Our new Community Hub for Welbeing will host an event to gather your views on how best we can prepare for our long term care.  Buckinghamshire County Council  is running the event at our Chalfonts and GX hospital on the 23 February from 10:30 to 12:30. It will be an oportunity to share your views on the sort of guidance and advice we need for financial planning, opportunities to improve our health, independent living, community support for affordable care and other issues raised by our health and wellbeing as we get older. To participate use the QR code or  contact 

ascforums@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Lets Work Together to support Health and Wellbeing 

There are several ways you and your organisation can make use of the new Buckinghamshire Community Wellbeing Hub:

• Co-locate your services: Use our accessible rooms as a base to deliver your health, wellbeing, or social care services directly within the community.

Run events, workshops, or activities: The hub provides flexible space for community events, training sessions, wellbeing workshops, information sessions, and more.

• Offer support groups: Whether you run peer support groups, condition-specific groups, carers support, or community meetups, the hub can provide a welcoming environment for people to connect.

• Collaborate with other partners: The hub is designed to bring together health, social care, and VCSE organisations. By working alongside others, you can share learning, strengthen pathways, and create more coordinated support for residents.

• Provide opportunities for students: We welcome partners who can offer placements, volunteering, job shadowing, or training opportunities to local students developing skills in health, care, and community work.


For more information please email Elouise Waring at  e.waring3@nhs.net  


  

Age Concern GX Plus Information Centre

A new information centre has been opened at 8 Market Place Chalfont St Peter offering advice and support from Monday to Fridays from 9am to 2 pm. Age Concern GX Plus also offers access to Yoga and Chair Exercise classes, Lunch and Coffee Clubs for all ages. Their web site is at https://ageconcern-gxplus.co.uk/ or phone 01753 917 241

Following the Engagement Process we hoped to explain plans to develop as a Health and Wellbeing Centre at St Peter's Feast Day.

Thanks to those who visited our stall  where we recieved many supporting comments  for the plans for the hospital. We had hoped to tell you more about the improvement of our hospital site and the services planned for our community but the "Space Committee" of Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust found it was difficult to find a contractor prepared to undertake the work required to solve damp issues. For this reason BHT were not .ready to plan details of the services to be provided.

You can find out more about the Feast Day Celebrations from the web site at https://www.feastofstpeter.org/

Our Local Community Pharmacist Consultation Service

Our local Pharmacists are important members of the NHS Health and Wellbeing Community. They can now provide advice and in some cases can prescribe treatments for common conditions (including earache,sore throats, uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women and contraceptive pills.. NHS England has introduced a new, same-day "Community Pharmacist Consultation Service". This makes it possible for  people with minor health conditions to be referred by their Primary Care Team  to their community pharmacist for clinical assessment, advice and treatment.  In our locality three pharmacies offer this service:

Boots, Gerrards Cross

Richard Adams, Chalfont St Peter

Lloyds, Chalfont St Giles

Pharmacies also offer "Safe Spaces" where people can talk about difficult issues such as domestic violence in a secure and confidential setting. Further information is provided on the Hall Practice web site at https://www.thehallpractice.co.uk/ 


News Update Pharmacy First

This week the Government annouced plans to extend its Pharmacy First Scheme across England this will make it possible for pharmacies to provide access to more basic medicines for common conditions.such as sore throats, earache, Impetigo, Shingles, Uninary Tract Infections and Sinusitis.

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The Friends Gardeners

A Team of Friends has long helped keep the Gardens  in order . We recently sorted out the gardens behind the Reception desk and cleared the windows of the Physiotherapy clinics from overgrowing plants. We were thanked by the staff for letting new light into their rooms. 

Development of the Hall Practice

We hear from our local GP that from 30th of January there will be building work carried out to prepare the empty Chalcot Health Centre for occupation by the Hall Practice. Following this the Calcot Medical Centre will also be refurbished as the premises of the Allan Practice. These developments, which will provide more space and facilities for two of our local practices,  have been approved and Funded by NHS England. While building work is undertaken car parking will stll be available for patients at the practices and in the hospital car park.

The Friends Flowers

The  Friends Flowers are back!  For  many years the Friends  have provided flowers for the Hospital with the help of the GX Flower Club, to give it a more welcoming atmosphere. We were asked to stop when COVID struck but it seems we can now carry on this tradition. 

Thanks to the Friend that contributed this display.

Ultra Sound may be coming 

The X-Ray suite at the Hospital, funded in part some 60 years ago by the Friends,  has not been in use for many years.  We now hear that it may be replaced by an Ultrasound facility. While this is perhaps best known for showing your unborn baby, it has many other uses from examining your heart, liver, kidneys and other organs in the tummy and pelvis, as well as other conditions that can be assessed through the skin, such as muscles and joint problems or varicose veins . Where more complex examinations are required the Amersham Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre will be used. We will provide more details on this service when available.

There are lots of tips on how to improve your health and wellbeing on Michael Mosley's Radio 4 series Just One Thing Podcast click on the link to find it. 

A great way for older men and women to keep fit is to join a Walking Football group. There are many in our community including at the Chalfont Leisure Centre in St Peter and at the Evreham Sports Centre in Iver Heath. Recently one of our local walking footballers, Steve Sheil vsrried out a survey on the benefits for health and wellbeing. 

And for anyone interested in keeping fit, try "Park Run".  This is a free event that is held in many of our parks and spaces including for example Black Park near Slough where you can join a run every Saturday morning ant 9 am. There are also Park Runs in Wendover Woods and Rickmansworth Aquadrome. To find out more click the link.  You will also find fun running groups meeting at the Gerrards Cross Memorial Hall

PS dont worry if your not a very good runner the events are open to people of all ability and you could just walk it.

BOPAG (Bucks Older Persons Action Group) supports walking groups across the County through Simply Walks. Our local group meets on Gravel Hill every Friday morning for a walk (and lots of chat) from 10:30 -11:30 . To find out more click on the link.