Please Help Us...

We would really appreciate your thoughts on the following...

http://www.gpscl.info/

This is the link to our information leafleys that we have been creating and we would really appreciate your feedback on them. If you have a moment to take a look and leave your comments then we would really appreciate you help and support.

If you prefer to email me, please do so on joey.lee@sustaincare.net

The First Health Question Time on Tiredness & Fatigue

Tonight (8th November) we held our 1st Health Question Time upstairs at the Culm Valley Integrated Centre for Health.

The panel answered questions from the 40-strong audience on tiredness and fatigue. The opportunity to question your healthcare professionals: GP Dr Claire Matthews, Pharmacist Fraser Perman and CAM practitioner Simon Mills, with Chair Dr Michael Dixon is a new and exciting idea. And it worked. We have had so much positive feedback and everyone, the panel included, got something new from the experience. 

Dr Matthews reassured the audience that GPs are happy to see you if you feel usually tired. She talked about revising your medication with your GP if you find it is affecting your level of tiredness.

Pharmacist Fraser Perman talked about the importance of talking through the over-the-counter remedies you are taking with your GP or pharmacist if you are taking prescription medicines, as these can affect each other. He also talked through the services that pharmacists offer. 

Simon Mills told us about the wonders of cinnamon and its uses after a member of the audience told of her successes after taking a teaspoon every morning. As a result Fraser had some in his coffee this morning at the cafe. The uses of cinnamon were the talk of the cafe today. Simon also talked through what CAM practitioners can offer patients to help with tiredness and fatigue.

There were far too many gems of information to share here but I am going to list the key questions below and if you would like to know the responses given, please talk to Ruth Tucker (health facilitator) at the surgery and she can talk you through the self care opportunities available.

I feel more tired if there is dull light. Is there a reason for this?

I have had fibromyalgia and other health problems for at least 13 years, maybe longer. How can I improve the overwhelming of feeling tired all the time without reducing medication?

Is St John's Wort effective at treating fatigue?

In view of my lifestyle, why is my state of health as it is? (this question was raised by a man who gave details of his medical history)

Does the panel not think that given the current economic crisis, with subsequent cut backs and uncertainties there is inevitably going to be an increase in tiredness and fatigue at all levels? What measures, therefore, can the team suggest that the general public adopt?

I am particularly interested in any herbal remedies. Which I can take to help my fatigue?

40 year old patient had total hysterectomy -  5 years later  found low iron count (anaemia) suggested that the fatigue, joint aches and pains, breathlessness, loss of concentration, memory lapses, inability to do normal exercise programme etc. She thought was due to menopause and stress could be due to something more specific . How do we know when we should be seeking medical advice especially when symptoms could be explained as part of going through the menopause? 

The Expert Patients Programme supports living well and managing long term conditions including symptoms such as tiredness and fatigue. Do you agree that such programme are valuable?

I have tried to upload a video but it is just not happening. Please take my word for it that it was a fantastic event  and make sure you don't miss the next one. We are planning for it to be in early 2011 and the topic will be back pain. Keep popping into the cafe; ask Ruth to be on her 'contact me' list or keep logging on to the blog. 

Printing Workshop

Lisa Purchase showed us how to take our printing block which we covered in white emulsion and Lisa then vanished and use it to create a print in her new printing press. I should have framed my owl to make a clearer print but you live and learn.

Oooh it's getting exciting...

When you plan lots of different events and many people are involved, life becomes chaotic. Waking up in the middle of the night and scribbling things on the to do list, last minute emails, rushing to the suppliers. The list goes on. Ruth (our health facilitator) and I have done this enough times to know exactly what we need to do but our memories fail us sometimes. Not any more. Being involved in the 'Looking After Ourselves' project, we have to record everything and we like lists and systems. We are now proud 'owners' of the 'Protocol for Organising a Course'! We have written it all down in a ticklist style. We can't forget a thing! Although the list is getting longer and longer as more people want to get involved, more organisations come on board and we remember things we've overlooked at 4am.

In other words we are getting organised and organisation frees up time and with time comes creativity and with creativity comes excitement and that buzz and wow factor we always talk about. We just need to remember where we've put the list!

How to make an Origami Flower...

Lisa Purchase who runs our printing workshops on Monday mornings taught us all how to make origami flowers. Here is our video...

Community Prescription Network

At the moment we are building the Community Prescription network. The Community Prescription Network is a structure where the Health Facilitator (lead KCIP – key community information person) works closely with a group of carefully selected, trusted people known as KCIPs who all work or volunteer in areas of community need within the local area. As a group, these KCIPs become the Community Prescription Network. During regular meetings they can network, support each other, signpost individuals to other network members with confidence and receive training and support in self care and other areas of interest as well as building an online resource called the Community Prescription Calendar which is a comprehensive list of self care opportunities within the local area.

The network enables the Health Facilitator to reach a wider proportion of the community. It also enables key community projects and organisations to work together and share good practice and therefore maximise results whilst giving the community the opportunity to maximise self care opportunities and therefore increase wellbeing.

Cafe Life

It has been a really busy week in the cafe. We have so many exciting things going on it is hard to let everybody know about everything without sounding like a stuck record. Ruth (our health facilitator) has just gone into town armed with a handful of bright orange Health Question Time posters. We have about 10 spaces left if anyone is still interested.

