the saying goes – keep calm and carry on!