Welcome to Medway Neurological Network Website

Our AIM: To be the voice of all those affected by neurological conditions in Medway - a single point of access 

Our Mission: 

Our Contacts:  Email: info@medwayneuro.org.uk   Facebook: Medway Neurological Network   Twitter: @medwayneuro1

Please click on the images below to find out about our Activities, Medway Skylarks - click here for Skylark's videos, and our Awareness Events.

1.  Focus Group: Long Covid:  MNN is looking for people who are suffering with long Covid and who are willing to join a focus group to help Kent & Medway Clinical Commissioning Group identify the services that are required.  Please contact: info@medwayneuro.org.uk by 15 April if you can help.  If we can find 5 or more participants then we plan to hold the focus group on Tuesday 27 or Wednesday 28 April.

2.  Kent & Medway CCG

a).  Coronavirus Vaccination Update:  Medway South, Rochester and Strood Primary Care Networks have issued a joint update reporting that over 8,000 vaccinations have been given, covering 80 to 90% of the over 80s in this area.  This update also covers the situation regarding those that are housbound, and other groups - along with a SCAM warning.  Please click HERE to see the full update, dated 25 January 2021.

b).  Community Bulletin: Please click Here to see the 1 April 2021 issue.  All the latest on Coronavirus and health services in Kent and Medway.

c).   Report:  Experiences of Health Services During Lockdown. Medway Neurological Network contributed to this research by participating in an interview and by facilitating a focus group. Please click HERE to view the report.

Between May and July Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group carried out a range of activities to gather experiences of health services during lockdown. It heard from just over 3,000 people, including over 2,700 members of the public and representatives, and around 700 NHS staff.  The aim of this work was to provide feedback to support the health service to make decisions about restarting and redesigning services based on the experiences during the pandemic, and in planning for further increases in Covid-19 infections. 

The findings show that: There are high levels of support from both patients and staff for the continued use of telephone and online appointments in healthcare settings –provided this is not seen as the only option.  Patients and staff need clear and coherent information about the pandemic and the actions they should take to keep themselves and their communities safe Covid 19 led to services and teams working together in new ways – and this collaboration should be taken forward.

3.  Medway Skylarks now online: Please go to the Skylarks tab to see details and how to join our Zoom sessions that are held every Saturday morning from 10.30am to 11.30am. Sue Lovell is now taking this group and is using Canterbury Cantata Trust's evidence-based 'Sing to Beat Parkinson's' technique for enhancing wellbeing for those living with Parkinson's disease AND it has been shown to be beneficial for those living with many other neurological conditions.  

4.   Coronavirus: It is with regret that Medway Neurological Network has decided to suspend ALL of its face-to-face services including Medway Skylarks and the Neuro-cafes that it organises or promotes. This decison is on the basis of very clear advice from Neurological charities and from the Canterbury Cantata Trust. However, Medway Skylarks is now operating online, see above and Jasper's Neuro-Cafe has now been re-launched as a virtual cafe, see the Neuro-cafes tab.

5.  Enhanced Clinical Assessment Service Available via 111 in Kent and Medway.   As from 1 October 2020 the NHS 111 service in Kent and Medway offers access to a wider range of health care professionals. GPs, paramedics, nurses, mental health professionals, dental nurses and pharmacists are all part of the new NHS 111 clinical assessment service. To find out more please click HERE.  

6.  Medway & Swale Integrated Care Partnership; bringing together local partners in health and social care.  Please click HERE to see the August newsletter.

7. Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Webinar: Phil Bungay participated in this webinar, hosted by NHS England. It included talks by: Geogina Carr, the CEO of the Neurological Alliance; Wendy, who gave an talk on being a patient living with Dystonia; Dr Jason Price a Consultant Neurophycologist at the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough; Dr Michael Dilley from the Wolfeson Neuroreabilitation Services at St Georges Hospital; SW London, and Phil a person living with Parkinson's. This webinar was part of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme by NHS England. The IAPT programme began in 2008 and has transformed the treatment of adult anxiety disorders and depression in England. To access this very interesting webinar please click HERE. 

8.  Suspended: Singing for the Memory Medway: Join the new singing group that is designed for people with dementia and other cognitive impairments. Sessions held on second Friday of each month from 2pm to 4pm at The Parish Centre, St Peter's Church, Delce Road, Rochester ME1 2EH.  To see the flyer, please click HERE, and to see the dates through 2019/20 please click HERE.

i).   The findings of the Patient Experience Survey, see Here for the Key Findings and Here for the Policy Report.  Thank you to all those who participated in this survey.

ii).  Neuro-Numbers 19, giving the latest incidence figures for neurological conditions - click Here to see this report.

10.  Physical Disability Forum: To see the January 2021 newsletter please click HERE. 

11.  First Disease Modifying Drug for Early Progressive MS approved by NHS: see Jon Jeffery's (MS Society, Medway) interview broadcast on ITV Meridian on 13 May where he gives his reaction to the approval of Ocrelizumab. This drug is expected to be made available from September 2019.