Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Healthwatch Wirral Team

Hello and welcome to Healthwatch Wirral’s E-Bulletin featuring:

 Local and national news  Local events in Wirral

 Useful links

Special thanks to all who have supported Healthwatch Wirral during 2015. Wishing you all health and happiness for the coming year.

Healthwatch Wirral at West Kirby Library 10am - 3pm, Every Monday in West Kirby Concourse, West Kirby, Merseyside, CH48 4HX To view the poster for West Kirby, please click here Healthwatch Wirral is at Tesco’s Bidston 10am – 12pm, every Friday in the Community Room (upstairs) Bidston Village Road, Birkenhead, CH43 7AA Join Healthwatch Wirral staff and volunteers to share your views on local health & social care services, meet the team and find out how you can get involved! Come and see us at one of the above venues and give your issues, concerns, compliments or complaints on local health and social care services

Alternatively you can also leave your concerns, compliments or complaints on our Speak Out page by clicking here

Rucksack Project Wirral Chamber and YMCA Wirral, have joined forces and have launched Wirral’s first official 2015 Rucksack Project event.

The aim of the project is to donate a Rucksack filled with vital items to help homeless people on Wirral survive the Winter months.

In November Healthwatch Wirral held a Winter Warmer event (report to follow) where we gave away gloves, hats, scarves and blankets. These items were made and donated by Wirral residents. At the event, some people gave a contribution towards the cost of these items.

Healthwatch used this money to purchase toiletries, tins of food and socks and these items have been donated to the Rucksack Project. (See picture below)

Christmas drink and drug driving campaign 2015

Merseyside Police has launched its Christmas drink and drug driving campaign on Tuesday, 1st December

Officers from the roads policing unit will be stepping up patrols throughout the month-long campaign, which runs until Friday, 1 January 2015.

They will be paying particular attention to hotspot areas in the evenings and early in the morning, to target those who are risking driving the morning after drinking or taking drugs the night before.

The aim of the campaign is to reduce the number of road deaths and serious injuries on the roads of Merseyside and to raise the awareness of the dangers around driving while over the prescribed limit or impaired through drugs.

For more information on this story, please click here

The Lonsdale Trust The Lonsdale Trust Wallasey is an independent registered charity. Its mission is to provide quality care services to adults and to provide respite and other support for their carers. The Trust operates at its own premises on Seabank Road in Wallasey and offers its services to the wider communities of Wirral, Cheshire, and Merseyside.

To find out more about what the Trust can offer, please click here

Alternatively to find out about their new one-off respite service called TOD, please click here

Police in Wirral take to the streets with 'stay safe at Christmas' message

Merseyside Police have been on the streets of Wirral to urge people to keep themselves and their homes safe in the run up to Christmas.

Police supported by local councillors Pat Cleary, Jean Stapleton and Sharon O'Brien and Wirral home watch co-ordinator Jeff Judge visited homes in Birkenhead to offer reassurance messages and crime prevention advice.

Householders were also given property marking kits and advice on how to use them and encouraged to fill in a crime prevention survey.

In a separate operation last week - in response to concerns from members of the public about anti-social behaviour in around public houses in Birkenhead and Wallasey - officers with police dogs, council's licence enforcement team and partner agencies carried out a walkthrough of licensed premises.

This story was taken from Wirral Globe. For more information on this story, please click here

Get on your bike to help Wirral cycle hubs Wirral’s bike hubs are searching for local volunteers to work with the charity Sustrans to help encourage the use of bikes in the region. Funded by Merseytravel, the hubs are based at Birkenhead Park, Wallasey Central Park, Port Sunlight River Park, Eastham Centre and Guinea Gap Fitness Suite. Volunteers will work with Wirral’s local community hub officer Janet Gregory to help organise free bikes, accessible cycling lessons, led rides and bike-related training.

This story was taken from Wirral Globe. For more information on this story, please click here

Wirral hospital singers hit the high notes for intensive care unit The critical care team at Arrowe Park Hospital have got into the party spirit this Christmas by recording a special CD to raise money for the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

After forming as a group earlier this year, ten critical care nurses, two domestic workers and a dietician set themselves the goal of recording their very first album. The Intensive Care Unit looks after some of the most seriously ill and unwell patients in Wirral.

All proceeds from the sale of the CD will help purchase iPads for the unit as this modern technology is used in rehabilitation to help patients communicate with staff.

The tablets will also be set up for video messaging so patients can keep in close contact with their loved ones during their stay in hospital.

The group, called ‘One Voice Together’, spent a recent afternoon recording the album at Steel Studios in Birkenhead.

This story was taken from Wirral Globe. To find out more about this story and where you can buy the CD, please click here

Transforming Care for people with Learning Disabilities A new national plan for people with Learning disabilities and autism has recently been published. The plan is looking to develop community services and close inpatient facilities for people with a learning disability and/or autism who display behaviour that challenges including those with a mental health condition. The Foreword to the document (page 4) explains the background to the project and the executive summary (pages 5-8) explains the plans that they will look to put in place.

To read the full document, please click here

Healthwatch Wirral would welcome any comments about the document and the proposed changes. Please send your comments into [email protected]

Bidston Sports Ability Bidston Sports Ability run a Boccia league on Wirral. Boccia is a Paralympic sport that anyone can play.

This year's league has just ended and included teams from Cambridge Road Day Centre, Moreton's OakenHolt Centre, The Bidston Belles, Bidston Bullets and Bidston Boys.

The winners of the league were the Bidston belles in the team

Anyone wishing to enter a team for next year's league should contact Peter Jones at info@expressive- communication.com

Alternatively to find out more about Bidston Sports Ability, Please click here

If you would like to give feedback on any issues, articles etc. Please contact us: By Phone on: 0151 230 8957 Email at: [email protected] Visit our website at: www.healthwatchwirral.co.uk Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Healthwatchwirr Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthwatchwirral/?ref=hl

Write to us at: FREEPOST RTTH-CCYT-RSTY Healthwatch Wirral Pacific Road Business Hub 1 Pacific Road Birkenhead CH41 1LJ

This document does not constitute legal or professional advice, or information, neither does it endorse nor reject the services mentioned. The views and opinions expressed in the document are not always to be taken as expressing the opinions of Healthwatch Wirral CIC.

Please note this newsletter was originally created for online distribution, if you would like a hard copy of any further information mentioned within this document please contact Healthwatch Wirral.