New FREE App to Help Patients Wait Less for Urgent NHS Care

Get the right treatment when you need it.

Patients in Kent and Medway can now use an app to view waiting times at NHS urgent treatment centres (UTCs) and minor injury units (MIUs).

The WaitLess app will help patients who have decided to go to a UTC or MIU make an informed choice about which site to visit.

The app displays the number of people waiting and the longest waiting times, along with travel information, so patients can decide to visit a site that is not so busy.

Kate Langford, Chief Medical Officer for NHS Kent and Medway, said:

“I would always advise patients to contact NHS 111 first if they are not sure where to go or what service they need.

"NHS 111 will continue to offer booked appointments at our urgent treatment centres, where needed.

“However, we know some people decide to go straight to our UTCs without contacting NHS 111 first, and this app will help them find UTCs that are not as busy, where the wait is potentially less.

“Kent and Medway has more than a dozen UTCs and MIUs. By checking the waiting times before they travel, patients can choose which one they go to when they have an urgent medical issue.”

You can download the WaitLess app FREE from the Apple App Store and Google Play

Download the NHS app to access a range of services from your phone or tablet.

More information about using the right health service is available at www.stopthinkchoose.co.uk The site also includes a map of all pharmacies in the county. Pharmacists are trained professionals who can help with a wide range of common health issues.

Upchurch Matters

Holywell Kids Club - Easter Holidays 2023

Booking is essential and is taken on a first come first served basis, please use Arbor to book if your child attends Holywell or call/text the team: 07706 002060 or Email: kclub@holywell.kent.sch.uk for other schools.

Holywell Primary School

Poolside Bar & Courtyard - Coronation Day Celebration Party with Josh Hassell at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Telephone: 01634 360626

Website: www.rivervalleygolf.co.uk

The English Festival at Riverside Country Park

Celebrate iconic traditions at The English Festival

Celebrate English traditions, both old and new, ahead of St George's Day at a free family festival at one of Medway’s award-winning country parks next month.

There will be Punch and Judy shows, a helter skelter, live music and a George and the Dragon show at The English Festival on Saturday, 15th April, at Riverside Country Park, from 11:00am until 5:00pm.

There will be something for residents and visitors of all ages to enjoy including the ever-popular beach area, have-a-go-archery sessions, miniature steam engines and even a medieval encampment.

Cllr Howard Doe, Deputy Leader of Medway Council and Portfolio Holder for Community Services, said: 

“The annual English Festival at Riverside Country Park is always incredibly popular with families as there is a whole range of fun traditions and exciting activities to take part in. There will truly be something for everyone to enjoy including a tractor display, a fun fair and, of course, a George and the Dragon show. We are looking forward to welcoming thousands of residents, and visitors, to the festival next month.”

Getting to the festival

A park and ride service will be available to take residents and visitors to The English Festival.

Visitors can park at the University of Greenwich’s Medway campus and will be taken to the festival by bus. The park and ride service will run every 12 minutes and return tickets cost £1.50 for adults, under 16s travel for free.

There are also two shuttle services running.

The first shuttle service will start at Chatham Waterfront Bus Station and call at Jeffery Street, Richmond Road, The Strand and Riverside Country Park. It will run every 20 minutes and return tickets cost £1.50 for adults, under 16s travel for free.

The second shuttle service will run between the Cricketers pub on the A2 and Riverside Country Park, stopping outside Mariners Farm. It will run every 30 minutes and return tickets cost £1.50 for adults, under 16s travel for free.

The event shuttle bus timetables can be found on the Visit Medway website.

Onsite parking is available on a first come, first serve basis and will cost £6.

For blue badge holders, parking is available onsite, free of charge. Please note that the parking will be on a field and may be uneven in certain areas.

Park and walk is also available at Bloors Wharf, which costs £3.

For more information about The English Festival, visit: VisitMedway.org/EnglishFestival

Medway Council

Newington History Group

Join us this week to find out about a document that is unique to Newington.

Sheila Malloch, who spent much of her working life at Kent Archives, will delve into the village’s first parish register at Newington History Group's monthly meeting on Thursday (23rd) at 7:00pm in Newington Village Hall.

Hear her fascinating stories from the register which gives a detailed insight into baptisms, marriages and deaths of those who lived here hundreds of years ago.

Admission for guests is only £3 (NHG members free). There are free refreshments and parking.

NHG's Sue Flipping will be giving her talk "Newington - A Roman Service Station?" to the Friends of St Margaret's Social Club in the Memorial Hall, School Lane, Lower Halstow, on Tuesday the 28th of March 2023, from 7:30pm - 9.00pm.

Find out about some of the most significant finds from the 2018 - 2019 excavation in Newington and what they add to our knowledge of the local Roman occupation.

Everyone is welcome - £4.00 entry on the door.

Refreshments and Raffle.

For more details contact the group at: www.newingtonhistory.uk or call: 01795 842711.

Follow on Facebook: Newington History Group, and Twitter: @newingtonhg

Newington History Group

Mountain Bike Stolen - Newington

Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward

Crime Number: 46/50322/23

On Monday the 13th of March at around 17:05, somebody stole a black mountain bike from where it was secured in the road on Keycol Hill, Newington.

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