EngageIssue One: October 2014 Your FREE magazine from your local NHS We meet... Kevin Sinfield Volunteering opportunities Care for dementia Competitions and quizzes Plus... lots more! Start as we mean to go on? Well here we are breaking new ground as we launch our first ever community Contents magazine, we hope you 03 Get involved with 10 Making Leeds share this with friends your local NHS child friendly across the city. To help us There’s lots of ways you can Find out more about the Breeze ‘try’ to ‘tackle’ our first game help your local NHS so that programme and a new app we can develop the best tackling the perils of sexting nerves (ok no more rugby possible services metaphors!) we interviewed 11 Cinnamon doesn’t 04 Volunteering makes a quite make the grade Kevin Sinfield, captain of difference at Hollybush Find out why we have done Leeds Rhinos Rugby League 05 Breaking new ground a cinnamon review! club. He tells us about how in patient involvement 12 Spotlight on… Armley he prepares for a game, A first for the CCG… There’s more to Armley than what got him playing in find out why you might think the first place and why he 06 Kevin Sinfield interview 13 News in brief We met up with ‘Sinny’ and Catch up on the latest local never lets asthma get in the talked about rugby, asthma updates you might have missed way of being a world beater. and life as a captain 14 Competition and quizzes So what else have we got in 08 A day in the life of… Win a signed Leeds Rhinos shirt Want to know what life is like 15 Gardening guru our first edition… some great as a pharmacist in the medicines Our resident gardening expert optimisation team gardening tips, a review of takes a break from the outdoors an app protecting children 09 Caring for someone to bring you some top tips with dementia from the perils of sexting 16 Sports round up Barbara tells us more about and a special mention to Local football club celebrates her experience as one of the a special birthday local football club Wortley city’s 70,000 unpaid carers FC for reaching their 40th anniversary. Meet the communications and engagement team (Left to right) Here in the editing room we weren’t feeling particularly inspired when it came to thinking of a name for our new publication so we’ve come up with Engage. We think you can do better so if you have a suggestion check out page 11 to see how to get in touch and you could win a prize! Happy reading, we hope Chris Bridle Natasha Noor you like our first edition. Engagement Lead Communications and Engagement Officer Communications and Shak Rafiq engagement team Communications Lead Jayne Garnett Project Officer Patient Carolyn Walker (aka ‘The Editors’) Experience and Involvement Communications and NHS Leeds West CCG Engagement Manager Matthew Wallace Communications and Engagement Officer 02 We need your views We want you to be involved in decisions which determine how healthcare is commissioned by NHS Leeds West CCG. We actively encourage patients, residents, and community organisations to take part and contribute to our work. Taking part in consultations and public engagement exercises are an important way to have your It’s easy to get say on issues that affect you. To help you find out about how we involved with involve patients when planning services we have given you examples below of two recent consultations. your local NHS Chronic pain services Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts for more than 12 weeks. It can have a devastating impact on people’s physical Getting involved with the NHS • Social media is a great way to stay and mental health. Chronic pain often is easier than you might think up to date with developments at cannot be cured, but it can be managed and your views and feedback could the CCG. Follow us and tweet us effectively. Our proposed changes to make a real difference to the health @NHSLeedsWest or like us on chronic pain services are designed to of your loved ones. Find out why Facebook www.facebook.com/ empower patients to take greater involving our patients is important nhsleedswestccg and feel free control of their health and have the to us and how you can get involved to leave your comments. confidence to self-manage their in shaping current and future health • Patient reference groups (PRGs) condition. services in Leeds. are groups of GP practice members Ear, nose and throat (ENT), As we are responsible for planning and who meet up to support the practice and ophthalmology community funding health and care (this is called develop. If you want to join your services and audiology and commissioning) we want to work with PRG speak to a member of staff hearing aid services patients, the public and our local at your GP practice. Patients accessing community services communities to improve services so • Our patient assurance group for ENT, ophthalmology, or audiology that you can get the best possible care. (PAG) is made up of patients from and hearing aid services are being given We are constantly looking for across the area we cover. Their role the opportunity to complete a patient opportunities to involve our is to make sure that when the CCG satisfaction survey to inform the local communities in the work we do. makes changes to services that we NHS of their experience of the care they We understand that people have involve the right people in the right have received as well as the facilities. different commitments so we offer ways. To join our PAG please email The survey for ENT covers community lots of different ways for you to get us [email protected] services delivered for adults and children. involved. Whether you are retired, The feedback for ophthalmology, • Patient representatives are working, studying or even still at audiology and hearing aid services is for involved in specific projects and help school, there are opportunities community services provided to adults ensure that we listen to patients at for you to tell us what you think. only. Children’s ophthalmology, every stage of the commissioning audiology and hearing aid services are • By far the best way to get involved process. At any one time we have specialised and are only provided at is to join our patient network. lots of different projects on the go Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The network already has over 200 at the CCG which means there’s a patients, carers and members of the project to interest everyone. Contact public who support the development us at the CCG if you want to find Want to know more? of the CCG. They receive a regular out more about being a patient You can read further information newsletter which outlines representative. about these two consultations opportunities to get involved across by visiting our website www. the city and informs them of the Without patient involvement and your leedswestccg.nhs.uk/consultations. latest local health news. If you want valued feedback our services might not Please do keep checking this page to join our network visit our website be able to deliver the care people need, as we update it on a regular basis here: www.leedswestccg.nhs.uk and so get in touch today and see how you and we’d really like to hear your click on the get involved section or can help us improve healthcare for our views on any future proposed call us on 0113 84 35475 local communities. changes to local services. 03 Volunteering 60 seconds opportunities with… Val Hewison is the Chief Executive Officer at Carers at Hollybush Leeds. Her organisation works Garden groups in partnership with help to maintain our gardens carers, funders and in Kirkstall or Chapel Allerton. partnership organisations including 111 GP practices across Leeds to Short courses provide support to unpaid carers. Woodwork, Bushcraft, Crafts, Growing in Small Spaces, Introduction to Green We spent a minute getting to know her Living – free to those on benefits. a little bit more including her childhood dream of becoming a truck driver. Active After Working Life a group for ages 55+ in the Three words that best describe you Hollybush is an inclusive LS12 and LS13 areas. Authentic, committed, persistent. environmental volunteering For further information contact Jess What are you most centre.They undertake a Kandola, Volunteer Co-Ordinator passionate about? wide range of conservation at [email protected] or call I am passionate about fairness, loyalty activities and provide lots of 0113 239 9929 and recognising I have the privilege of being a voice for those who have opportunities for volunteers Hollybush Conservation Centre, no voice or little voice in society. to gain skills and spend time Broad Lane, Kirkstall, Leeds, LS5 3BP I am passionate about using that in their local green space. privilege wisely. Hollybush has a unique atmosphere – their work Find out more about What has been your greatest volunteering? achievement? standards are high, but they Returning to the work place after my have a relaxed and sociable Volunteering has lots of benefits for people, it helps them to gain caring role had ended and staying. This approach which makes this confidence, learn new skills and was a tough shout as I had to learn a lot a great place to be. develop a real sense of belonging in a short space of time and there were to their communities whilst times I wanted to chuck in the towel as Why not join them and discover it for helping to improve the quality life was so different back at work from yourself? You can attend one of their of life for local people.