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 13 neurological charities and support groups participating in our Network, and we are also fully engaged with 8 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.
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:
1. Dickensian Christmas Festival & Christmas Market. Celebrate at Jaspers Community Cafe on 4 December for a festive menu and carols performed by Medway Skylarks. Medway Skylarks will be be singing from 11am to 11.30am outside the Rochester Community Hub, Eastgate. For more information please click HERE.
2. Disability Sports in Medway - Survey. Disability Medway Network CIC is working in partnership with Medway Neurological Network and some other Medway community groups and disability sports providers to put on a Medway Disability Sports event in 2022 or 2023. The aim of this survey is to find out what kind of disability sports you would like to see in Medway.
3. Complete the #MyNeuroSurvey 2021 and help improve neuro services. This important Neurological Alliance survey is available in a version for Adults and a version for Children and Young People. If your child has a neurological condition you can complete the survey with them or on their behalf.
Share your experiences. Getting the right care, treatment and support at the right time can make a life-changing difference when you have a neurological condition. But there are huge variations across the UK – not everyone with a neurological condition in the UK has access to the same high quality, joined up care and support. By sharing your experiences, you’ll help to gather the evidence to make the case for change. My Neuro Survey is completely anonymous and secure; make a real difference. Data from previous surveys has been used to improve services in hospitals, develop new specialist centres, and spark debate in Parliament. The survey takes around 20 minutes to complete. Please take part and make your voice heard. Thank you.
4. Medway NHS Foundation Trust - Meet the Governors, virtually on 2 December at 12 noon on the Teams platform
Governor sessions are held regularly, and are an opportunity for you drop in
and share your experiences or ask questions.
Our
Governors represent our local people and are your link into Medway Maritime
Hospital. It’s really important to us that we hear directly from
our patients and local community.
To
register your attendance or to ask a question in advance, please email: met-tr.members-medway@nhs.net
Please also take a look at our latest Community Engagement Update.
If you are not already
a member, please consider joining us - click here to join and find out
more about the benefits of becoming a member.
5. Launch of Medway Non-Visible Disability Initiative (NVDi): This event was held in Rochester Cathedral on 3 September 2021 - please click Here to see KMTV Online coverage and Here to see a BBCRadio Kent interview given by Jenny Walsh, CEO of Headway Kent.
6. Headway backs the ABI Bill: Headway News reports that Headway is backing acquired brain injury (ABI) legislation that is being brought to the House of Commons on 3 December by Headway Parliamentary Champion Chris Bryant MP. Please support this bill using #iBacktheABIBill or visit: www.abibill.org.uk
7. Eternal Lakes Parkinson's UK in Medway Cafe and Neuro Drop-In: Launched on 5 August 2021 by the he Mayor of Medway Cllr. Jan Aldous and the to open monthly on the first Thursday of each month - see the Medway Neuro-Cafes tab for more details, including a video of the Skylarks performance.
8. All Change in the NHS. Jane Howard, CEO of Medway Voluntary Action writes:
You may be aware that changes are occurring in the NHS. In short, what was Clinical Commissioning Group areas have changed into Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) within which Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs) operate on a ‘local’ level with the aim of delivering services tailored to the needs of communities that fall within their smaller geographical areas. In Kent and Medway we now have one Kent and Medway ICS which is an amalgamation of 8 CCGs. Within this there are 4 ICPs. Servicing Medway is the Medway and Swale ICP.The Medway and Swale ICP are utilising a model called Population Health Management. This model takes a holistic view of health and recognises that the wider determinants of health have an impact on whether someone lives a long and healthy life or not. For this reason this model works at tackling these wider determinants of health.> These changes come into full operation in April 2022.
9. Kent & Medway CCG
Community Bulletin: Please click Here to see the Winter Special Edition, Issue 40, and click HERE to see issue 41, 25 November 2021. All the latest on Coronavirus and health services in Kent and Medway.
10. 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 facilitates 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.
11. 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.
12. Neurological Alliance has published:
i). Neurological Alliance Newsletter, 22 July 2021 - please click Here.
ii). 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.
iii). Neuro-Numbers 19, giving the latest incidence figures for neurological conditions - click Here to see this report.