The HMR Primary Care Academy has linked with Sign4Allcommunications to provide sign language training. A look at what the days offered... The training covered the following topics: How to be an effective verbal and non-verbal communicator within the workplace – this covers the correct usage and delivery of sign language. Contextualisation of the hearing impaired/deaf customer journey through your environment awareness of the deaf perspective and identification of potential areas of concern or conflict. Creating and training staff in the use of a bespoke sign vocabulary for your environment. We use role-play and interactive activities to elicit an understanding of real-life scenarios and situations. Access to a site-specific video library of signs in common use in your setting Everyone is asked by the facilitator, to view and keep the two sheets below so they could start practising the alphabet - as this would help them with the course. A few photos from the recent Sign Language training days... Some feedback from the days... Hayley Whatmough Amazing course and tutors. Wish I had learned sign language sooner. Informative and promotes equality and diversity Ashlee Ward Really approachable and good help. Judith Redkwa Very approachable, engaging, and enthusiastic Bev Howard Felt very comfortable learning, explained things very well and had fun. Amy constantly reassured new signs I was doing were done correctly and helped if unsure Tim Royales I came hoping to learn some basic signs for work and this is what happened - amazing Lauren Nuttall Just wanted to say the sign language course was amazing!!! Amy was fantastic, enthusiastic and passionate! It was well led and the team massively benefited from it! We left feedback on the day but wanted to thank you for the opportunity and to tell you it was amazing!! Thank you so much We all would like to say a massive thank you to Amy Hand @ Sign4all , please take a look at their Facebook page .

This year’s GP Patient Survey has seen two of our surgeries ranked extremely highly. So, it’s a well done to them and a thank you to you their patients, for thinking so well of them. Milnrow Village Practice in Rochdale has had excellent feedback from their patients – 100% of those surveyed rated their overall experience as good. This means that the practice is ranked 11th out of 6418 practices in England. Meanwhile, over at the Trinity Medical Centre in Rochdale, they have had similarly great feedback – 97% of those surveyed said they felt their dealings with the centre had been good. This puts them firmly in the top 100 practices in England ranking them 67th out of 6418. The past year hasn’t been easy and there have been a number of significant changes within Primary Care and how patients are treated. Thank you for recognising that we always try our best in what are very trying conditions.

What is Enhanced Access? Enhanced Access offers appointments in the evenings, at weekends and on bank holidays. The Enhanced Access Service should be able to make it easier for you to get an appointment at a time that suits you. The service offers pre-bookable, routine primary care appointments with a range of clinicians including GPs, nurses and health care assistants. You MUST book an appointment through the reception team at your local GP practice as this is not a walk-in service. Please contact your GP practice in the usual way to request an appointment. If there are no appointment’s available at your practice, they may offer you an appointment with the Enhanced Access Service, if this is right for you. This service does not include home visits. Does this mean practices are opening seven days a week? Individual practices are not open 7 days a week. This service is an extension of primary care and you will be seen at one of the four Extended Access hubs detailed below. Even though you have made your appointment through your own surgery, please don’t go there, you will be advised as to which hub to attend. How do I cancel an appointment? If you cannot attend an appointment you have booked at an Enhanced Access hub, you should contact your own practice in the normal way during their opening hours to cancel. What can I be seen for? This service is for routine appointments only, not for urgent or emergency care. A GP Enhanced Access appointment is exactly like an appointment at your own GP practice. You will be seen by experienced GPs and nurses. If you would prefer to see your usual GP or practice nurse, please book an appointment with your usual practice during their normal opening hours. Will the GP I see have access to my medical record during my appointment? Healthcare professionals you see will have some access to your medical records as your own practice GPs and staff. That way, they can give you advice and treatment in the same way that your own practice would. All your information is held on a secure system and once you have had your appointment at the Enhanced Access hub your records will be updated and passed back to your own GP practice. The Enhanced Access hub no longer has access to your records once your appointment has been completed and your own GP practice has been informed of the advice or treatment that you received. If you do not wish the healthcare professionals working in an Enhanced Access hub to have access to your medical record, they will unfortunately not be able to see you and you will not be given an appointment. If I go to an Enhanced Access hub more than once, will I be seen by the same people each time? There is no guarantee that you will be seen by the same healthcare professional on each visit. Where will my appointment take place? Appointments are available for patients registered with any of the practices who are part of the following 5 Primary Care Networks, Pennines, Heywood, Middleton, The Bridge and Rochdale North, with a range of clinicians. Heywood (Phoenix Centre) Mon-Friday 6:30-8 pm & Saturday 9 am -5 pm Middleton (Peterloo Medical) Mon-Friday 6:30-8 pm & Saturday 9 am -5 pm Pennines (Littleborough Group Practice) Mon-Friday 6:30-8 pm & Saturday 9 am -5 pm Rochdale (Whitehall Street, 90 Whitehall Street) Mon-Friday 6:30-8 pm & Saturday 9 am -5 pm

