- Busy summer ahead for our vaccine ambassadors
- Summer sorted with the NHS Covid pass
- Be skin smart this summer
- Love your lungs
- Blood test trial aims to detect multiple cancers
- Keep the kids entertained during the holidays
- Strengthen your digital skills in Ashford
- Beach checker UK app will help you avoid crowds
- Special educational needs and disabilities: newsletter for families and carers
- Read the patient magazine by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
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Busy summer ahead for our vaccine ambassadors
Our vaccine ambassadors will be out and about in the coming days to promote the Covid-19 vaccine to families across Kent and Medway. They will be on hand to bust any myths about the vaccines and help you to book your Covid-19 appointment.
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Look out for the team at:
- Friday, 22 July – Medway Mile, Medway Park Sports Centre, Gillingham
- Wednesday, 27 July – Indian Drumming Workshop, Riverside Community Centre, Gravesend
- Thursday, 28 July – Indian Drumming Workshop, Sutton Valance Village Hall, Maidstone
- Saturday, 30 July – Leysdown Carnival, The Spinney
It’s never too late to have your Covid-19 vaccine – book online or phone 119 for free. |
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Summer sorted with the NHS Covid pass
Anyone venturing abroad this summer will need to download a digital NHS Covid pass.
You can download the pass, print it or have it emailed to you to show on your smartphone, if you have one.
Download the NHS app from the App Store or Google Play.
You can also ask for a NHS Covid pass to be sent by post including for children aged five and over. Find out how to get your Covid Pass posted to you.
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Skin cancer is the only cancer we can physically see developing in its early stages and if detected, diagnosed and treated early enough, almost all cases are curable.
More than 210,000 cases of non-melanoma and more than 16,000 cases of melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer) are diagnosed annually in the UK.
According to Cancer Research UK, one in 36 males and one in 47 females will be diagnosed with melanoma during their lifetime and it is one of the biggest killing cancers in the 15 to 34 age group.
The Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance, in partnership with the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System (ICS) has developed a skin cancer campaign, which is running until October.
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Be safe in the sun
Up to 90 per cent of skin cancers are preventable by adopting simple sun safe strategies.
No matter the colour of your skin, staying safe in the sun reduces your chances of suffering from skin cancer. There are some simple steps you can follow to be skin smart:
- Avoid being in the sun from from 11am to 3pm, the hottest part of the day.
- Make sure you apply sun cream regularly, and you never burn.
- Your sun cream should have an SPF of at least factor 30, and a minimum of a four-star rating.
- Wear a hat and stay covered up with suitable clothes and sunglasses.
Find out how to stay safe in the sun.
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Check your skin
Make sure you regularly check your skin for new moles, or changes to existing ones. Know your ABCDEs when it comes to checking. If you notice anything unusual, always contact your GP straight away.
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Did you know your chances of being hospitalised with a respiratory illness reduces if you exercise?
This is particularly important if you are not very mobile, are over 65, or have a health condition.
Try to love your lungs this summer by being more active.
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We’re not talking about running a marathon, but just getting outdoors and becoming a bit fitter, especially while the weather is better. We recommend moving a bit more throughout the day, in whatever way works best for you.
It’s never too late to start exercising and its one of the most effective ways to maintain independence and make sure we stay steady on our feet.
Find out more at the NHS Love Your Lungs website.
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Blood test trial aims to detect multiple cancers
More than 140,000 people, of which around 23,500 are from Kent, Medway and south east London, have volunteered to take part in the world’s largest blood test trial.
The test can detect more than 50 types of cancer and is part of the latest NHS drive to catch the disease when it is generally easiest to treat.
The NHS Long Term Plan committed to increasing the proportion of cancers caught early, when they are easier to treat, from half to three in four.
Thanks to national NHS campaigns and early diagnosis initiatives, urgent cancer referrals have been at record levels during the past 12 months – almost one fifth higher than before the pandemic.
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Stop, think and choose when you need the NHS this summer
With schools finishing for the summer, the NHS is encouraging families to make sure they know where to go for health help.
The school holidays can be a busy time but help is at hand from NHS 111, online and by phone, and with www.stopthinkchoose.co.uk
Stop Think Choose helps patients make an informed choice about the best service for them by listing the range of available options, including details on Kent and Medway pharmacies, urgent treatment centres (UTCs) and minor injury units (MIUs).
