News
downsmail.co.uk Patients supported in care plans
RESIDENTS are to be given help to draw up their own NHS care plans with an emphasis on smoking, drinking, diet and exercise. Initially the focus will be on resi-
dents with life-threatening condi- tions, frail elderly patients and end of life care. By 2018-19 the proposal is that all patients should have a per- sonalised care plan to be developed and reviewed with the individual. Proposals include special services
to help residents achieve plans, health trainers,walking groups, vol- untary sector activities and family weight programmes. Self-care is “what people do them-
selves to establish and maintain health and prevent and deal with ill- ness.”
Self-management is defined as “actions individuals and carers can take for themselves, children, fami- lies and others to stay fit and main- tain physical and mental health.” The GP-ledNHSWest Kent Clini-
cal Commissioning Group (CCG) has agreed to implement recom- mendations to progress a national
Improvement
in staff survey AN NHS survey which invited staff at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust to rate the organ- isation, showed more would rec- ommend the trust as a place to work or to receive treatment. Staff also felt the care of patients
was the trust’s top priority. While the staff survey, which
covered 32 areas, showed the trust outperformed the national average in eight areas, and seven within the top 20%, according to staff, 10 areas scored within the national average, and six fell below that, in- cluding one regarding the extra hours they needed to work, which put it in the bottom 20%. Other responses put the trust in
the top 20% for ensuring staff had appraisals, relevant training and learning and development oppor- tunities. Richard Hayden, deputy direc-
tor of workforce, thanked staff for their hard work and dedication at a time of enormous challenge and unprecedented demand on the service and said that the trust would continue to invest in front- line staff and services. He added: “While this is an im-
provement on last year, the trust is working with staff to help make further improvements with an aim of having no areas at all below the national average.”
Dawn patrol homes in on cafe Michael Topley, of the Art Lounge, with members of the Dawn Patrol
BRIGHT and early Rotarians in Maidstone are raising their coffee cups to finding a new home. The Rotary Club of Maidstone’s Dawn Patrol has been meeting at a
variety of places since the closure of the Stone Court Hotel, but has now found a new home at the Art Lounge in Market Buildings, Maidstone – and marked the venue with a commemorative plaque. The club meets at 7.30am on Thursdays for fun and fellowship and to
help communities, both locally and internationally. If you are interested in the work of the Rotary Club and Dawn Patrol
and would like to help with various projects, pop along to ameeting to meet the members and find out more, or contact presidentMartin Pember on
pembermartin1@aol.com.
Charity offers help for parents
PARENTS looking for support with youngsters demonstrating behav- ioural problems are invited to call a Maidstone charity for help. HearSay has been established for 12 years, but has recently moved to
Mill Street. The charitable trust offers counselling to those showing symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism, as well as support for other members of the family. Counsellor and senior psychotherapist Dr Kitty Morgan Jones assists
those referred by care professionals such as GPs and with self-referrals, who are asked to give a donation to the charity, based on what they can afford. For details call 01227 271172 or email
gill.hinson@hearsay-trust.org.uk.
strategy for physical and mental health with co-operation from a range of partners. It says: “The ageing population in
West Kent and increased prevalence of chronic diseases require a strong reorientation from reliance on acute and episodic care towards preven- tion, self-care, more consistent stan- dards of primary care and carewell co-ordinated and integrated across partners from all sectors. “Self and community-supported
care willmeannewways of working for us all, changing how services are commissioned and delivered and theway service users access care and interact with healthcare and other professionals.” The CCG sees extensive engage-
ment not only with local GPs but also with partners in public health, KCC, district councils, carers and the voluntary sector – with achieving people’s own life goals the priority.
It says it must tackle barriers pre-
venting people benefiting from self- care (such as social isolation, housing, energy costs) by engaging with partners to offer advice, guid- ance and practical support. Dr Bob Bowes, chairman of West Kent CCG, said: “Self-care needs to work with existing services to improve the population’s
health by preventing illness but also in improving the effectiveness of medical
interventions.TheCCGwill work with partners inWest Kent.” Nationally the NHS wants to see “improvements in the proportion of people who feel supported to man- age their condition, care and treat- ment”. It says the economic prosperity of Britain now depends “on a radical upgrade in prevention and public health”.
Cancer misses MAIDSTONE and Tunbridge Wells hospital trust has an ac- tion plan aimed at improving the standard 62-day wait for cancer patients to beyond the 85% standard target. However, demand, which
was up 22% in December com- pared with the previous year, still outstrips capacity and the trust continues to miss current target times.
Call delays THE localNHS111 call service is still seriously missing target for answering within 60 sec- onds. Latest figures show 77.9%of calls were answered within the target time, signifi- cantly below the expected 95%.
Shop needs
volunteers VOLUNTEERS who can spare a few hours a week are needed to work in Hi Kent’s new shop in Week Street, Maidstone. The shop will be open after Easter, from 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday. No experience is nec- essary as full training will be given and travel expenses paid. The charity, which works to
help deaf and hearing-impaired people in Kent,welcomes applica- tions from a diverse range of peo- ple. A DBS check will be necessary and will be paid for by the charity. This is an opportunity to make
a real difference to Hi Kent’s clients by promoting assistive equipment that can help a person living with hearing loss. Please contact Donna Chadwick
on 01622 691151, textphone to 07795 951466 or email
d.chad-
wick@hikent.org.uk.
Drivers plea INVICTA Gateway Club, which runs a social club for adults with learning disabilities, is looking for volunteer drivers. The role involves driving the
club’s minibuses between 6.30pm and 10.30pm on occa- sional Fridays. Anyone inter- ested
should Formore local news and features, go to
www.downsmail.co.uk 30 Maidstone Town April 2016
carolynpiper431@hotmail.co.uk. email
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