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Your health according to where you live ...


ADULTS over 65 are more likely to seek help for mental health issues in west Maidstone than any other part of the borough.


During 2014, more than 16% of elderly residents from Bridgeward were in contact with mental health services, compared to the Kent and Maidstone average of 7.5%. The next highest were those in


Fant (10%), Shepway North (9.3%), High Street (9.2%) and Shepway South (9%) Those wards with the lowest number were North Downs (4%) and Sutton Valence and Langley (4.1%). Other key findings for the period 2012-2015were:  Loose and Park Wood had the


highest number of over 65s with elective – booked – hospital admis- sions (54%), while Fant and North Downswards (30%) had the lowest.  High Street and Shepway North (27%) had the highest emergency admission rates for over 65s, with Detling and Thurnham (14%) the lowest.  Bridge (1%) had the highest emergency admission rates for falls, with North Downs (0.5%) lowest.  Loose (1.1%) had the highest rate of hip or knee replacements, with East (0.03%) lowest.


 Almost one in three (30%) of year 6 children in the borough are obese or overweight.  Maidstone has some of the highest nitrogen oxide concentra- tions in Kent – particularly on routes from the town centre to Tovil and the Tonbridge Road crossroads atWateringbury.  Uptake of young people’s preventative sexual health services is higher in Maidstone than else- where inWest Kent. Maidstone has a higher chlamydia rate than Kent; gonorrhoea has increased by 2.51% inWest Kent.


Fundamental needs should be addressed


Continued from page one Areport before theGP-ledWest


Kent NHS Clinical Commission- ing Group (CCG) highlights areas requiring collaborative working among partners “through joined- up commissioning and integrated care”. It states: “Those in more de-


prived communities often need a multi-agency approach to address fundamental needs such as hous- ing, clean air and employment be-


SECamb to


bring inGPs UNDER-fire South East Coast Am- bulance Service has appointed aGP as medical director andWest Kent CCG has been told this was likely to lead to a “culture change” in services. SECamb has also acknowledged


the benefit of having GPs in the NHS 111 control room and has been encouraged to fund this dur- ing the winter months. GP-led CCGs in the South East


have been expressing concerns about the quality and management of ambulance services. The service will be “disaggre- gated” with separate services for Kent, Sussex and Surrey.


Crisis clinics CRISIS clinics could be established for a six-month pilot scheme in Maidstone and Tonbridge byWest Kent CCG offering out-of-hours community-based resources for people aged 18 and over with seri- ous mental health problems. The decision will be taken later this year.


16


fore they can contemplate ad- dressing associated lifestyles such as diet, smoking and alcohol con- sumption. “The importance of education, accessible information and serv- ices to improve young people’s outcomes still vary across the area. “A high number of people are estimated to be living with undi- agnosed conditions such as hy- pertension, diabetes, COPD, depression and dementia.”


West Kent is expected to see an increase of 22.4% (2,848 individu- als) in those aged over 85 in the next five years and an increase of 59.4% in those aged over 65 dur- ing the next 20 years. The CCG says there is a need to


focus on the early 40-plus popula- tion now to prevent ill health through addressing lifestyles, early identification and pro-active self-management of diagnosed conditions


downsmail.co.uk Smoking breaks


YOU are most likely to smoke if you live in the High Street, North, East, Shepway South or Park Wood wards. The five areas of urban Maid-


stone contain parts in which more than 35% of over 15s smoke. By contrast, Allington, Barming


and Loose had a smoking preva- lence of less than 20%, along with Boughton Monchelsea, Coxheath, Yalding, Nettlestead, Laddingford, Sutton Valence, Headcorn, Bearsted, Grove Green, Harriet- sham, Lenham and Hollingbourne.


Watching weight


SHEPWAY has the highest levels of obesity in the Maidstone borough. Its north and south wards had obesity rates of 28%, matched only by parts of High Street and Park Wood wards. These wards have a low consumption of fruit and vegetables. The areas with the lowest levels


of obesity, less than 20%, were Bearsted and parts of Bridge and Fant wards.


Drinking levels


BINGE drinking is most prevalent in five urban wards. More than 20% of people in


North, East, High Street, Fant and South wardswere said to be binge drinkers, compared to8%-12%in Barming, Loose, Yalding, Net- tlestead, Laddingford, Coxheath, Sutton Valence and Headcorn.


All the above figures were estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).


Life-saving gift to ward


CORNWALLIS Ward, at Maidstone Hospital has re- ceived a new ECG machine, paid for by the Maidstone Hospital League of Friends. The equipment, which cost £3,375, will allow staff


to quickly monitor patients on the ward. Ward manager Karen Dixon said: “This ECG ma-


Joyce Langton with ward co-ordinator Ann Carek, ward manager Karen Dixon and volunteers Margaret Tunbridge and Helen Newman


chine will be a vital asset to our ward, which we will be able to access quickly and easily from within our own unit.” Joyce Langton, chairman of Maidstone Hospital League of Friends, said: “We are very pleased to pro- vide the ECG machine to CornwallisWard.”


Help floods in for refugee children


OFFERS of help and donations have been flooding in for the unaccompa- nied asylum-seeking children who have arrived in Kent. More than 170 offers of help have


been received by the county council, ranging from foster care to football coaching and teaching, sports equip- ment, DVDs and children’s toys. Cllr Peter Oakford, cabinet mem-


ber for specialist children’s services said: “We have been overwhelmed with the amazing generosity from people all around the UK. Many churches have called offering to pro-


Maidstone Town November 2015


vide volunteers or items young peo- ple might need, individuals have ap- proached us offering items or even offering a room.” As a result of offers from teachers


to provide lessons, KCC is putting together a programme of learning in its reception centres. Cllr Oakford said: “It is hum-


bling to know there are so many kind people and organisations will- ing to help these young people who arrive in our country seeking refuge. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has


been in touch with us.” For anyone still keen to donate


items, KCC suggests sports equip- ment, easy-reading books to help with English lessons, board games, DVDs and, for younger refugee children, crayons and colouring books. At least 28 families living in Kent


have approachedKCCto help with fostering, plus many from outside. However, KCC cannot process ap- plications from outside the county so these families have been given details of their local authority.


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