Who is Eligible? Members of the public can attend one of the three pilot centres for a chest x-ray if they meet the following criteria and are registered with a GP within either Bury or HMR locality. Age over 40 years and not had a Chest CT or X-Ray for the last 3 months, p lus one or more of the following for more than 3 weeks: Cough Fatigue Shortness of breath Chest pain Weight loss Appetite loss Coughing up blood The three pilot centres are: Fairfield General Hospital Rochdale Infirmary Royal Oldham Hospital

Feeling lonely is something that all of us can experience at any point in our lives, which can have negative impacts on our health and well-being. There are lots of simple actions that you can do to help others who may be feeling lonely, including: Giving a friend or family member a call Inviting someone for a walk Reaching out to those you haven’t heard from for a cuppa You might find that reaching out to someone else could help you to feel less lonely too. Find out how you can help lift someone out of loneliness this winter www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/lifes-challenges/loneliness/#EveryMindMatters

February is National Heart Month. Did you know that almost 1 in 2 adults in the UK have raised cholesterol? Take action during Heart Month to reduce your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases. Know and understand your cholesterol levels. Take appropriate action and take on a Heart Month challenge to improve your heart health. https://www.heartuk.org.uk/get-involved/heart-month-feb-2023 #heartmonth

Join the Middleton Social Prescriber Link Worker team – Neelum, Mike, Zed and Samina at the Middleton Primary Care Network hub on the 1st floor of the Middleton Shopping Centre on Thursday 9th March 10 - 2 pm. We will be celebrating National Social Prescribing Day and free health checks available on the day!!

The HART nurses were delighted to attend the Rochdale Recovery multi-agency event titled New Beginning on Friday 03rd March. The event was kindly hosted by the Sanctuary Trust and held at Champness Hall here in Rochdale. The event saw services throughout the borough come together to collaborate and have the opportunity to network and share information on services. Elaine

Yesterday the 9th of March was National Social Prescribing Link Workers Day and proved to be a particularly busy day for the Middleton SPLWs at the Middleton PCN Hub. Over 50 patients attended during the day and with members of the public also popping in throughout the day, the feedback we received was excellent. This was the first significant event held at our newly opened Middleton PCN Hub on the 1st floor of the Middleton Shopping Centre but it certainly won’t be the last!

Nutrition and Hydration Week has taken place every March since 2012. Its purpose is to bring people together to create energy, focus and fun in order to highlight and educate people on the value of food and drink in maintaining health and well-being in health and social care. Organisations from around the world and from all areas of health and social care take part and new organisations are welcome to join in the fun. For more information just visit: https://nutritionandhydrationweek.co.uk

When you donate to Comic Relief or Sport Relief, you’re supporting vulnerable people and communities in the UK and internationally. Our vision is to create a just world free from poverty and we’re doing this by funding amazing organisations doing amazing things. Supporting brilliant solutions to terrible problems. We are working with local organisations in the UK and around the world who’ve proven that their approach to solving peoples’ problems work – and we invest in them as they grow. #rednoseday Date: March 17 Website: https://www.comicrelief.com/rednoseday/register

From 1 April 2023 , women in England can access cheaper hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help with menopause symptoms. A new HRT prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) will help around 400,000 women save hundreds of pounds annually, reducing costs to less than £20 a year. The certificate is available online or in some pharmacies and can be used as many times as needed throughout the year. Women experiencing symptoms of menopause can now access cheaper HRT – the main treatment for menopause symptoms – helping to save hundreds of pounds in prescription charges. The new HRT PPC being rolled out today (1 April 2023) will reduce prescription costs to just £19.30 per year and can be used against a list of eligible HRT items that include patches, tablets and topical preparations. Patients can use the HRT PPC as many times as they need across the year.