The community gardening group have been busy as usual. I always feel relieved when they sit down for a cup of coffee at the end as they do so much for us and I am hugely grateful for all their hard work. They are now planning to build a compost heap for the garden. They have it all in hand.

Helen Kearney who has given over some of her valuable time to get involved is also planning a series of courses on various aspects of gardening. It is fabulous that people come on board and work so hard in the name of the project and the community we are a part of and expect nothing in return. They are just all round good people.

I saw the video that was filmed here the week before last and shown at the launch of the New College of Medicine at the House of Commons. It was excellent. I can't download it as I don't have permission from the college but everyone was very impressed and it created a new buzz around what we are doing here. Hopefully it will end up in the public domain soon.

Ruth and I are beavering away on the new structure for the Health Facilitator program. We are inviting key community figures to come and get involved in what we are doing and be community links for us and us for them. I will keep you posted as to how it is progressing but we seemed to have designed a sustainable model which we have interest in from other areas of the country - fingers crossed we can make it work :)

The cafe kitchen have been busy as always. It is definitely soup weather Monday's cream of mushroom was fabulous. French onion today with a splash of something alcoholic to warm those cockles!

Health Question Time

INVITATION

First public Health Question Time

at pioneering health centre in South West

 

Culm Valley Integrated Centre for Health in Cullompton is known across the country for its innovations in health care. On Monday the 8^th November at 6pm it is hosting its first Health Question Time: a panel of doctors and other health experts will take questions on the subject of fatigue and chronic tiredness.

The Centre leads a multi-centre Department of Health project to explore ways to improve self care in many everyday conditions. This event heralds NHS Self Care week and marks 2 years of exciting developments at the centre, including our Café Sustain as in-practice community hub and ‘intelligent waiting room’, new approaches to prescribing community activities, the emerging role of a Health Facilitator in self care, and the production of friendly guidance to managing many common conditions at home.

For more information please contact Joey Lee at 07950 961 751 or at joey.lee@sustaincare.net

Details

The first Health Question Time panel will consist of Dr Michael Dixon (Chair), Dr Clare Matthews (GP), Fraser Pearson (pharmacist), Simon Mills (complementary practitioner). The theme is chronic tiredness and fatigue and questions will be taken from patients at the Centre.

Tiredness is one of the most common reasons to go to a GP yet is most often not appropriately treated by prescriptions. Across the UK 57 million GP consultations per year (about 20%of the total) are for conditions that can best be treated at home.

Health Question time is being hosted as part the DH project Integrated Self Care in Family Practice which is based at Culm Valley and also involves Bromley by Bow Centre in Tower Hamlets, the University of Westminster, and the Peninsula Medical School. NHS Self Week runs from the 15^th November.

Friday...

What a productive morning. Jan and I have planned our 'Late Night Shopping Event' on Thursday 25th November. We planted the seed at 9am this morning and by midday it's off and running. I love that! We have invited Helen Brain who makes the fabulous garlands, Ruth Hawes who creates sugarcraft models for cakes and Jan will get our knitters busy. You see we are lucky, we have a special community around us and with a few emails and phone calls we have ourselves and team and an event. We also have some newly arrived items for our shop but we will hold them back until the 25th. We will spoil you with nibbles and goodies on the night and basically it is an excuse for a bit of a party :)

I have also been in touch with a reporter who would like some cafe stories and photos for an article she is doing on how the cafe has had a positive impact on people's health and I have spoken to the good old Express and Echo about coming to our Health Question Time on Monday 8th November. They are up for that.

We have also put the finishing touches to herb of the month to be relaunched soon. Jan has booked people on to our sessions and workshops, so those are filling up nicely, as well as the day to day baking and making.

All in all it's a good day. Spending time with old friends, special friends and poorly friends gives you a bit of a nudge to remember how lucky you are and at the cafe we have the ability to pull things out of thin air. We do things because we believe in them, because we think they are fun, because people ask us to, because we think they will help. But we do things and there is nothing more satisfying that getting a job done and doing it well.

The Big Smoke

We sat in carriage 'A' (the quiet carriage), found three seats together next to a woman who was clearly still reveling in the fact that someone in the carriage had just been moved on for being too noisy. Making sound is the biggest sin you can commit in carriage A.
Now Ruth (our health facilitator) and I are not known for our quiet voices and lack of conversation. This was going to be a torturous journey. The woman opposite glared at Simon and myself as we whispered our plans for the day. I took my new vows of silence so seriously that when Ruth got on at Tiverton, I texted her to explain my being mute. So it is off to the capital we go...

At the cafe, today is knit and natter group and I know they will be oooohing and ahhhing over Jan's fabulous knitted mince pies and Christmas puddings. Nicole has taken her new role as corner monitor very seriously and has ensured ever corner of the cafe is ordered and spick and span. Klaas has a good number for his Feldenkrais course - so all is good in cafeland.

Meanwhile Simon (our boss), Ruth and myself are off to the Bromley by Bow Centre to continue our work on the project: Integrated Self Care in Family Medicine. The Bromley by Bow Centre is an amazing place (google it) and it is one of our partners in the project. We will meet with Alex Laird (www.livingmedicine.org) to discuss future plans. Alex is running a course at the cafe on 17th November so book a space if you are interested. She is fantastic so the session will be fantastic. We will also meet with their health facilitators to swap good practice and see how the project is developing in a different area. Now the end of my forefinger is numb from typing this on my phone's keyboard so I will leave it there for now and edit all the mistakes when I reunite with my laptop :)