LINK
Local Involvement Network (LINKs) is a statutory body responsible for representing the community in health and social care matters. Individuals and groups can be members. It has seats on the PCTs, attends health scrutiny at the County Councils, and can visit health facilities. Essex's LINK website is: www.cemvo.org.uk.

You can participate as much or as little you want to in the following ways:

• By receiving regular information about Essex and Southend LINk

• Be involved in working task groups about the health and social care issues you are interested in.

• Join the County wide and local groups that meet monthly and are responsible for developing LINk. If you are interested, contact fahmida.ali@essexandsouthendlink.org.uk or 01245 490733 or go to www.essexandsouthendlink.org.uk 

LRA would like to hear from you if you would like to explore 'a Loughton link with LINKS'.  Please mail: contact@loughtonresidents.co.uk. 
LINK has started an investigation into hospital discharge procedures.
Issues affecting Loughton include cross border issues (our main hospitals are outside Epping Forest district), delay in diagnosis and treatment of dementia, outsourcing of services, more local services, scrutiny of the new out of hours GP service, affect of safeguarding measures on volunteers, isolation of the elderly, GP commissioning and the financial situation, transport for young families, and information on services available.
If you would like to know more, or to be involved, contact Julie Harkus on 01245 490733 or email.

Where to go for NHS services
For specific information about local NHS services, NHS Choices provides online postcode-specific contact information and opening times for NHS healthcare providers such as GP out-of-hours services, A&E, pharmacies and walk-in centres and minor injuries units. Local Primary Care Trusts also offer information on local services and opening hours – some will have a dedicated telephone number as a single point of contact for urgent care services.
 
All Primary Care Trusts provide out-of-hours services for urgent dental care. Patients in pain or with other urgent dental needs should ring either their practice or their Primary Care Trust or NHS Direct (on 0845 4647) for assessment of need and advice on how to access care urgently if required.
A number of community pharmacies will be open over holiday periods so that people can get the medicines they need. In addition, the pharmacist is ideally placed to act as the first point of call for many minor ailments and illnesses.

Ambulance Service ‘ICE’ (In Case of Emergency) Campaign.
 Store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) in your mobile phone. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital staff will be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialling the number you have stored as 'ICE'. For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. This is internationally recognised.

NHS reviews.
The Dr Foster site reviews NHS performance. Whipps Cross Hospital is in Band 4 (where 5 is 'best'); Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, is in Band 2 (rather disappointing). This ranking is based on safety issues, and there may be other areas of good practice within the hospitals. The Dr Foster site contains a lot more than just this issue - and could be a useful source of information for any lay person locally keen to see good practice in our NHS services.

Problems with the NHS?
Ask PALS for help – 0800 783396, PALS@westessexpct.nhs.uk or PALS, FREEPOST West Essex PCT.
www.westessexpct.nhs.uk

Who Cares?
Who cares is a campaign run by NHS South West Essex and SEPT (South Essex Partnership Trust) to improve support for carers in South West Essex. NHS South West Essex decides what NHS services are provided here and how the NHS spends money in this area. SEPT is paid to provide NHS mental health and learning disability services for south Essex.  Contact david.linnell@loughtonresidents.co.uk if you would like more information.

New Alcohol Group
NHS LINk Mental Health and Substance Misuse (MHSM) Theme Group – alcohol sub-group: Anyone who would like to be involved in this county wide group should contact Gabriela Horecka at LINk on 01245 490 733 or Gabriela.horecka@essexandsouthendlink.org.uk

HealthWatchEngland - an independent champion for health and social care consumers. Local Involvement Networks (LINks) will become local HealthWatchorganisations. The proposals were published as part of the White Paper ‘Equality and excellence: Liberating the NHS’, the consultation for which will finish on the 5th October 2010. See http://www.vsra.org.uk/resources/HealthWatch.pdf

Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
The scheme will require “scores on the doors” of restaurants and other food premises. It will start nationally this Autumn – we will let you know when it will start locally.

Protect yourself against seasonal flu
People most at risk of developing serious complications from seasonal flu are being urged to take advantage of a free jab.  Applies particularly to adults and children aged six months to 65 years who are in ‘at risk’ categories, including pregnant women, as well as to people aged 65 and over. Even if you had the seasonal flu vaccine last year you need a new seasonal flu jab this winter. Talk to your local GP, practice nurse or pharmacist to find out more, or visit www.nhs.uk/

PEBL internet community discussion
PEBL want to get the voices of West Essex heard by the people who run local health services. Have your say in your own words, in your own time. As many times and as often as you like.
Every month PEBL will be sending a summary of the blogs, stories, debates, views and comments directly to the NHS managers in West Essex who can make a difference. (PEBL stands for Patient Experience and Public Engagement Blogs. It is funded by the National Institute for Health Research and run by NHS West Essex R&D Office.)
More.

NHS Choices Newsletter
Click on the heading to see the latest Newsletter, and to sign up for regular newsletters.

Whipps Cross Hospital
Work has started on a new £28m A & E dept. Completion end 2011.

Dementia. 
The West Essex Alzheimer’s Society is funded by Essex County Council (ECC).  In June 2010 NHS West Essex funded a Dementia Advisor Service. In the Epping Forest district the service has seen 116 carers and 94 people registered with dementia and they are seen at St Margaret’s Hospital. The service (provided from Princess Alexandra Hospital) has 80 carers and 64 people registered with dementia. The service is liaising with the new GP Consortia regarding future funding and making sure that contact information is up to date with all GP surgeries.

Disability Equality Involvement Group.
This group meets six times a year to help the District Council with its work to achieve a fairer and more understanding environment for disabled people to live and work in. To find out more about the work of the group contact Barbara Copson on 01992 564042 or at equality@eppingforestdc.gov.uk.

NHS consultations: 

• West Essex NHS want your comments on local health services

You can complete an online form, or print and fill in a comment card, at http://www.westessexpct.nhs.uk/contactus/patient_experience.php

• Other consultations: see list
  

Major changes in organisation facing the NHS.
It appears that GPs in West Essex (in common with those in North and Mid-Essex) are 'pathfinder' Consortia, and already preparing for their new role commissioning services for patients. They are working with support from experienced staff of the Primary Care Trust; which is to be abolished in 2013.

LINks
  Some people may be familiar with LINks, the Local Involvement Network for patients and public to have their views taken into account by NHS Trusts. The Government has decreed that LINKs should evolve into Healthwatch, and has given County Councils the job of setting up the new arrangements, though these are as yet unclear (this will be the third change since the abolition of Community Health Councils). Hopefully, Healthwatch will have a greater impact on the quality of services we receive. LRA member Dorothy Paddon has written to the Essex County Council cabinet member responsible to urge a more locally-based and effective organisation.

NHS Trust merger
NHS London has given approval for Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust, Newham University Hospital NHS Trust and Barts and The London NHS Trust to develop an outline business case for the merger of these three organisations (comprising Whipps Cross, Newham, Barts, The Royal London and The London Chest hospitals). If NHS London approves the business case, the plan is for the merger to take place on 1 April 1st 2012. Appointments have been made to the three senior roles that will lead the processes for creating the new proposed organisation. For more information contact Lucy Moore on 020 8535 6800.