Healthwatch Rochdale are currently recruiting for the role of Treasurer for the Board

 

The role of the Treasurer is to lead the Board in ensuring that the organisation is financially viable and that proper financial records and procedures are adhered to and maintained. 

Delegated responsibilities of the Treasurer

• To provide an overview and scrutiny role in all financial matters of the organisation
• To ensure that the organisations accounts are kept in accordance with the law
• To ensure that all designated funds are spent for the purpose that they were obtained
• To ensure that the organisations financial policies and procedures are reviewed annually to ensure compliance with any changes in law
• To ensure appropriate financial systems are in place, e.g. banking and cash processes
• To liaise with the Chief Executive Officer and Office and Communications Manager on behalf of the Board of directors to ensure that the accounts are audited or independently examined annually and Annual Returns and accounts are logged with Company’s House within the time scales stated.
• To work with the Chief Executive Officer to ensure that the Board of Directors receive monthly financial reports at Board meetings
• To work with the Chief Executive Officer to ensure that any financial risks or concerns are reported to the Board of Directors. To ensure that financial risk management plan is in place to address any issues
• To work the Chief Executive Officer on the review on Annual Budget setting

 
If you are interested in applying for this voluntary position or would like to discuss the role further, please contact Kate Jones CEO of Healthwatch Rochdale on 01706 249 575.
 
To apply for the role please send your CV to Kate.Jones@healthwatchrochdale.org.uk
 

 

New Rochdale campus at Sudden Community Centre

The Health and Wellbeing College is now offering courses in Rochdale.

Once you have enrolled with the college, you will be able to access any of the following courses at Sudden Community Centre, 11 to 23 Cheltenham Street, Rochdale, OL11 3QJ.

• Monday 16 Jan, 1pm to 3pm: Making the most of your study (one off induction session – mandatory for all students)
• Monday 23 Jan, 1pm to 3pm: Out Of The Blues (six consecutive week course)
• Thursday 2 Feb, 1pm to 3pm: Curtains To Sleepless Nights (two weeks course)
• Thursday 23 Feb, 1pm to 3pm: I Am In Control (six week course)
• Monday 6 Mar, 1pm to 3pm: Believe And Achieve (four week course)
• Monday 3 Apr, 1pm to 3pm: This is My Moment (one off session)

How to enrol

Contact the college and a member of the team will explain how you can enrol:
• Telephone: 0161 716 2666
• Email: hwcollege.penninecare@nhs.net
• Facebook: Health and Wellbeing College
• Twitter: @PennineCareNHSFT

What our current students have said:

“I have had anxiety for a long time but this course has really helped me to understand the anxiety and I will go away with the knowledge that I can control it. Very, very good course, I want to do more” (student, I Am In Control course)

“Very enjoyable learning experience! So far very pleased with all the learning techniques. All the staff were absolutely amazing. Highly appreciated!” (student, Believe and Achieve course)

“Fab session. Well paced. Everything explained in layman’s terms. I came not knowing too much and have gone away with a wealth of knowledge” (student, This Is My Moment course)

 

Springhill Hospice wants your Unwanted Gifts

Macmillan Living With & Beyond Cancer (LWABC) Programme Talk
 

THE Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is inviting staff, patients, the public and its Trust members to attend a free talk on ‘Living With and Beyond Cancer’ by the Macmillan LWABC Project Team on Tuesday 7th February 2017, 2pm-3pm at The Education Centre, The Royal Oldham Hospital.

The talk will explain how The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support are working in partnership to address the cancer care challenges faced by patients and their carers.  Macmillan Cancer Support has developed a “Living With and Beyond Cancer Programme,” which aims to improve cancer services to meet the unmet needs of cancer patients.

In August 2015, a Macmillan LWABC Project Team was established to support the Trust’s clinical cancer teams to embed the cancer ‘Recovery Package,’ a combination of different interventions, which when delivered together, will greatly improve the outcomes and coordination of care for people living with and beyond cancer. 

