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:
- To defend and improve the quality of health and social care services available to those with neurological conditions
- To raise awareness of neurological conditions in Medway and the support services that are available
- To campaign for improved disability services and facilities
- To promote and support services/ therapies/ research projects aimed at improving health & wellbeing, e.g. Medway Skylarks
Our Participants: Currently we have 14 neurological charities and support groups participating in our Network, and we are also fully engaged with 13 major service providers in Medway. All of our participants are invited to attend our quarterly Steering Group meetings. For a full list of our participants, and links to their websites, please see our Participants page.
To view or download our MNN Flyer, please click HERE.
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.
Activities
Find out about our Neuro-cafes, our campaigns, and our planned events e.g. Medway Neuro-Arts Festival, 19-21 July 2019.
Medway Skylarks
We help organise & promote this singing & movement (Sing to Beat Parkinson's) group, that has proven therapeutic benefits - see our videos.
Awareness Events
We help promote our Participant's own awareness events and also organise our own, such as the Medway Neuro Arts Festival 2019 & the Medway Neuro-Fair 2018.
Breaking News:
Stop Press: Jasper's Neuro-cafe CLOSED 2 December.
1. Bread of Life Neuro-cafe , 17 Darnley Road, Strood, ME2 2EU: This new Neuro-cafe was launched on Tuesday 24 October at 10am, see this flyer, and will then be open on the fourth Tuesday of each month, 10am to noon. This is a bakery as well as a cafe and some months we plan to offer a cookery class to cook our own refreshments!! To see a video of Medway Skylarks performing 'Bye Bye Love' with: the Mayor of Medway Cllr. Nina Gurung; the Deputy Lieutenant of Kent Brig. Peter Gilbert; and the Medway Singers, please click HERE . To see a video of the Neuro-cafe launch event please click HERE. To see the Mayor of Medway's photo-compilation of the Launch, please click HERE.
The next Bread of Life Neuro-cafe will be held on 24 January 2024, 10am to Noon.
2. Jasper's Neuro-cafe, Friday 1 December: SORRY, JASPER'S IS CLOSED, HENCE NO NEURO-CAFE THIS WEEK.
Next week, 8 December, you are welcome to join us from 1pm to 3pm at Jasper's cafe, Rochester Community Hub (first floor), Eastgate, Rochester ME1 1EW. For more information see the Medway Neuro-cafe TAB.
3. Walter-Brice Centre Neuro-Information Point, Tilley Close, Hoo, ME3 9AE: This Neuro-Information Stall will be open on the first Tuesday of each month, from 10am to noon; next Information Stall, 5 December 2023. Please click HERE to see the flyer.
5. Medway Skylarks hybrid Zoom/ face to face sessions: join this fun singing and movement group that uses facilitator's trained in 'Sing to Beat Parkinson's' therapy, evidence-based to improve wellbeing. Sessions are open to all who are living with a neurological condition and are held weekly from 10.30am to midday. Normally these are held at the University of Greenwich, Medway Campus. For more information please visit the Skylarks tab and click HERE to see the Skylarks flyer.
Next Skylarks session: Saturday 2 December2023.
6. Kent & Medway Integrated Care System (ICS): The Kent and Medway Integrated Care System is a partnership of organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services to improve the lives of people across Kent and Medway. The ICS has four key purposes:
- improving outcomes in population health and healthcare;
- tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience and access;
- enhancing productivity and value for money;
- supporting broader social and economic development.
Medway and Swale Health and Care Partnership (M&SHCP): Is one of four Health and Care Partnerships within the Kent & Medway ICS. A wide range of stakeholders are involved in the Medway and Swale’s health and care partnership, including the acute hospital, community healthcare providers, the mental health trust, councils, and commissioning colleagues, as well Healthwatch representatives.
7. Medway Neurological Network AGM held on Tuesday 14 February 2023. Opened by the Worshipful Mayor of Medway Cllr. Jan Aldous with a keynote speech by CEO of the Neurological Alliance, Georgina Carr. Georgina presented the Kent & Medway results of the 'My Neuro-survey 2022' and made a call for action to improve neurological services for the 1 in 6 who are living with a neurological condition. To see the speech and the following discussion please click HERE.
8. Walking Football, Tuesday mornings 10am to 11am, Chatham Town football ground, see FLYER for details. Organised by Parkinson's UK, Medway groups, but open to all living with a neurological condition.
9. New Year's Honours List: Many congratulations to Dr Patricia (Trish) Vella-Burrows, Co-Director Music4Wellbeing, on being awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Wellbeing. Trish founded Medway Skylarks and Music4Wellbeing trains 'Sing to Beat Parkinson's' facilitators and runs 'Create Well' sessions.