Dame Eileen Sills, Chief Nurse at NHS Kent and Medway, said: “It's important to come forward with any health concerns but you can help ease the pressure by choosing the right service.
“Whether your family has days out planned or you will just be enjoying the good weather in the back garden, it’s important to get the right help fast.
“Knowing the right place to go can help you get the treatment you need faster. Please choose wisely and help us help you.”
UTCs and MIUs can treat a variety of minor illness and injury. Patients can either walk in or call NHS 111 to get a same-day appointment booked.
Pharmacists provide expert, free, confidential advice on health issues such as cold sores, constipation, coughs, cystitis, diarrhoea, hay fever, headache, mild eczema, sunburn, sprains and strains. You can simply turn up and ask for advice with no prior appointment.
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Blood test trial aims to detect multiple cancers
More than 140,000 people, of which around 23,500 are from Kent, Medway and south east London, have volunteered to take part in the world’s largest blood test trial.
The test can detect more than 50 types of cancer and is part of the latest NHS drive to catch the disease when it is generally easiest to treat.
The NHS Long Term Plan committed to increasing the proportion of cancers caught early, when they are easier to treat, from half to three in four.
Thanks to national NHS campaigns and early diagnosis initiatives, urgent cancer referrals have been at record levels over the past 12 months – almost one fifth higher than before the pandemic.
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Keep the kids entertained during the holidays
Children aged four to 14 can take part in a Summer Reading Challenge being delivered by all libraries in Kent. This year's theme is Gadgeteers. Read six books before Saturday, 10 September and collect prizes along the way. Find out more on the Gadgeteers website.
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Families could be in with a chance of winning a £250 retail voucher by taking part in the Reconnect Big Summer Fun Challenge. There are multiple prizes up for grabs for completing up to 40 fun activities across the summer holidays. Sign up to take part.
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Autism South East is a family-run and autistic-led organisation helping and supporting those families throughout the south east. They are hosting an overnight camping trip for children and their family from Saturday, 20 August to Sunday 21, August, with the option of joining for the afternoon only, if preferred. Visit the website to find out more.
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Screen South is running four free activity camps, each lasting for two days in Folkestone, Dover/Deal, Canterbury and Thanet. The camps are open to all children aged from 10 to 16. Sign up using the registration form.
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Kent and Medway boasts a number of beautiful country parks where families can enjoy picnics, play areas, nature trails, outdoor gyms, cycle routes and walks. Many of them have cafes and toilets on site. Please check before you go for car parking arrangements and fees.
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The Reconnect free bus pass is back for the summer. Thanks to Kent’s local bus operators, young people and families with children can enjoy this summer holiday with free bus travel between 23 July and 31 August 2022. Find out more.
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Strengthen your digital skills in Ashford
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Digital Kent is hosting free drop-in sessions once a month at Ashford Gateway Plus.
Those attending will be able to receive guidance on how to use different digital devices, learn new skills or develop existing ones. There will also be access to IT equipment you might not have at home.
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The sessions are from 1.30 to 3.30pm on 27 July, 24 August, 21 September, 19 October, 23 November and 14 December.
For more information visit www.digitalkent.uk.
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Beach Checker UK app will help you avoid crowds
Thanet beaches – Margate Main Sands, Botany Bay, Joss Bay, Viking Bay (Broadstairs) and Ramsgate Main Sands – are all listed on the Beach Check UK app, which makes it easy to see how crowded a beach is so you can enjoy your visit safely. Download the free app via the Apple App Store or on Google Play and you’ll be able to view congested areas.
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Special educational needs and disabilities: newsletter for families and carers
Kent County Council publish a SEND newsletter each school term. The newsletter outlines the latest improvements from that term, news updates and events running for children and young people in Kent. They have just published a Bumper Special summer holiday edition.
Anyone can subscribe here for future editions.
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Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust's patient magazine is out now
Patient First is the trust's monthly magazine for patients, visitors and local communities.
In the July issue:
- meet David – the 1000th patient to undergo specialist treatment for prostate cancer at the Kent Oncology Centre
- learn about the new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) garden at Tunbridge Wells Hospital
- read about 1000-year old secrets unearthed at Maidstone Hospital.
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Patient David and the Kent Oncology Centre specialist team.
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