NHS Kent and Medway CCG - Community Bulletin

Flu vaccines for children 

Doctors in Kent and Medway are urging parents and guardians to make sure their children have a flu vaccine.

This year, two and three year olds, all primary school children, and children in school year 7 will be offered the flu vaccination on the NHS.

For most children the vaccine is a quick and easy spray up the nose, which is quick, painless and simple.

Dr Navin Kumta, Clinical Chair for NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group, said: 

“It is important that parents make sure children are protected as they can easily spread the illness among their friends and family. Flu can be a very unpleasant illness in children causing fever, stuffy nose, dry cough, sore throat, aching muscles and joints, and extreme tiredness. This can last several days or more."

Find out more

Have your say on improving dementia services

Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is working with its partners and people living with dementia and their carers to develop a proposal for a new model of dementia care.

We are seeking the views of:

• People living with dementia and their carers so the proposal will be informed by the lived experience of people with dementia.

• Families and carers so we can better understand what the effect can be on their physical and mental health.

• NHS and social care staff, domiciliary carers, care home staff and voluntary organisations to understand how our health care system is working, and to help identify any gaps and improvements.

• The public about how to improve the quality of care provided for people living with dementia.

Find more information and how to give your views

If you have any ideas about how we could gather views, or any other questions about this project, please Email kmccg.engage@nhs.net

Share your cancer treatment experience

NHS England and NHS Improvement are funding research to understand how patients with cancer feel about the care and treatment they receive.

Picker, an independent healthcare research charity based in Oxford carrying out this research, is looking for people aged 16 or older, who had a cancer diagnosis and treatment from the NHS for cancer in the past six months, to take part in a phone or online interview.

If you are interested, find out more on Picker’s website, Email them or phone: 0800 1975 273.

It's good to talk...

This month sees the launch of a new NHS campaign encouraging anyone suffering from anxiety, depression or other issues to come forward for assessment and treatment.

NHS talking therapies, also known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), is a confidential service run by fully trained experts. People can access the service by contacting their GP or refer themselves online.

Claire Murdoch, NHS National Director for Mental Health, said:

“Whether you are a new mum, an older person or struggling with work, please speak to your GP or self-refer online so we can get you the mental health support you need."

To find out more about talking therapies, visit the NHS website: nhs.uk/talk

Read the full bulletin at: https://bit.ly/37v5cF5

NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group