Expert advice to help respiratory patients breathe more easily

Expert healthcare staff who specialise in helping respiratory patients to breathe more easily will be on hand to give out information and advice at a Norfolk supermarket during a national awareness week.

Bex Palmer, an Oxygen and COPD Support Worker with Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C), will support the King’s Lynn Breathe Easy group at the event next Friday (June 20). The group is run by patients and carers with support from the British Lung Foundation, with input from NCH&C’s expert nurses, and supports anyone with a respiratory problem, such as asthma, fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and teaches them skills to help them successfully manage their condition.

The drop in event has been organised to tie in with national Breathe Easy Week, which is organised by the British Lung Foundation betweenJune 16 and 20 to raise awareness of lung disease. It will take place at Asda’s South Wootton store between 10am and 4pm.

“We’re really pleased to be taking part in Breathe Easy Week, which aims to raise awareness of lung disease and the help and support which is available,” said Bex. “This includes specialist advice and self-help skills so that people can successfully manage their condition, along with informal get-togethers such as the Breathe Easy groups.

“We’d encourage anyone in the King’s Lynn area who has a respiratory condition, or who cares for someone who has lung problems, to come along to our awareness stall or drop in to the next Breathe Easy meeting and find out more.”

The King’s Lynn group was set up earlier this year, and is one of more than 200 Breathe Easy groups which are held around the UK and act as an important support network for people affected by lung disease.

Meeting monthly, it gives patients the chance to help each other manage their condition by sharing their experiences and asking for advice from NCH&C’s specialist respiratory nurses. A range of guest speakers also attend to give talks on subjects such as staying active and keeping healthy.

The group meets on the last Monday of every month at 1.30pm at Engage Norfolk. Everyone is welcome to attend and get help and advice to manage their condition.

Lead Governor appointed at Norfolk’s community NHS Trust

The Shadow Council of Governors at Norfolk’s community-based NHS Trust has now elected its lead.

Martin Langdon was confirmed as Lead Governor by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust’s (NCH&C) Shadow Council of Governors.

In his role, Martin will become a key link between the Trust’s Governors – and the 13,000 Members they represent – and the Trust.

He will continue as Public Governor for the Norwich constituency, but his enhanced role will see him become the Council of Governors’ main point of contact with NCH&C’s Chair, Ken Applegate. This ongoing dialogue between the Trust and the Council of Governors will promote opportunities to share ideas on how the Trust can further develop and enhance services for local patients.

Martin will also be responsible for helping to troubleshoot key issues, overseeing the Governor training programme, and leading Governors in holding NCH&C’s non-executive directors to account.

“I’m really pleased to have been elected as Lead Governor,” said Martin. “I look forward to working with all the Governors and making use of their range of backgrounds and expertise to ensure we are working as an effective team and can be a ‘critical friend’ to support the good work of the Trust and its staff.”

Ken added: “As we progress towards foundation trust status, feedback from our Governors, as representatives of our 13,000 Members, will remain vital in helping the Trust to develop the best possible community services for Norfolk. Martin brings a good deal of experience and expertise and I’m sure he will do a fantastic job in promoting the views of others and in supporting the Trust’s development.”

Until his retirement, Martin spent much of his career in the NHS, working in training, human resources, hospital management, and other services. He has also worked as an executive director with several boards.

In addition to his role on NCH&C’s Shadow Council of Governors, Martin is a Trustee of the Multiple Sclerosis Training Centre Norfolk and a District Officer for Lions International, with special responsibility for organising conventions.

NCH&C is working towards foundation trust (FT) status and is currently awaiting an inspection as part of the application process. As an FT, NCH&C would still remain an NHS Trust but would have more autonomy to develop its services, based on the needs of local patients. The Trust will also be able to build on its existing partnerships with other NHS Trusts, public bodies, and voluntary groups to enhance the care it offers to patients.

The Trust’s Council of Governors, in Shadow form until foundation trust status is granted, is made up of 24 Governors who are responsible for representing the views of NCH&C’s Membership – which includes 13,000 patients, members of the public, Trust staff, and local partners.

For more information about NCH&C’s Membership and Shadow Council of Governors, or to sign up as a Member, go to: www.norfolkcommunityhealthandcare.nhs.uk/Get-involved/membership-and-governors.htm

 Saying thanks with a leap of faith

A thrill-seeker who was diagnosed with cancer aged just 23 is to take a 13,000 foot leap of faith to raise money for the charity which supported him through his treatment.

