IRU - Wednesday 23rd March 2022

The Sharon Fallows Corner

Message from Sharon Fallows

Links

Sleep and tiredness - how to get to sleep

Pandemic, isolated people emotional outcomes

Mental health and poor sleep

Women into work fayre and Manc Spirit Festival

Message from Michelle McManus (Healthwatch Stockport Volunteer)

Updates from Stockport Council

Message from Sarah Burke (Stockport Council)

Download the latest updates from Stockport Council.

Stockport ESOL Advice Service now open!

Message from Sharon Freeman (Stockport ESOL Advice Service)

Stockport have recently joined this GMCA-funded project to help people who want to learn English in our borough. We offer advice and signposting to ESOL classes and will also be mapping both existing and needed provision in Stockport in order to develop the ESOL offer to support our communities.

Adults who want to learn or improve their English (for Speakers of Other Languages) can apply online through our website or come to an advice session for assessment. We also accept referrals from friends, family or other agencies in Stockport to help support people to find a suitable learning opportunity for them.

We want to get the news as far and wide across Stockport to ensure that we can offer the best support to our diverse communities. Please share our details with your colleagues and clients.

Do get in touch if you would like more information, or check out our page on the website GM ESOL | Learn English in Greater Manchester and twitter account @StockportESOL.

See Hear 2022

Walthew House are holding an event this Friday (25th March) See Hear 2022

The event is a equipment and information exhibition, Healthwatch Stockport and many other organisations will be there.

For more information, please see the attached the flyer.

Active Adult Group and Invitation to Coffee and Cakes

Message Thomas Atherton (Viaduct Care CIC)

Information

• County’s Community Trust = Matthew Bailey is updating re County’s Active Adult Group see Flyer attached
• Invitation to Coffee and Cakes

MS Society Live Well Event

Message from Paul Smithson (MS Society)

The MS Society groups across Manchester are  holding an online information event on Saturday 23rd  April from 10.30 to 2.30. This is primarily aimed at anyone who has had a  diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in the last couple of years and their carers/family/supporters, however anyone is welcome to attend. Please see the enclosed poster.

The event will explore topics such as managing fatigue, finance, the benefits of nutrition and exercise and information for family members and supporters. 

There will also be opportunity to meet with the  local MS group and find out what services and support they offer. Groups attending include:

Booking required by;

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/living-well-with-ms-across-manchester-tickets-300788706117  

Ring Paul on 07827 281109

National Careers Service Webinars March-April 22

Message from Chris Hughes (Stockport Homes)

The National Careers Service have some new webinars coming up (the first one is tomorrow) – see attached flyer for details.

Greenfingers: Free gardening sessions

Message from Chris Hughes (Stockport Homes)

We have some free Greenfingers, gardening sessions coming up – see attached flyer for details.

These are aimed at absolute beginners and are delivered by the great people at Woodbank Nurseries in Offerton. We are offering them as part of our health and wellbeing provision. A great way to learn new skills, have fun and meet people.

Anyone wanting more information or to book a place should contact us:

Tel: 0161 474 2862

Email: customer.training@stockporthomes.org

Visit: www.stockporthomes.org/skills-for-life-plus

Priority will be given to Stockport Homes’ customers.

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

Message from Emma Heasman (Bowel Cancer UK)

I wanted to get in touch and let you know that April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, a great opportunity for your council to raise awareness of the disease.

Every 15 minutes in the UK someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer. It’s more common in the over 50s but can affect people of all ages. It’s also the UK’s second biggest cancer killer but it shouldn’t be because it’s treatable and curable especially if diagnosed early.

There are a number of ways you can show your support this April. All the information is in the attached toolkit, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Use your social media accounts to raise awareness. We’ve put together some suggested posts and we have a range of graphics you can use
• Add information to your website, blog, newsletters, bulletins and intranet. The toolkit includes suggested copy
• Join an awareness talk. We’re holding free online bowel cancer awareness talks throughout April
• Use our leaflets and posters. Download and print our suggested Bowel Cancer Awareness Month materials and hold an information stall, have a display or put up our information on your noticeboards
• Promote Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in your local media
• Take on the Step up for 30 challenge. We’re calling on organisations across the UK to bring staff together virtually or in person to Step up for 30 during April. It’s really simple, just get active in teams or individually each day throughout the month and ask your colleagues, customers and contacts to sponsor you
• Share information about Bowel Cancer Awareness Month with colleagues and other organisations

We hope you will join us and support Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. Together we can stop people dying of bowel cancer.

Education Health and Care Plans Webinar

Message from Sandra Best (Seashell Trust)

Seashell are excited to have Steve Broach delivering his second webinar on Education Health and Care Plans on Thursday 21st April 2022, 10am to 12.30pm via Zoom.

This session will look at the key legal issues facing disabled children, young people and their families. Steve Broach is a barrister at 39 Essex Chambers who specialises in the law affecting disabled children and young people.

If you would like to know more information about the course, contact familyservices.webinar@seashelltrust.org.uk

This session is FREE to attend, book your place her

Have your say about your local health services – closing date Saturday, 2 April

Message from NHS Stockport CCG

All staff are encouraged to give their views about local services in an online survey, which closes on Saturday, 2 April, 2022.

It’s part of a six-week listening exercise launched to understand how some local health and care services at NHS Stockport Foundation Trust and NHS Cheshire East Trust could be improved and sustained in the future.

The CCG is working alongside Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and East Cheshire NHS Trust and Cheshire CCG to gather opinions from health and care staff, patients, carers, and local people on what currently works well, what could be improved, and whether there are any barriers that stop people from accessing health services. To find out more, read the engagement document or visit the dedicated Local Voices website.

It is open to anyone so please share the survey link with family, friends, and colleagues.

online survey

Improving the uptake of cancer screening programmes for women with learning disabilities living in GM

Message from Janice Wycherley (Pathway Associates)

This engagement and consultation project, has been commissioned by Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, screening and immunisation team. As you probably know, women with learning disabilities go for screening to a far lesser extent than the general population and this leads to health inequalities. Cervical and breast cancers may be diagnosed far later than women who have had an opportunity to attend screening. The GMHSC team would like to reduce these inequalities by improving the screening process.

A little bit about the project follows and I have attached the various fliers

1. For family members

2. For women with learning disabilities - focus groups

3. For women with learning disabilities - individual interviews

4. For social care providers - focus group

Information on the project

To improve access to the cancer screening programmes across Greater Manchester the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership would like to hear from women with learning disabilities so that they can understand some of the barriers that might prevent them from taking part in the national cancer screening programmes and what might help them to take part. They will then use this information to make improvements to the screening process. In particular they would like to focus on cervical (smear tests) and breast screening (Mammograms). As part of the project, Pathways Associates will be running a number of focus groups for women with learning disabilities, families and social care providers .

If you are a woman with a learning disability we want to learn about your experiences and your views about going for a smear test or a mammogram. You can tell us this by coming to a small focus group or having a one to one chat with Janice Wycherley who is a Pathways team member. 

If you are a family carer or work for a social care provider we would like to hear about your experiences of supporting women to make decisions about screening and attending screening services.

We want to hear from women who have already attended for a cancer screening appointment but it is just as important that we hear from women who have not attended.

Please have a look at the attached flyers and if you would like to get involved and help to improve cancer screening services for women with learning disabilities in Greater Manchester, please get in touch with

Janice at Janice.wycherley@pathwaysassociates.co.uk