volunteer

Help improve health care services for people aged 65 or over, survey & event – 29th November

Herts and West Essex NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) would like to hear from anyone aged 65 or over and their family/carers regarding care and treatment received from the NHS over the last 12 months. 

Please fill in a questionnaire here

If you would prefer to speak with a member of the ICB to go through your answers, rather than completing it on line please contact hweicbenh.qai@nhs.net or phone 01992 566122.  You will be asked to leave a message and someone will get back to you.  The survey will close on 28 November.

Invitation from West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

At West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we are always working on improving the services we provide for our local community. One of the ways we are doing this is using the Equality Delivery System (EDS), which is an NHS improvement tool.

In order to do this, we would like to invite you to take part in a Stakeholder Panel Event, to review and discuss how we as an organisation perform in the following three provided services:

  • Adult palliative care at end of life
  • Nutritional needs for multifaith communities
  • Easy read appointment letters for patients who have a learning disability or other need requiring easy read letters

Following a discussion, we will ask you to give a score and contribute to our ‘EDS Organisation Rating’. We would also very much value your feedback on these services so that we can work on an action plan to make improvements.

The Stakeholder Panel Event details are as follows:

Date: Friday November 29th 2024
Time: 10am-12pm
Location: Exec Meeting Room (next to the Spice of Life Restaurant) at Watford General Hospital

Refreshments will be provided.

If you have any questions regarding this, and / or to confirm your attendance, please contact Tracy Bennett on tracy.bennett6@nhs.net or 07977 580294.

By Ash Pattni, ago

Wildlife area in Mill End needs help

Message from volunteers at the Community and Rose Gardens

As you may know, there is a wildlife area in Mill End, next to the allotments. Although it was cared for by local people for many years, these residents are now very elderly and unable to continue. TRDC approached us recently to see if we could help.

At this stage, all our gardening volunteers are busy looking after our community garden and the rose garden. So we’re looking for younger people who might be willing to lend a hand. As it’s a wildlife area, if doesn’t need a great deal of care, but at present it’s really overgrown and in a state of neglect.

If you would like to volunteer, please send a message to Jane & Annabel who are leading this project via: www.sustainablethreerivers.org/contact

By Ash Pattni, ago

Join Library focus group – Citizens’ Panel

Message from Hertfordshire County Council
Deadline to join: 1st November

In 2025, Hertfordshire Libraries celebrates 100 years of a countywide library service and have secured funding from Arts Council England to deliver a programme of events and activities to appeal to everyone who lives, works or studies in Hertfordshire. To understand the preferences and views of residents, Hertfordshire Libraries have recently launched a survey seeking feedback from members of the public, whether they are existing library users or not.

As part of this, we are inviting you to an online focus group session this November, where we would like to hear your views on the sorts of events and activities you would like to see taking place in your local library.

If you are interested in attending, please could you RSVP to libraries.centenary@hertfordshire.gov.uk with the time(s) you will be available from the dates below by Friday 1 November. Please could you also let us know if you have any additional requirements for us to be aware of prior to the session. We plan for the focus group to run for about 75 minutes:

Monday 11 November (18.00-19.15) – Online
Thursday 21 November (12.00-13.15) – Online

If you can’t attend one of the focus groups and if you haven’t done so already, we would be grateful if you could respond to the Libraries’ centenary survey through this link: Hertfordshire Libraries’ Centenary – Please note that the survey closes on Tuesday 31 December.

By Ash Pattni, ago
Winter Fair christmas lights in tree near library

Ricky Winter Fair needs stewards

The Rickmansworth Town Team would be extremely grateful of any help that you can give in stewarding the Winter Fair event on Friday 29th November.

Please let the Town Team know if you are available for any time during the evening from 4pm till 8pm (slightly less time this year).  They particularly need help in the stage area – corralling the acts ready to go on stage.  Please feel free to pass on to anyone you know who may be able to help them – the more the merrier!

This year they have once again employed a security company to help out with the Event HQ to ensure that no one person gets too long a shift. David Montague will be organising the Stewards and will be in touch nearer the time if you are able to help.

Contact the Rickmansworth Town Team:

Email: info@rickmansworthtown.co.uk
Webform: www.rickmansworthtown.co.uk/contact

By Ash Pattni, ago

Lived experience of being diagnosed with high blood pressure

Message from Hertfordshire & West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB), it replaced CCG. It’s function is to be a bridge between the primary care providers and the NHS. We have our representation via our local surgery’s PPG (patient participation group).

As part of the ICB’s current campaign to encourage people to get their blood pressure checked we are keen to speak to anyone willing to share their own experiences.

Do you, or anyone you know, have a story you would be happy to share with us?

High blood pressure has no symptoms but if left untreated can lead to heart attack or stroke.

The campaign is particularly encouraging people over 40 to take up a free blood test check at a pharmacy.

Hearing from people who have discovered they had high blood pressure, and what this has meant for them, would really help us get the message out about the huge importance of getting it checked.

Find out more about the campaign on the ICS website including existing patient stories.

If you would be happy to share your story please email Lauren Oldershaw.

By Ash Pattni, ago

Winter Fair needs help

A message from the The Winter Fair Project Team, Rickmansworth Town Team

The Winter Fair is fast approaching – Friday 24th November, and we are very short of stewards for the evening. We have enough ‘set up’ help, but we need more volunteers to help man the HQ and patrol from 4pm to 9pm, and to help with the striking of the site from 9pm to 10pm. Shifts will probably be for 1-2 hours max. Radios and Hi Vis jackets are provided along with full instructions.

We would be most grateful if you could volunteer – please contact david.montague@btinternet.com.

By Ash Pattni, ago