Paul Martin was diagnosed with testicular cancer in June 2013, just 12 days after moving to Norwich and starting his new job as Communications and Marketing Assistant with Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C). Following surgery and three cycles of chemotherapy at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, he was given the all clear in December – and promptly vowed to live life to the full.

After completing a bungee jump earlier this year, he has now decided to go one step further and will join 49 others on June 22 to leap from a plane in the skies above Beccles to raise money for Norfolk cancer charity, The Big C. Paul is hoping to raise as much as he possibly can through the tandem parachute jump, and is already over half way towards his target of £1,001.

“It was a huge shock to move to Norwich, find a flat and car and then get diagnosed with cancer just two weeks later,” said Paul, now 24, who moved from Bedford to take his first job in the NHS with NCH&C. “When you’re young, cancer isn’t really something you think about as you feel indestructible. The diagnosis had a really big impact as it felt like I was hit with the news just as my life was really getting started.

“Throughout my treatment I concentrated on taking each day as it came, tried not to dwell on it and threw myself into my new job as much as I could. I kept my mind busy, which was especially important as my parents and family were back in Bedford.

“I also received some fantastic support from The Big C, which helped make dealing with my condition much more manageable. They gave me advice about cancer, offered guidance about what to expect from my treatment, and would also sit with me during my chemotherapy, which I really appreciated.”

During his treatment, Paul started making a list of things he wanted to do after receiving the all clear, which included running a marathon, buying a house and jumping from a plane.

“When one of my mates suggested I should take part in the skydive to help The Big C progress their research, I jumped at the chance,” he added. “I just hope jumping on the day will be as easy! I’m sure I’ll be ok until the propellers start to whirr, then the nerves will probably kick in.

“I want to make sure I live life to the full, and my next challenge will be to help a friend who received treatment for pancreatic cancer during the time I was ill to organise a 250 mile charity bike ride. I may use that as another opportunity to raise money for The Big C.

“They do some incredible work with the funds they receive, financing projects into preventing and treating cancer whilst also raising money for research in local hospitals in Norfolk. I hope that I can do my bit to say thanks for the help they gave me when we take to the skies on June 22.”

To sponsor Paul, please visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/bigcskydive

New initiatives bring health help for Norfolk families

Families from across Norfolk are being given a helping hand to better health thanks to a range of new initiatives encouraging them get more active, boost wellbeing and give their children the best possible start in life.

Links to full press releases are listed below, detailing examples of various Building Community Capacity (BCC) initiatives which are being delivered by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust’s Health Visitors across the county (link to BCC PR below).

The initiatives include:
A teenage and young parents’ group in Watton, near King’s Lynn, launched on June 5th. This will provide parents up to the age of 22 with access to a mutual support and friendship group. The sessions will also give their children the chance to meet and play together, helping them to interact and learn social skills (link to PR below).

The Summertime Splash initiative, kicking off next week, is offering eight parents who use the health visiting service the chance to train as a lifeguard at Spash Sheringham. It is hoped that after they have completed the six-week course, they will be able to supervise family swimming sessions at the Alderman Peel High School swimming pool in Wells, in turn helping parents and their children to take part a fun physical activity they can enjoy together (link to PR below).

Song and Story Cafés, launching in the King’s Lynn area later this month, have been organised to encourage parents to read and sing to their young children and help develop their language skills (link to PR below).

Plus:

• William Rabbit’s Carrot Club, a drop-in group which meets at St William’s Way Library in Thorpe St Andrew to promote healthy eating, exercise and dental health, while encouraging parents to read with their children.
• First aid sessions for parents using West Walton Children’s Centre, near King’s Lynn
• A Toy Talk library, run from Bowthorpe, West Earlham and Costessey Children’s Centre to help with speech and language development.
• Good Start sessions in Kings Lynn, which help prepare children for starting school.
• A ‘Mums the Word’ self-help group to support mums with post-natal depression in the Aylsham area.
• A new parents group at Cringleford School which will cover a range of topics each session, such as child safety, post-natal exercise and first aid.
• A wellbeing group at the North City Children’s Centre in Norwich, which gives mums with children under the age of one a place to meet and tackle issues such as post-natal depression and the impact of low mood on child development.

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