AFRIpads
By selling books, plants and garden produce at club meetings, bit by bit we have raised £50 to give to Elspeth to buy a pack of AFRIpads on her visit to Kumi in November. www.afripads.com
1st to 7th October 2017
From 1st to 7th October we encouraged everyone to take part in a survey to establish the extent of public knowledge about human trafficking and modern slavery. The survey was undertaken by the Soroptimists’ UK Programme Action Committee, working with the Modern Slavery Training Development Group, which is part of the Government’s strategy to combat trafficking/slavery. The results of the survey will help them to plan and target their future training. We used Facebook and Twitter to advertise the existence of the online survey. We also used the paper version, and these results will be entered on a spreadsheet and submitted to UKPAC.
Water Aid
Club members collected £119.60 (see below) to mark World Water Day.
Big Spring Clean – Darlington – 27 February 2017
Four club members, highly visible in our yellow waistcoats, again took part in the launch of the annual event to combat litter in the area. We met in Darlington’s South Park, and, after a photograph for the press and a brief interview, we were off to pick up the leavings of the thoughtless! The usual items were found, but Sylvia won the prize for the most interesting litter when she picked up part of a copy of Of Mice and Men.
Focus Group – 23 February 2017
Our club was approached by Andrea Goldie, the Communication and Engagement Officer of Healthwatch*, to help provide feedback about the new Blueprint for Health that has been developed in Darlington. We were asked because Andrea had found a positive response when she came to speak to us as part of our programme. We are therefore one of a small group of organisations who were invited to be a Focus Group within the town.
The Programme Action Committee met with Andrea and her colleague Jodi Craggs, the Information and Signposting Officer, on 23rd February. The main remit was centred on discharge management, care homes and community hospitals.
In summary some of the main points discussed were:
- Prevention of ill health in the first instance with personal responsibility for healthy lifestyle
- Services should be driven by care and compassion
- Try to reduce the number of missed appointments
- Improve communications (e.g. when patients are admitted to hospital their social circumstances could be recorded alongside the medical history. This would allow for proper planning prior to discharge.)
- Develop guidelines for the disclosure of diagnosis to help alleviate stress when bad news has to be given
- For a service to be driven by care, then further evaluation of the medical and social models is needed in the hope that health and social services will work more closely together
Healthwatch will compile a report for the Care Commissioning Group locally and also for the North East CCG and we shall also receive a copy of this.
*Healthwatch Darlington Limited is an independent consumer champion for health and social care in Darlington. The organisation helps to shape and improve local health and social care in our community.
Water Aid
Between the second January meeting and World Water Day on 22nd March our members are collecting coins for Water Aid. Each of us has a jar in which to put 1p coins each time we flush the loo or have a cup of tea. We look forward to adding them all up!
Darlington’s Walk for Peace – Sunday 27 November 2016