Health

Young people going to college or university this autumn are being encouraged to get vaccinated against meningitis and septicaemia (blood poisoning) due to the MenW bug, one of the most aggressive and deadly strains of Meningitis.

Young people going on to university or college are particularly at risk of meningitis and septicaemia because they mix with so many other students, some of whom are unknowingly carrying the bacteria. But anyone in this age group is strongly advised to get the vaccination – whether starting college or not.

GPs will be writing to the following groups to encourage them to get vaccinated at their surgery as soon as possible:

• all 17 and 18 year olds (school year 13; born between 1/9/1997 to 31/08/1998);
• 19-year-olds who missed getting vaccinated last year (anyone born between 1/9/1996 to 31/08/1997);

Anyone aged up to 25 who is starting university is also being advised to get vaccinated by their GP.

Ideally young people should get vaccinated before term starts – to ensure immunity. But anyone can still get the jab from their new GP in their college town. (more…)

Plans to transform local health and care services in Ashford stepped up a gear today (Thursday 4 August 2016) as local NHS and social care organisations published a new document, Better health and care in east Kent: time to change, setting out hard-hitting reasons why services need to be transformed if they are to be fit for the future.

Over the last six months, local NHS doctors, nurses, clinicians, social care workers and leaders have been getting together to talk about what needs to change and share thinking about ways to make that happen.  Better health and care in east Kent: time to change is the result of these conversations and presents a comprehensive view of how despite their best efforts, health and social care organisations are under real strain to deliver the services that local people need, to the standards that they should expect. (more…)

A new and improved patient transport service is being launched across Kent and Medway on 1 July 2016. Tough new measures to raise standards are being introduced, with greater emphasis on customer care and getting patients home from hospital promptly.

The new service is provided by G4S which is taking over from NSL whose contract expires on 30 June.

G4S’s performance will be measured against a Patient Charter, developed by people who use patient transport services in Kent and Medway. There are tighter timescale targets for collecting and dropping off patients before and after their appointments or when going home after an inpatient stay. (more…)