NHS Kent and Medway CCG - Community Bulletin

An incredible two million Covid-19 jabs 

It’s official, we have topped the two million Covid-19 vaccinations’ milestone in Kent and Medway and we couldn't have done it without you.

Thanking NHS staff and volunteers delivering the programme in the county and the people who have had their vaccine, NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group Clinical Chair Dr Navin Kumta said:

“A really big thank you to everyone who has played a part, however small, in making this happen. Every jab brings us closer to beating Covid-19 and putting this pandemic well and truly in the past.”

Read more and find out how to join in saying thank you on our website

Newsletter for parents of children with special educational needs or disabilities

Have you seen the latest SEND newsletter yet? In this issue, a light is shone on creativity and how it helps make life that bit more enjoyable. Plus, there's a great ‘design a logo’ competition for young people to take part in.

It also has updates from Kent County Council, the NHS, Kent Parents and Carers Together (PACT) and Information, Advice and Support Kent (IASK), as well as other council services and includes information on the Kent Test, library exemption cards and free school meals.

Read the newsletter here

Help find the missing men

Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance is supporting Prostate Cancer UK in its drive to raise awareness of the condition and encourage men, who are at highest risk, to contact their GP.

Chris Wheal, 77, from Maidstone, has been successfully treated for prostate cancer and added his voice to the call for men not to be shy. He said:

“Prostate cancer is very treatable if caught early; not delaying, getting checked if you’re high risk and, if needs be, getting treated is a total no brainer.”

Men can find out more about their risk by using the Prostate Cancer UK online risk checker

Read the full story on our website

Opportunities to get involved

Volunteer now to support Covid-19 vaccination programme

NHS Volunteer Responders are calling for people to step forward and volunteer to help deliver the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

During the summer, more vaccination services will be set up to enable the NHS to vaccinate as many people as possible. We are recruiting for vaccination steward volunteers to help with this important task.

Stewards will be a vital part of the team working in vaccination services. They will guide people on site, to make sure the vaccination process runs as safely and efficiently as possible. They will help make sure there is social distancing and identify people who need additional support.

If you would like to volunteer or would like to find out more information, visit nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk

Read the full bulletin at >> https://bit.ly/3hesa82

NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group

Medway Estuary Haiflu

Watch the video

The video might not be visible in our Email version of this post.

If not, you can watch it here: YouTube.com

Medway Libraries' favourite collaborative poetry project is back.

Their latest Haiflu poem was compiled for the recent Estuary Festival and is available to view on their YouTube Channel.

The Haiflu is a visual 3-line haiku poem written during the Covid-19 pandemic, set against a photograph taken in the same week at some of the most beautiful locations around Medway.

Upchurch Matters

Let's Talk Kent

Kent County Council has launched "Let's Talk Kent", a new website that gives opportunities to residents to get involved and help shape the future of Kent.

"Let's Talk Kent" is your opportunity to have your say on the projects and proposals you care about.

Register with the website to be amongst the first to find out about new opportunities to have your say on how KCC shapes council services.

Registering is simple, and you can set your preferences to only find out about the topics that matter to you. From Adult Social Care to Transport and Roads, there are many topics to choose from, or you are welcome to select them all.

To get involved, register at: letstalk.kent.gov.uk

Upchurch Matters

SAVE THE DATE: The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Beacons

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Beacons

Thursday 2nd June 2022

Upchurch Parish Council is looking forward to another village gathering at the Beacon of Light Brazier to celebrate The Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

In 2022, Her Majesty The Queen will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, 70 years of service, having acceded to the throne on 6th February 1952.

An extended Platinum Jubilee Weekend bank holiday, from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June, will provide an opportunity for communities to come together to celebrate this historic milestone. The 4 days of celebrations will include public events and community activities, as well as national moments of reflection on The Queen’s 70 years of service.

Jubilee Beacons will be lit as part of the celebrations throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories. For the first time, beacons will also be lit in each of the capital cities of the Commonwealth countries.

Organiser Pageantmaster Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR hopes to make it the largest and most dramatic chain of beacons lit during The Queen’s reign the world has ever seen.

Upchurch will play its part when we light our village Beacon at the Recreation Ground in Oak Lane on Thursday 2nd June 2022 at 9:45pm - details to follow.

For more information, visit: www.queensjubileebeacons.com

Upchurch Matters

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Upchurch Village Defibrillators

Upchurch Parish Council is currently seeking a new site to reinstall the second village defibrillator previously located at The Three Sisters Public House in Otterham Quay Lane.

PLEASE NOTE: Until then, there is currently only 1 village defibrillator in use.

Located at: Snaffles Equestrian & Country Store, 2 - 4 The Street, Upchurch ME9 7AJ

A defibrillator is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm. Defibrillators are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest and may save the person's life.

Kent Ambulance response times for critical emergencies can often take longer than the targeted 8 minutes, especially in rural areas. For someone undergoing a heart attack, using an Automatic External Defibrillator within the 8 minute time frame is crucial for their life chances. After 12 minutes, it is often too late.

Medway Ambulance Station and Sittingbourne Ambulance Station are both, according to RAC Route Planner, 16 minutes away (assuming no traffic issues). Clearly, using the defibrillator is important as the emergency services would not be able to attend to someone having a heart attack in time.

In the event of an emergency, you must dial 999. The emergency operator will give you the access code to open the defibrillator cabinet. An ambulance will also be dispatched.

REMEMBER, no training is actually required to use the device. It comes with its own voice instructions which are given as soon as the device is removed from its case and is opened. It will not deliver a shock unless one is needed.

If you notice a problem with the defibrillator or if you have had to use it, please let the Parish Council know as soon as possible so that it can be made ready for future use.

Thanks to the generosity of many village organisations, individuals and through their own fundraising, Upchurch WI raised funds to purchase 2 village defibrillators as part of their Centenary commemorations in 2015.

Upchurch Parish Council would like to thank Bernard and Gail at The Three Sisters on behalf of the village for previously allowing the installation of the second village defibrillator at the pub in 2016.

Upchurch Parish Council

Donate Your Unwanted Sewing Machine and Change a Life

Medway Volunteer Workshop

We are a small not for profit organisation with no staff and no shareholders who receive donated sewing machines from the public.

In turn, we refurbish, restore and PAT test the machines all before being sent to Africa via our sister organisation, Tools with a Mission (TWAM), based in Ipswich.

Donated sewing machines are given mainly to young people so they can get a job, becoming the village dressmaker or tailor.

We are currently experiencing a shortage of donated sewing machines which doesn't help the young people in Africa.

If you have a spare machine you can donate, please contact John Wishart on: 07971 511956, who has very kindly agreed to collect from around the village and bring them to our Medway workshop.

Thank you

Trevor Cox

Medway Volunteer Workshop

Website: www.medwayvolunteerworkshop.co.uk