Did you know... Real nappies are better for the environment as they reduce landfill and in Tower Hamlets disposable nappies cost the council around £250,000 to dispose of. www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/nappies Asking for help Between April and September last year, over 1,700 residents used their local stop smoking service for help. News Stay dry and be a lot healthier WHY not take a break and have a booze-free month this January? The council is joining Public Health England in supporting Alcohol Concern’s Dry January campaign, which encourages people to give their body a rest from alcohol – and reduce calorie intake. Research by Alcohol Concern has shown that cutting out alcohol for a month can help people re-evaluate their longterm drinking levels. Those who take a month off drink less afterwards and get drunk less often. Cllr Abdul Asad, cabinet member for adults and health services, said: “There are many benefits of taking a month off from alcohol including reducing calories, improving your health and saving money.” Dr Somen Banerjee, director of public health for the council, said: “Although many people may use alcohol responsibly, regularly drinking more than the recommended amount can lead to serious health harms such as liver disease, heart disease, stroke, cancer and mental health problems.” Residents can speak to their GP or Tower Hamlets Community Alcohol Team if they have concerns about their own, or someone else’s, drinking levels. Contact CAT on 7093 2669 or 0800 008 7200. For further details on Dry January and to sign up for support visit www.dryjanuary.org.uk Information on the Change 4 Life website can help you track the amount of units you are drinking and provide further advice on cutting back on alcohol: www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pa ges/alcohol-lower-risk-guide lines-units.aspx Dry January is not a medical detox programme and should not be attempted by people with an alcohol dependency problem. Drop in to talk if you want to stop smoking BY ANNA WILSON IT’S that time of year again to set goals, improve your lifestyle and make positive changes. And as one of the top resolutions, there’s never been a better time to have another go at stopping smoking. There is free support on offer and the council is encouraging residents to access the network of trained GPs, pharmacists and community stop smoking advisers who provide advice to help you quit tobacco for good. Cabinet member for adult and health services, Cllr Abdul Asad, told East End Life: “Even if you didn’t manage to quit tobacco before, now is a great time to give it another go – most people make several attempts before kicking the habit for good.” A number of free drop-in sessions are held to make stopping that much easier. The sessions run until the end of February so you can drop by for free advice and support when you’re ready – no appointment necessary. Cllr Abdul Asad with stop smoking advisers, health trainers and members of the council’s public health team at the launch of this year’s stop smoking campaign last week Weekly services Whitechapel Idea Store 321 Whitechapel Road, E1: every Thurs, 1.30am-12.30pm. Watney Market Idea Store 260 Commercial Road, E1: Weds, 2-4pm. Stifford Centre 2-6 Cressy Place, E1: Healthy Lifestyle coffee morning: Fri, 11am-12.30pm. St Andrew’s Health Centre 2 Hannaford Walk, E3: Weds, 10am-1pm. Idea Store Bow Gladstone Place, Roman Road, E3: Thurs, 11am-2pm. London Chest Hospital Bonner Road, E2: Fri, 11am-1pm. Fri, Jan 16 East London Mosque 46 Whitechapel Road, E1: 12-2.30pm. Pritchard’s Road Day Centre Marion Centre, E2: 1.30-2.30pm. Redcoat Community Centre 256 Stepney Way, E1: 1.30-2.30pm. Mon, Jan 19 Whitechapel Idea Store 2-4pm Weds, Jan 21 East London Mosque 12.30-2pm. Fri, Jan 23 Stepney Shah Jalal Masjid E12: 1.30-2.30pm. Fri, Jan 30 Darul Ummah Mosque 56 Bigland Street, E1: 1.30-2.30pm. Brick Lane Mosque 59 Brick Lane, E1: 12-2.30pm. For further information go to www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/ stopsmoking Have your say on hospital services in Tower Hamlets Health service changes – your views are needed RESIDENTS are invited to have their say about hospital services provided by Barts Health NHS Trust. Health and adult social care watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is urging the public to tell its inspection panel what they think of services provided at the London Chest, Mile End, the Royal London and other hospitals run by the trust. Formal inspection of the trust will begin on Wednesday, Jan - uary 21. And to hear the views of patients and the community, inspectors will be holding listening events beforehand. They will take place on Tuesday, January 13 at 6.30pm at Holiday Inn Express London Stratford, 196 High Street, E15; and Wednesday, January 14 at 6.30pm at Idea Store Whitechapel, 321 Whitechapel Road, E1. The CQC inspection team will look at key service areas: medical care (including frail elderly), surgery, intensive/critical care, maternity, accident and emergency, paediatrics and children’s care, end of life care and outpatients. The team will be talking to doctors and nurses, but need public input too. Sign up for nappy days FIND out about using real nappies at the latest Nappucino event at Mile End Children’s Centre, 9 Bede Square, Joseph- Street, E3 on Tuesday, January 20. The council will be working with the Washable Nappy Company to give advice and parents can meet others who are already using real nappies. Residents with a baby due or aged up to 18 months can apply for a voucher worth £40 to try real nappies. It takes place from 10am-12noon and you can register at 7364 7103 or by emailing recycling@tower hamlets.gov.uk THE views of Tower Hamlets residents are being sought about proposals to make changes to mental health inpatient services for older people. Currently, when older people with mental health problems in Tower Hamlets need admission into a psychiatric unit, they are admitted into Leadenhall ward at Mile End Hospital. Patients from Hackney or the City are admitted into Larch ward at The Lodge, Homerton. Working with Tower Hamlets, City and Hackney Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), East London NHS Foundation Trust is proposing to merge the two wards to develop a specialist inpatient facility at Mile End Hospital for people aged 65 and over from all three areas. A spokeswoman for the trust said the expansion of community services for older people with mental health issues meant more people were being supported at home, resulting in fewer hospital admissions. This means that both wards are not using all their beds and are often only half full. A series of public meetings have been arranged for residents to meet staff and hear more about the proposals. The meeting in Tower Hamlets is on Tuesday, February 10 from 10.30am-12pm at Idea Store Whitechap e l , 3 2 1 Whitechapel Road, E1. For more information about the proposals, visit www.east london.nhs.uk The consultation is due to end on March 16. 12 – 18 JANUARY 2015 N E W S F R O M TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 7
East_End_Life_12Jan2015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above