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Ensuring services meet the needs of older LGBT+ people in Hammersmith & Fulham

In partnership with Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Opening Doors London – the charity for older lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans+ people in London (originally part of Age UK Camden) – is delivering a free workshop on the morning of Monday 23rd April to bring council staff and local health, housing and social care workers together with the voluntary sector to agree ways to improve services to better meet the health and social care needs of older LGBT+ people in the borough.

The workshop will enable your staff and volunteers to:

  • Better understand the health and social care needs of older LGBT+ people
  • Get the latest research into LGBT+ demographics, lifestyle and relationships
  • Identify ways to improve services for older LGBT+ people in H&F
  • Discuss barriers to effective working and how to accelerate change
  • Take away resources, video-links and practice-guides to share with colleagues

We would be very grateful if you could please circulate the attached flyer to relevant staff and volunteers that you work with who may be interested in this free event. Click Here for the Eventbrite links to sign up which can also be found in the attached flyer but please do drop me a line or give me a ring if you encounter any difficulties with this or need any further information.

Click Here for the Event Flyer

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Mental Health Equality in West London

The Tamil Community Centre, Ilays – Somali Community Centre, CAIA, HEAR and Race on the Agenda are inviting BMER community organisations in West London for a meeting on campaigning for mental health services provision in for Black, Asian, refugee and other minority ethnic communities.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday 10 April, 11.00-15.00 at the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice (CAIA), 105 A Mill Hill Road, Acton, London, W3 8JF The meeting will be the second of three and will be open to BMER community organisations across West London. The third session will take place in May 2018 (date to be decided).

Participants will:

–       Discuss what is needed for West London’s communities’ mental health equality

–       Decide on what to ask from the CCG, MHT and Local Authority

–       Plan the next steps of their campaign

If you have knowledge of the mental health needs of BMER people in West London you can register by emailing laurie@rota.org.uk. Places are limited so please tell us you want to come. We promote user-led projects and Experts by Experience.  

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How can we bridge community divides? Community Workshop and Discussion

When: Saturday 21st April 11.00 – 13.00

Where: The Attic Room, The Bush Theatre, Uxbridge Road Shepherd’s Bush

Protection Approaches is delighted to invite you to join us at community workshop and discussion at the Bush Theatre. This event will bring together community members from different backgrounds, ages, and professions to explore ideas of how we can bridge community divides.

During our project, Prejudice and Us, we worked with young people from Shepherds Bush, White City and Hammersmith to understand their experiences of prejudice. We discovered that prejudice is an ever present problem affecting the lives of the young people in a variety of ways and that many young people feel they live in an increasingly divided community. You can view a full report of our findings here.

We hope that this workshop and discussion will be an opportunity to work together to think of ways we can bridge those divides and make our community a better place for all.

The event will end with a buffet lunch and a chance to continue discussions informally

To confirm your attendance or for more info please:

Email: info@protectionapproaches.org or call: 020 3488 2996

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Do you want to beat Type 2 diabetes? There’s an app for that!

Patients living with Type 2 diabetes in North West London have seen significant improvements to their health thanks to new smartphone health apps.

In partnership with Imperial College Health Partners, the North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) offered more than 400 patients from 18 GP practices across North West London the opportunity to trial the digital apps over four months last year.

The results

  • Patients saw a significant reduction in body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and blood sugar (HbA1c) levels
  • patients lost on average two to three kilograms of weight
  • 118 patients participating provided details of their medication, of those 20 per cent were able to stop taking the diabetes medication metformin during the trial.

​The apps, welcomed by leading UK charity Diabetes UK, aim to support patients that are unable to or choose not to attend diabetes education classes to help control their diabetes. They encourage healthy eating and exercise and, educate people on how to manage and control their condition.

Dr Tony Willis, diabetes Clinical Lead for the North West London Collaboration of CCGs said: “The results have been beyond our expectations. Historically, the education classes on offer for patients with Type 2 diabetes have seen low attendance. There was an excellent uptake of patients completing the trial using the apps. This alongside the clinically significant improvements in HbA1c, blood pressure and weight; show just how well people respond when they can receive support at the click of a button.” 

Rachael Glover, Improving Care Manager at Diabetes UK, said: “Diabetes is the most devastating and fastest growing health crisis of our time, affecting more people than any other serious health condition in the UK, more than dementia and cancer combined. Everyone learns differently and it’s important that people with diabetes can access a range of tools to help them manage their condition.  Diabetes UK welcomes this new work, which shows how technology is being used to widen the options available for people with diabetes.”

What did patients say?

Patrick Hingston, from Hammersmith and Fulham, living with Type 2 diabetes said:
“I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2001, it has been a gruelling journey but now I am smiling. When my GP spoke to me about these new apps, I was desperate to try anything. I logged on, got some equipment sent to me, changed my diet and my physical activity. I started going on lots of walks which I have grown to love. I recommend this to anyone who is living with diabetes, having difficulty losing weight and getting their HbA1c down because mine has reduced dramatically. I am delighted to have made a turnaround and want to keep it that way. I want to thank my doctor for putting me on this trial; my results have given me so much joy.”

