Severe Weather Emergency Provision & Homelessness

The Severe Weather Emergency Provision (SWEP) has been activated in Hastings for tonight (Thursday 19 December - facebook). The council has been working with Warming Up The Homeless (website) to provide a place of overnight safety for rough sleepers during the severe weather expected tonight. The overnight centre will be at Gizmo House, 23 Priory Street, Hastings, East Sussex TN34 1EA.

Warming Up The Homeless have confirmed that: • People with pets are welcome • Three hot meals a day will be provided at no cost • People can access free shower facilities • People can access free laundry facilities. People do not need to approach the council in order to access this SWEP provision. But if anyone has any queries regarding this provision outside of office hours, the out of hours team can be contacted on 01424 451999.

The Council is continuing to offer support to rough sleepers this winter including support to find a longer-term home. If you are concerned about someone who is rough sleeping, please get in contact via StreetLink. Stay safe folks.

East Sussex Health & Social Care News

Photo by James Fisher

I just received by email the first issue of the year from East Sussex County Council of their Health and Social Care News, copied here: 

Welcome to our first issue of 2024, where we're kicking off with stories on a range of ways you can help to protect your health - including making sure you're protected from measles, getting inspired to be more physically active, and details of HIV Testing Week. 

We're also bringing you news on some of the latest service developments, from urgent care for children at Eastbourne District General Hospital, to outreach support for the homeless community in Hastings, and the latest on construction of a new mental health hospital in Bexhill.

Finally, our feature this month celebrates 10 years of the Joint Community Rehabilitation Team, who have been looking back over all the service has achieved since it formed a decade ago.

From the newsroom...

 

Measles is on the rise, make sure you're protected

Measles cases are rising in England, so it's important to make sure you know the symptoms, what to do if you have it, and how to help stop it spreading. It can have serious and sometimes fatal consequences, and anyone who isn't vaccinated can catch it. Make sure your family is protected from becoming seriously unwell from measles by ensuring you and your child are up to date with your MMR vaccinations. The MMR vaccine is a safe and effective combined vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. Visit the NHS website to learn about measles and the MMR vaccine, and ask your GP practice about catch up jabs if needed.

 

Improvements to urgent care for children at EDGH

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has shared an update for parents and carers on improvements to urgent care for children at Eastbourne District General Hospital. The improvements within the emergency department and urgent treatment centre, with increased paediatric expertise, will ensure children are seen sooner, with earlier paediatric intervention and will reduce waiting times. Read about the improvements here.

 

Get inspired to get more active in our county this year

Being more physically active has been compared to a wonder drug because of the huge range of benefits it offers to everyone, no matter your age, state of health, or disability. Getting more active can help to control weight, reduce the risk of serious diseases like cardiac problems and diabetes, and improve your mood and sleep. That’s why the Public Health team at East Sussex County Council, in partnership with Active Sussex and other partners across the county, have launched the #GettingEastSussexMoving social media campaign. The campaign highlights and celebrates a range of support to get active, as well as the wonderful locations to get moving across our county. Get involved and get the benefits.

 

Get tested for HIV in National HIV Testing Week 2024 

National HIV Testing Week starts from today. Sexually active people across East Sussex are encouraged to test for HIV, particularly if they have had new sexual partners.   Testing is free and confidential and is the only way to know if you have HIV. You can use a discreet at-home self-test kit, or attend a sexual health clinic or GP practice. The sooner you know your HIV status, the sooner you can get free, highly effective treatment to stay healthy and avoid passing the virus on. Visit the East Sussex Sexual Health website for more information about sexual health services.

 

What's the latest advice from the NHS on COVID-19? 

COVID-19 is still circulating in our communities, so it’s still important to take steps to protect yourself. Make sure you know the symptoms to look out for, what to do if you get unwell, and when to seek medical help. Take a look at the website for an overview on protecting yourself, symptoms, testing, medical help and recovery - including local services for people with long COVID. Visit the Health and Social Care News website.