The talk will provide an overview of the key components of the cancer ‘Recovery Package,’ which includes:

• Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA) and Care Planning
• Cancer Treatment Summary
• Cancer Care Review
• Health and Wellbeing Events

Debbie Ashforth, Programme Lead, says, “We have been making great strides since we commenced at the Trust. Our collaborative work across community, primary, secondary and tertiary care has helped to ensure that everyone understands the patient journey and has established how we can work together to implement these important initiatives.  Working alongside the project team is our patient and carer involvement group – “Pennine Acute Macmillan Patient Engagement Representatives” (PAMPER); people all affected by cancer and who are helping to ensure the patient voice is at the heart of decision making.” 

• There are currently 2.5 million people living with cancer in the UK and we expect to see this figure reach four million by 2030
• Many people with incurable cancer can live for years with a generally good quality of life, with the right support
• Many people cured of cancer have unmet health needs and are at risk from the effects of cancer and its treatment
• Over a quarter of patients feel abandoned after treatment
• The UK needs a workforce to meet the needs of the changing story of cancer

The event is free and is one of a series of ‘Medicine for Members’ events arranged to give the public and the Trust’s public members a greater insight into their local hospital and the services it provides. So far, more than 12,500 people have signed up to become Trust members. 

To book your place contact Angela Greenwood on 01706 517302 or email ft.membership@pat.nhs.uk 

Domestic abuse service user questionnaire 

endthefear.co.uk are interested in hearing about your experiences of receiving support from agencies. Please help us to improve services by completing the anonymous questionnaire on the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lRdk-oIf8pp4Ex2O6GQFm9tpS_-s2RZEzrFf9HFJJzs/viewform

If you are worried about domestic abuse, try to find someone you trust who can listen and help you think about your options. You can call the Domestic Abuse Helpline for help and advice on 0161 636 7525 or contact them at helpline@independentchoices.org.uk.

They will answer your email within 3 working days. They can tell you about your options and rights. Approach the Helpline now, don’t let a situation get worse.

If you are a child or young person and are worried about abuse, go to www.thehideout.org.uk to find help – whether you’re worried about abuse now or in the past or if you know someone going through it. There is lots of information to explain what domestic abuse is, how it makes you feel and where you can go for help and support.

Become an NHS Governor and be a voice for your community

Greater Manchester residents have the chance to influence the way local health services are run by becoming a Governor for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Pennine Care, which provides community and mental health services across six boroughs of Greater Manchester, operates a Council of Governors where local people can represent their constituency. The Council of Governors is responsible for ensuring that community views are considered when Trust decisions are made and services are developed.

John Starkey, Lead Governor at the Trust, commented: “I’ve been a member of the Council of Governors for almost six years now and it’s a really rewarding role.

“If you want to know more about local health services or if you enjoy taking on new challenges and meeting new people, a Governor role could be perfect for you. The Council of Governors has a real voice and works closely with the Board of Directors.  Governors champion the needs of patients and give feedback to the community about services in their area. I would encourage anyone who is passionate about the NHS to consider joining our Council of Governors.”

Pennine Care is running a series of events where people can find out more about becoming a Governor. For more information on these events click here

Touchline smokers shown the red card

A junior football club in Rochdale has blown the whistle on smokers who light-up on the touchline as part of a pilot that could be rolled out across the borough.

Bridge Juniors Football Club in Rochdale is promoting healthy behaviour by having smokefree training sessions and matches to protect children.

The club has been chosen to take part in a 'Smokefree Sports' pilot, which has been set up by local social enterprise Healthier Futures in partnership with Rochdale Borough Council.

'This is an important step towards our goal of a smokefree borough'

Officers from Healthier Futures and the council's stop smoking service will be on hand to help parents and coaches kick the habit on Saturday, 4 February 2017, providing information about the positives of healthy, shared community spaces for families, and the negative impact of smoking on children's health. Parents will also be able to offer their opinions and sign a smokefree sports pledge.

