Notice Board

Thursday, 18 July 2019

Swale Borough Council - CCTV Service Coming Back to Swale

Swale council’s cabinet have agreed in principle to upgrade the borough’s CCTV network, bring the service back under council control and look at offering free WiFi in town centres.

The 52-camera system is currently operated by the Medway Commercial Group, on behalf of the CCTV partnership with Medway, Maidstone and Gravesham councils.

A review of the system raised several concerns over the age and quality of the cameras in use, the cost of the wired system and the how the partnership was managed.

To make sure the CCTV network is effective, the proposals are for a new CCTV control room to be installed in the new multi-storey car park in Sittingbourne. This would be operated during periods of higher crime and anti-social behaviour, and cover night time premises working hours.

Operators would have a good local knowledge and could build good relationships with the police and Swale Safe - the local business crime reduction partnership.

The system would be upgraded to wireless, with higher quality cameras and more flexibility to deploy to sites where they are needed, which also gives the option for providing free WiFi to Faversham, Sheerness and Sittingbourne town centres.

Cllr Richard Palmer, cabinet member for community at the council, said:

“The current cameras are old, provide poor quality images and are operated from Strood. By returning the service in-house we can benefit from vital local knowledge and improved relationships with our partners in the police and wider community, which will help improve the service even more.

We’ve repeatedly raised a number of concerns about the current partnership, but whilst they have made some recent attempts to improve, we have given them notice that we will be ending the arrangement.

A new system will be cheaper to operate, and should more than pay for itself over time, even if we put some money aside every year to pay for future upgrades.

Used correctly, CCTV can be an effective tool for making communities safer and now we have the chance to improve it to make sure people feel safe in the borough.”

Following the cabinet decision last week, the council will now carry out a procurement exercise for the upgrade which will go back to cabinet for decision later in the year.

Swale Borough Council

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Your Views Sought on Plans to Transform Local Healthcare

The NHS in Kent and Medway is planning to change the way some aspects of health and care services are organised so they can provide better, more joined-up care.

The intention is for Kent and Medway to become an integrated care system with:

• GP practices working together in networks - called ‘primary care networks’.

• Four new ‘integrated care partnerships’ across Kent and Medway, drawing together all the NHS organisations in a given area and working more closely with health improvement services and social care.

• A single commissioning organisation for Kent and Medway, led by local doctors, to take a ‘bird’s eye view’ of health priorities for local people and look at where shared challenges, such as cancer and mental health, should be tackled together.

A document setting out full details of the plans, and a summary, have been published
Local people are encouraged to respond to the plans by Friday, 16th August by:

• Filling in a survey online

• Writing to Freepost KENT & MEDWAY NHS, New Hythe Lane, Aylesford, Kent ME20 6WT

• Emailing comms.kentandmedway@nhs.net

Find out what this means for Swale

Upchurch Matters
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Tools and Appliances Stolen - Hartlip

Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward

Crime Number: 46/137406/19

Between Tuesday the 16th and Wednesday the 17th of July, builders tools and household appliances were stolen from a new house building site in The Street, Hartlip.

If you have any information that could help investigators please contact Kent Police on telephone number 101 and quote the relevant crime number above.

For more information on crime prevention visit: www.kent.police.uk

Kent Community Messaging

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Changes to the Repeat Prescription Process in Sittingbourne and Sheppey

A new way for patients to receive regular repeat prescriptions was phased in on the 1st of July 2019.

GP practices in Sittingbourne and Sheppey will no longer accept requests for repeat prescriptions made by pharmacies on behalf of a patient. So if your pharmacy usually raises a prescription request for you, you or your representative will need to ask your GP practice to do this for you in future.

The CCG has introduced this change to offer patients an improved, safer and more efficient repeat prescribing system. The new system should ensure that medicines are prescribed only when they are really needed and will also therefore reduce medicines waste, which costs the NHS up to £300 million a year. The CCG engaged with various stakeholders and patient groups before introducing this change.

Some patients, such as those who are housebound, will still be able to ask their pharmacy to re-order their medicines from their GP for collection at their pharmacy. However, the patient or their representative will need to talk to their GP practice or pharmacy about putting specific arrangements in place to support this.

For further information please refer to the patient information leaflet, Questions and Answers document and extended briefing below:

Q&A managed repeats

Managed repeats pt leaflet

Swale repeat prescription changes briefing July 2019

Upchurch Matters

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