 

Outreach support for the homeless community in Hastings

After many years supporting Hastings’ homeless community with their health and care needs, St John Ambulance (SJA) brought their outreach services to a close in January and their teams are thanked for all of their hard work to support people in and around the town. Outreach support for the homeless community in Hastings will transfer to Integrated Care 24 (IC24), which already runs Hastings Primary Care Hub at Station Plaza Health Centre in the town. IC24 will continue to support the homeless community with a GP and nurse-led service that builds on the valuable work of SJA, ensuring that some of the most vulnerable members of the local community continue to receive the care that they need. Find out how people can access the service.

 

Breaking ground for new mental health hospital in Bexhill

A ground breaking ceremony took place on Tuesday 30 January on the site of a new mental health hospital in Bexhill, marking a major milestone for local NHS services. The 54-bed hospital on Mount View Street, Bexhill, was officially named Combe Valley – a name chosen by staff and service users. Combe Valley Hospital has been developed by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) alongside NHS Sussex, the Integrated Care Board for Sussex, supported by significant input from local service users and staff. Opening its doors during 2025, the new hospital will provide modern, high-quality care for people who may be experiencing serious mental health problems, emotional crisis, or severe distress which can't be treated in the community. Read more about the new hospital.

 

Using data to tackle health inequalities across Sussex

New ways of accessing information about the local population is helping health and care leaders in Sussex make improvements for the future. Improving how health and care services use digital technology and information is one of the key priorities for this year in Sussex, and a new system is helping leaders gain a better understanding of where improvements may be needed. Read about the improvements.

 

Integrated service celebrates 10 years of supporting local people’s independence

 

The Joint Community Rehabilitation team (JCR) has been celebrating their 10-year anniversary and taking a look back over what the service has achieved since it formed a decade ago.

This integrated service brings together NHS staff from East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and adult social care staff from East Sussex County Council into three teams across the county. They support adults who need short term support to regain their independence while remaining at home, for example by improving their strength and mobility or relearning skills after a hospital stay or illness.

The teams include a wide range of professionals, like occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, social care workers, and rehabilitation support workers.

Learn more about their work.

 

 

Where to find out more...

Get advice on symptoms and treatments and find your nearest services, including pharmacies, dentists, GPs, A&E and urgent care.

Want to stay living at home but finding it difficult to cope or look after someone who couldn’t cope without you? Find out how Adult Social Care can help.

Learn about the mental health services on offer or search for local care, support and wellbeing services on the 1Space directory. You can also find a range of resources linked with rises in the cost of living on the cost of living web pages.

Enjoyed reading this? Then why not share it with a friend so they can sign up to our monthly newsletter and stay informed of all the local health and social care news.

Seasonal Problems, Loneliness, Shelter, Money and Food & Help

Every year Christmas and the 'festive season' means an increase in loneliness, but remember that the Samaritans can provide 24 hour emotional support; calls on 116 123 are free, and their local telephone number is 0330 094 5717 (local call charges apply). They can also be visited, and their opening hours and further information is on their website. Many thanks to their volunteers and staff.

2 pubs in Hastings are offering free meals over the weekend, on Saturday 24th and in association with Mental Health Help Sussex, The Pig Hastings at 37 White Rock, is offering a Free Wellbeing Christmas Meal at 6.00pm. The event is aimed at "anyone and everyone in the community who may be struggling either mentally, physically, or financially" (facebook).

On Christmas Day, Sunday the 25th of December, The London Trader at 4-7 East Beach Street is offering a free Christmas lunch and glass of wine to anyone who wants one, in their words "don't go hungry, miserable or lonely, come in, see us and get fed!" (facebook) Nice one, helped by "kind donations from locals and local businesses" including "Andy Fraser and Sedlescombe Golf Course, LWC Drinks Ltd, and Rosie Adams the people's champion at Morrisons."

In past years in Hastings & St Leonards, temporary accommodation for homeless people has been supplied by The Snowflake Trust, sadly there are still problems providing overnight dormitory style accommodation, but Hastings Borough Council are providing temporary single room accommodation for the homeless, having leased properties for the purpose. They have asked Snowflake to provide hot evening meals and to be involved still; further details can be found at their website. Help can also be sought via the Seaview Project (website) and for their other services too.