10. New Alzheimer Drug, Lecanemab: KMTV report, 30 November. Please click HERE to see report, including local Medway reaction provided by Lorraine Brown..
11. Neurological Alliance has published:
i). Together for the 1 in 6: My Neuro Survey 2022 England Findings: Please click HERE for the full report and Calls for Action are available HERE.
ii). Call for a Neuro-Task Force: 1 in 6 people in the UK live with a neurological condition but there simply isn’t the workforce or services in place to support them. Join us in calling on governments across the UK to back the 1 in 6 and set up a Neuro Taskforce to deliver real change. Please sign the petition today: https://tinyurl.com/BackThe1in6
12. Medway Disability Sports Day 2024. Following Medway’s Council’s @MedwayCan event, which was held at Strood Sports Centre on Saturday 22 October 2022, and after discussions with the Head of Medway Council’s Public Health Team, Medway Neurological Network is now starting a dialogue with Sport Parkinson’s in order to hold a Disability Sports Day at Medway Park in 2024 - the description at the start of this Sport Parkinson’s video is exactly how we envisage a similar event in Medway with one difference, instead of it being a purely Parkinson’s event we would work with our partners in the Medway Neurological Network ie the MS Society, Dystonia uk, the Alzheimer’s Society etc. We would also partner with Medway Disability Network and the Medway Non Visible Disability initiative (NVDi) - the Medway event would be labelled as a Disability Sports event. Please let us know (info@medwayneuro.org.uk) if you would like to be involved and/ or which disability sports you would like us to feature.
13. Garden Party - NVDi in Action: Raising awareness of Non-Visible Disabilities and showcasing the work of the Medway Non-Visible Disability Initiative (NVDi): Eastgate Gardens 22 July. For a report please visit MedwayNVDi.org.uk.
14. Rare Disease Day Event, 28 February: Medway Neurological Network helped The European School of Osteopathy, Boxley, Kent organise this event. The Deputy Lieutenant of Kent and the Mayor of Maidstone presided and speakers addressed a range of neurological conditions, including: Chromosome Abnormality, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia, Motor Neurone Disease, and Young Onset Parkinson's Disease. Information stalls provided further information on these, and other rare conditions. To see KMTV coverage of the event, please click HERE.
15. Medway NHS Foundation Trust (Medway Maritime Hospital. Please click HERE to see the Autumn 2023 issue of the Trust's Community Engagement Newsletter.
16. Medway Voluntary Action: To see the latest MVA Volunteer Bulletin, September 2023, please click HERE.
17. 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 Neuro-reabilitation 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.
Parkinson's World Awareness Day events, 11 April 2023
Medway Neurological Network organised two events to commemorate this day; please click HERE to see the University of Kent report.
i). Voluntary Community Sector Information Fair, 11am to 3pm at The Paddock Island, Chatham, ME4 4NZ (between the Pentagon Shopping Centre and the Bus Station).
This event enabled over 20 Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations, such the Alzheimer's Society, the MS Society and Parkinson’s UK to promote their local services. In addition, a combined community choir, led by the Medway Skylarks (a fun singing and rhythmic movement Group for people with neurological conditions) performed at midday. The Queen's Gurkha Engineers supported this event by providing tents and a marquee and also provided Pipes & Drum accompaniment to the opening ceremony; performed by the Mayor of Medway Cllr. Jan Aldous. We are also pleased to announce that the Lord Lieutenant of Kent asked Mr Bill Cockcroft DL to represent her at this event.
ii). A fundraising meal was held at the Gurkha Brothers Restaurant, ME4 4FS, 6pm to 9pm, on behalf of the Parkinson's Centre for Integrated Therapy (PCIT) and the Nepalese Parkinson's Disease Association. A raffle organised by Home Instead was held on the night. The Director of the new Parkinson's Centre for Integrated Therapy, Prof. David Wilkinson, hosted the event. The event was opened by the Worshipful Mayor of Medway, Cllr Jan Aldous, and VIP attendees included: Mr Bill Cockcroft, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Kent; Lt Col Guy Cheeseman, Commandant of the Royal School of Military Engineering; Lt Col Ryan Castro, Commandant of The Queen’s Gurkha Engineers. The Queen's Gurkha Engineers piped in the food.
There was a video calls from Sudhir Krishnan (Krish), who is trekking in the Himalayas to raise funds for PCIT (click HERE to see his video report) & to donate to Krish's fundraiser please visit his Just Giving page.
Munal Subedi, President of the Nepalese PD Association, video called from Kathmandu to tell us about the work of this charity. Neil Bindemann , Director of Person-Centred Neurosciences Society (P-CNS) also gave a presentation of his work, including launching 'Cafe Neuro Kafe' to tackle loneliness and isolation in people living with neurological conditions.