Patients that took part were from a mix of ages, ethnicities and social backgrounds who are often ‘hard to reach’ through traditional methods of care.

The three apps trialed were Changing Health, OurPath, and Oviva. Patients reported that the apps were easy to use, they felt more motivated, better informed about food and enjoyed the tips and advice on hand.

What’s next?

The North West London CCGs are currently working on an ‘information hub’ for both patients and clinicians to find information and training courses on diabetes. The apps will be one of the services on offer to ensure that every patient living with Type 2 diabetes in NW London will get access to personalised support and information to improve their diabetes and their overall health and wellbeing.

If you have Type 2 diabetes and need support talk your GP about the services available in your area. Stay updated with our work and watch videos on how other people, like Patrick are benefiting from these apps by visiting www.knowdiabetes.org.uk.

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Healthwatch Spring 2018 Newsletter

Healthwatch Logo

You can now read our first newsletter of 2018, by going to our website by click our logo above.

Click Here to open the Newsletter via the Sobus Website

In this issue we talk about Dignity Champions, Charing Cross Hospital, social isolation in Kensington & Chelsea, and young people in Westminster.

 

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Advance Charity – Work for Us – Closing Date 15th April

We are a women-only organisation, providing emotional and practical support to women in London. All our services are free and confidential.
A large part of our work is crisis intervention – for women who require urgent help and face imminent danger.

You can become part of the Advance team and become part of a well respected and well established charity working to support women to cope and recover from experiences of domestic abuse and supporting women who are at risk of offending or with short term sentences to reduce offending.

Five years ago we diversified our services to start our successful Minerva project, working with women offenders, many of whom are also experiencing domestic abuse. Less than one year ago Advance became part of the Angelou Partnership who successfully won the contract for an exciting new range of services seeking to counteract Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the three borough area (Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster and Hammersmith and Fulham). This includes sexual violence, FGM, forced marriage, honour based violence and work with younger women.

Current Opportunity

Female* Community Keyworker – various roles – Click Here for the Job Advert

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Vacancy in the Community Investment Team at Shepherds Bush Housing Association

Shepherds Bush Housing Association Logo

Here at Shepherds Bush Housing Association we have a fantastic opportunity to lead our volunteer programme.  We are an accredited Investors in Volunteers organisation and want to continue to grow our programme.  We are looking for someone on a part time basis for 20hours per week.

For more information: Click Here

If you have any questions please do get in contact with the community investment team on 020 8996 8887 or email community.investment@sbhg.co.uk

Shepherds Bush Housing Group
Mulliner House Flanders Road Chiswick London W4 1NN
020 8996 4200 or 0800 9170839

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Heavily Subsidised Small Charity Training in London from £7.50

 

 

With support from Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the FSI is delivering a heavily subsidised three day training event in London from May 15th – 17th offering small and local charities and community groups full & half day courses and workshops on key fundraising & governance skills. A sampling of training courses include GDPR Essentials, Telephone Skills to Maximise Corporate Relationships, Creating and Delivering a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign, Legacy Fundraising and Demonstrating your Impact.

Places fill up fast, so book your place today to access this fantastic training opportunity: https://bit.ly/2DYF6cE

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Standing Together Against Domestic Violence – Job Opportunities

Standing Together Against Domestic Violence Logo

 

 

 

What we do

Standing Together Against Domestic Violence is a UK charity bringing communities together to end domestic abuse.

A Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) is a regular local meeting to discuss how to help victims at high risk of murder or serious harm.

No single agency has a complete picture of the life of a domestic abuse survivor, but many will have insights that are crucial to their safety.

The MARAC is both a forum to share these insights with other local services and to develop a joined-up safety plan.

In 1999, Standing Together pioneered the first multi-agency group to implement safety measures for victims of domestic abuse in Hammersmith and Fulham. MARACs have since been recommended by successive governments and are now prioritised in every Local Authority area.

Today, Standing Together coordinates MARACs across five London boroughs:

  • Hammersmith & Fulham
  • Westminster
  • Kensington & Chelsea
  • Ealing
  • Haringey

Job Opportunities

MARAC Team Manager – http://www.standingtogether.org.uk/news/multi-agency-risk-assessment-conference-marac-team-manager

MARAC Coordinator – http://www.standingtogether.org.uk/news/multi-agency-risk-assessment-conference-marac-coordinator

Pathfinder Project Manager – http://www.standingtogether.org.uk/news/pathfinder-project-manager

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Civil society strategy: have your say

Have your say on how government can work with and for civil society to tackle challenges and unlock opportunities to build a stronger society now and in the future. This consultation closes at 9am on 22 May 2018.

Link to consultation page for more info and documents: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/civil-society-strategy-have-your-say

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