OK, it's more than just a seasonal problem these days, but foodbanks seem to be with us long term now, and Hastings Foodbank (website) is desperate for certain items:

UHT Milk, Full Fat and Semi-skimmed;

Tinned Meat (but not corned beef and pork);

Tinned Vegetables (especially peas and carrots);

Tinned Fruit;

Coffee.

Also required are:  Toilet Rolls;

Toiletries (shower gel, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste);

Tinned Fish;

Tinned Potatoes;

Tinned Rice Pudding;

Jam;

Fruit Juice.

There are Foodbank donation points all over Hastings, and full details of addresses and opening times are at the website, and include the HBC Community Contact Centre (Muriel Matters House), The Hastings Centre (The Ridge), Tesco Extra (St Leonards), Sainsbury's (Station Approach), Asda, Tesco Express (Havelock Road), Morrisons, NatWest Bank (Havelock Road), and Nationwide Building Society branches. 

Finally, from me for now, East Sussex County Council provide advice on their website regarding 'cost of living support' with links to money help and advice, your mental health, help with benefits, your home, food, employment and learning, health, transport, and help for households.

Stay safe and secure and watch out for each other folks, and much respect to those offering help and charity. Any other places where help can be found, eg free dinners, please feel free to add in comments and I'll write another blog, cheers!

Nightstop Sussex

I heard about this on the radio Tuesday night, a service I was unaware of... Nightstop UK believes that "no young person should be homeless or have to sleep in an unsafe place" (website). The chap who was being interviewed explained how his family, and over 600 other volunteer homes countrywide, provide emergency safe homes for young people to stay short-term, having received appropriate training and vetting. 

I went on to look at the Nightstop Sussex page, where they include young people (16-25) and adults too (26+), however, the nearest place to Hastings is in Brighton, so not quite local, but worth knowing about all the same. Anyway, if you know of anyone requiring help, this could be well worth looking into. 

Hastings Soup Kitchens and Workhouses...

Having recently written about Hastings Foodbank (blog) and the Snowflake Winter Night Shelter (blog) I then thought about similar facilities for poorer people in Hastings over 100 years ago, how can things still be so desperate, haven't we developed as a caring nation, the 5th/6th richest country in the World?!? For example, this shop in Queens Road (above) used to be a soup kitchen, as shown in a photograph of this building taken in 1909 that is in the Hastings Edition of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell (Wordsworth Editions, 2014).

And the building that was the Hastings Old Town Workhouse is still in George Street (Hastings Chronicle), also with a rather nicer usage now!

Since 1909 Britain has fought in 2 World Wars and many others around the world, however, in 1945 Britain adopted the fight against the "5 Evils" described by Beveridge, and there should thus be freedom from "Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness."* The Attlee Labour governments began that fight against the 5 evils despite Britain being in considerable debt following World War 2. The NHS was created, Full Employment was a target, the Education system became improved and available to children and young adults of all classes, Unemployment, Sickness and Welfare Benefits and Pensions were improved, and a great wave of building decent homes for the public was started, indeed, the number of council houses built was surpassed by Conservative governments during the 1950s. By the early 1960s there was virtual full employment, even in the late 1970s you could walk into a job which was offered to you on the spot.

How did we allow the return of the evils, poverty and homelessness continuing to worsen despite Britain being a much richer country now than it was in 1945? Hastings is the 7th worst town in the country for unemployment (nomis). Life expectancy in Britain is lower than in other developed countries and has stopped rising, indeed, lowered in some areas of the country (BBC). Furthermore, fear of the USA helping to further privatise the NHS as part of a trade deal when we leave the EU, this may well increase the influence of the evil of Disease.

Makes me feel rather sad, and angry!


* Derek Fraser, The Evolution of the British Welfare State, Macmillan 2nd edition 1984.

Snowflake Night Shelter

I recently wrote a blog about the Snowflake Night Shelter in a blog, and they have recently written on their facebook page that they have had up to seven vacancies overnight. They ask that people pass on details to homeless people, many thanks!

Also, I noticed on their page that there will be another Volunteer Recruitment Meeting at the Salvation Army Citadel in St Andrews Square TN34 1SR at 10-12.00 on Saturday 5th January 2019.