Local residents across Norfolk and Waveney are invited to special volunteering “Wellfest” events to celebrate the difference voluntary activity makes across health and social care this October.

Local volunteering teams from both the voluntary sector and health and social care organisations will be on hand to give members of the public the opportunity to celebrate the work of their volunteers, while also hearing what it’s really like to get involved and the benefits they gain from volunteering.

Local volunteers will share how the skills gained during their previous careers have been put to good use to support patients who arrive at hospital as well as hearing how volunteering has improved confidence and support back to paid employment.

Volunteering can take many forms and many people are surprised about the range of activities local people undertake to help out. Voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations from across Norfolk and Waveney have been instrumental in creating innovative ways of supporting volunteer recruitment and training, making volunteering easier to access. Roles vary from patient facing roles in a busy hospital environment to new initiative digital roles which can be carried out entirely online.

These events will feature interactive stands and displays with opportunities to speak to current volunteers about what they do in their own words, meet local Pets As Therapy dogs or even take up the opportunity of having a therapeutic hand massage.

These events will be held on:

• Thursday 12 October at Norwich Quaker Meeting House, Upper Goat Lane, Norwich, NR2 1EW

• Tuesday 17 October at Duke’s Head Hotel, 5-6 Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn PE30 1JS

These events have been jointly organised in collaboration with NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, Voluntary Norfolk and Community Action Norfolk.

You can find out more here.

Are you an unpaid carer for a family member or loved one?

The Norfolk and Waveney online carers conference brings together unpaid carers, staff from NHS and local authority organisations, and voluntary and community groups to highlight the vital role unpaid carers play in supporting friends and family.

This year the conference will take place on Wednesday 27 September, 10.30 – 15.30. The agenda includes updates on important projects such as the Carers Identity Passport; information from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust about mental health support for carers including crisis support; and a question and answer session with a panel of local stakeholders.

The event will be co-chaired by local carer ambassadors. If you are an unpaid carer for a family member or friend or have an interest in caring as a vital source of support for our most vulnerable people then sign up to take part using this Eventbrite link. If you have a question or an issue you would like to raise please enter it into the box when prompted during registration.

Places are limited – we want to include both professionals and carers however if needed priority will be given to carers.

Find out more and registere here.

Have you got an idea to improve support for children and young people living with asthma in Waveney? Please share your experiences with Healthwatch Suffolk.

Children and young people with asthma in Waveney, and their parents or carers are being asked to feedback and share ideas on local asthma care.

The short survey from Healthwatch Suffolk has been developed with the NHS to shape future services and support for children, young people and families.

You can take part if:

• you are a young person aged 11+ with asthma
• you are a parent, carer or guardian of a child or young person with asthma aged 5+

To take the anonymous online survey, simply visit www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/CYPAsthmaWaveney/

If you need help to join in, please call freephone 0800 448 8234 to speak with the Healthwatch Suffolk team. They can support you to complete the survey over the telephone, or provide alternative survey formats on request.

More information about taking part in the research can be found on www. healthwatchsuffolk.co.uk/cypasthma. You can also follow this link to find information about asthma support for children and families.

The survey will close from 11 November 2023.

Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner has launched his public consultation into the proposed budget for policing for 2024/25.

Norfolk residents are being asked whether the PCC should increase the police precept of council tax for the coming year.

The PCC has a statutory duty to set the police budget and, with this responsibility, make the decision on how much residents of Norfolk should pay towards the policing element of their council tax.

PCC Giles Orpen-Smellie will be engaging with the public over a twelve-week consultation period that will run until 5pm, Friday 24 November.

Engagement events across the county will take place to give Giles the opportunity to hear from residents about which areas of policing and services should be a priority for his spending plans over the next financial year.

You can find out more and take part here.

Diabetes UK Midlands and East in partnership with Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System are inviting people living with type 2 diabetes to attend a whole-day event in Norwich on the 26 of September.

This is an opportunity to listen to talks and workshops by local healthcare professionals and experts on managing the condition, diet, exercise, mental health, and the checks they are entitled to, such as eye screening and foot care. Participants will also be able to ask questions, provide feedback on healthcare services and meet others living with diabetes or caring for someone with diabetes.

There are approximately 70,376 people (8% of the population) living with diabetes across Norfolk and Waveney who could be at risk from diabetes complications. This is the highest prevalence in the East of England and above the figure for England at 7.3%.

Despite the serious complications of diabetes, often called ‘the silent killer’, not all people with diabetes attend their annual health checks, the key diabetes care processes, and know where to access services.

For more information about diabetes and the support available visit: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/

To sign up for this free event go to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/living-with-diabetes-day-norwich-tickets-608439327407?aff=erelexpmlt

East Coast Community Healthcare’s Cardiac Rehabilitation team are holding a free roadshow in Great Yarmouth to mark World Heart Day.

Organisations including Heart2Heart, Smokefree Norfolk, Active Now, Sports Club 88 and Freedom Leisure will have stands, as well as ECCH’s Physiotherapy Service.

Visitors will have the opportunity to have their blood pressure, heart rhythm and weight checked by the Cardiac team.

The event is being held at the Marina Centre on Marine Parade from 10am to 12.30pm on Friday 29 September.

World Heart Day is organised by the World Heart Foundation to remind people around the world to take care of their hearts and promote measures to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the biggest cause of death.

Free car parking is available if you register your vehicle at reception on arrival.

A breaking ground ceremony has celebrated the start of construction on a new NNUH Diagnostic Centre which is set to see up to 500 patients a day when it is fully up and running in 2025.

The centre will provide patients with better access to modern imaging and scanning equipment, and earlier diagnoses of conditions.

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Diagnostic Centre will feature new equipment including 5 MRI and 4 CT scanners, 2 additional Ultrasound rooms and 2 X-ray rooms. These are used for diagnosis and monitoring of a wide range of conditions, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory diseases, trauma, musculoskeletal diseases, and neurological conditions.

This development will provide diagnostic facilities at each of the three hospitals in Norfolk and Waveney, funded through an £85.9 million capital investment from the Department of Health and Social Care. Each centre will recruit additional staff, including radiographers, radiologists and support staff, to deliver scans and support patients.

The Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity is also kindly supporting this project by pledging £1.6m for imaging equipment.

Find our more about the project here.

All Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System partners are invited to attend the ICB’s first Digital Connect event on Friday 10 November, 10am – 4pm at Dunston Hall, Norwich.

The event is aimed at people who are interested in finding out about the progress of the Norfolk and Waveney Digital Strategy initiatives. There will be an opportunity to talk to project staff, give feedback, and let us know how you want to be involved.

There will be round table sessions for people to input to digital inclusion strategy and to input to digital initiatives and let us know your thoughts on the opportunities and barriers to digital progress and adoption.

A variety of topics will be presented at the workshop by local key stakeholders, including the Shared Care Record, Electronic Patient Record and the Data Hub.

Registration is required – to book your place please click here.

If you have any questions or queries, please email the ICB Digital Team at nwicb.digital@nhs.net