The pilot will run initially from January to March 2017. It is hoped that it will then be rolled out permanently across the borough.

Research shows that demand for smokefree events and spaces with children present is high across Greater Manchester. A survey carried out by Healthier Futures in 2015, found that 83% of people surveyed in Greater Manchester agreed that there should be no smoking at outdoor events which are specifically for children and families.

'This campaign will protect our children and ensure a healthy smokefree space for them to play in'

The pilot campaign has been organised by Manchester-based social enterprise Healthier Futures on behalf of Greater Manchester local authorities who want to address the impact of smoking on children.

Councillor Janet Emsley, Rochdale Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Health and Wellbeing, said: "I am extremely pleased that a Rochdale club has been chosen to take part in the smokefree touchlines pilot and I look forward to working with them to make our borough a healthier place to live. We have been doing some fantastic work to protect our residents from the harm of tobacco such as educating our children about the dangers of smoking, preventing underage tobacco sales and providing stop smoking support for our residents; and this is another important step towards our goal of a smokefree borough. Sports and smoking don't mix, and are not part of a healthy sporting lifestyle. We hope to see more local clubs take this positive step to protect children and families."

'We are challenging the myth that smoking is normal'

Bridge Juniors Football Club secretary, Barry Woodburn, said: "As Club Secretary, I am really excited to be part of this campaign which will protect our children and ensure a healthy smokefree space for them to play in. At Bridge Juniors Football Club, we are always looking for ways to encourage healthy living for the children, their parents, our coaches and other club officials and taking part in this pilot campaign underlines our commitment to this."

Andrea Crossfield, chief executive of Healthier Futures said:  "Young people consistently overestimate the prevalence of smoking, with 60% thinking it's the 'norm', when in reality 4 out of 5 people don't smoke in Greater Manchester. Often children, whose primary role models smoke, assume that it is normal behaviour. By introducing smokefree sports, we are challenging the myth that smoking is a normal activity that most people do, as well as increasing the amount of clean and healthy environments in Greater Manchester for children and families to play in. This is about promoting healthy behaviour to children. The more spaces that become smokefree, the less likely children are to take up smoking – preventing them from entering into a deadly addiction that kills 1 in 2 long-term smokers."

If you are thinking about quitting smoking you can contact Rochdale Stop Smoking Service for free help and support by calling 01706 751190.

New Share for You technology breaks through boundaries

New secure technology means that doctors, nurses and social care practitioners in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale will be able to see a patients’ full health records, giving them a better overall picture of their health.

Up to now, hospital doctors and nurses, or practitioners in social care, had to rely on the briefest of health records or the memories and accounts of patients when making important treatment decisions, sometimes in life or death situations.

A new project called ‘Share for You’ is being implemented across all health and social care agencies in the Rochdale borough which allows the full records to be securely shared from the GP surgery to the hospital or clinic setting systems, once the patient has granted their permission.

When a patient’s records are requested, it collects the information from the different system and shows the information to the requester. None of the information it collects is stored and none of it can be changed. Because it collects the information only when it is needed, the information is always accurate and as up to date as possible.

Before any information is collected or displayed to a care professional, patient consent must be provided. Patient consent is recorded on the system in an audit trail so that it is accessed only on a need to know basis and no information is stored or saved within any other setting.

Local GP Dr Venkatesh Mallya from Littleborough Group Practice has been involved in devising the new innovation locally; “This technology has the potential to save lives, reduce harm and improve health. By allowing doctors and nurses who are treating patients in hospitals or clinics to view their medical records in full, we are giving them a fuller picture of the patients’ background and history, thus helping their treatment decisions. In order to protect this information there are strict codes of confidentiality meaning that only when a patient has consented to sharing, can the clinician or practitioner view the records.”

Information about Share for You is being shared in health and social care settings including GP practices, hospitals and clinics. More information is available at; www.HMRShareforyou.nhs.uk