health improvement
New Signposting Website launched
Aberdeenshire Signposting Project is a free, confidential and non-judgemental service working throughout Aberdeenshire to help people find solutions to issues affecting mood and wellbeing. The Signposting Project helps people connect to services, organisations and community groups who can help address those issues. They help people overcome the barriers they face in accessing the help they need. Their new website is an excellent source of information about their services and contains everything you need to engage with the project – visit the new site at: http://www.signpostingproject.org.uk.
The ADP South community forum is holding its AGM on Tuesday 2nd May 2017 from 1pm – 4pm at West Church in Banchory, AB31 5TB.
Please join us for a sandwich lunch prior to the meeting from 12.30 onwards. 
It would be great to see as many of you as possible as we look to appoint new committee members for the Aberdeenshire ADP South Community Forum.
Sadly, our chair Jean Henretty and our secretary Kirsty Greenhowe have both announced that their period of commitment to the South Forum committee has come to an end and that they will stand down at this meeting. I am sure you will all join me in thanking them for all their work and input over the past year and wishing them well for any new ventures.
This means the South forum committee will as of May have 2 vacancies, the chair position and the position of secretary. We encourage any interested forum members, and in particular community members, to consider this great opportunity to take up a role within the forum committee and to be actively involved in shaping the work of the forum.
If you would like to stand for our committee, then please contact kirsty.forrester@aberdeenshire.gov.uk no later than Friday 21st April 2017.
If you require more information about these positions before 18th April 2017 then please get in touch with Tanja.Mehrer@aberdeenshire.gov.uk .
Also, if you or anyone you know requires transport to the meeting please get in touch and we will see what we can do!
E:CIGARETTE EVENT
0915-1600, Thursday 9 February 2017, Inverurie Town Hall
Aberdeenshire Local Tobacco Alliance (ALTA) is to hold an event focusing on E:cigarettes. The event will provide an awareness of e:cigarettes and the impact they are having on society and policies whilst identifying the challenges they are creating within key priority groups. It’s anticipated that the event will be an excellent opportunity to provide future recommendations and create a uniform wide response to this emerging product, the e:cigarette.
ALTA is delighted to welcome keynote speaker Professor Linda Bauld, Professor of Health Policy, Director of the Institute of Social Marketing and Dean of Research at the University of Stirling. She is also Deputy Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, a UKCRC Centre for Public Health Excellence covering 13 Universities. In August 2014 she also took on the role of Cancer Research UK’s cancer prevention champion (the CRUK/BUPA Chair in Behavioural Research for Cancer Prevention). This involves a part-time secondment to CRUK to lead their new cancer prevention initiative.
The event will provide the opportunity for individuals to contribute to two breakout sessions. The focus of the sessions will be:
| Number | Title | Theme |
| 1 | Young People | The impact of e:cigarettes on young people |
| 2 | Pregnancy | Is there a role for e:cigarettes in supporting pregnant women who smoke? What do we know and what are the challenges? |
| 3 | Mental Health | Does e:cigarettes have a role in Mental Health? |
| 4 | ADP | E:cigarettes are a shared responsibility. What are the challenges and how do we progress? |
| 5 | Policy Development | Grampian stand towards e:cigarettes and influencing policy |
To book a place, please complete the attached booking form. Read the rest of this entry »
Community Health Exchange Focus Group
Community Health Exchange (CHEX) has been commissioned to capture from local community-led organisations the contribution they make to health and well-being. If you would like a chance to inform NHS Health Scotland’s forthcoming corporate strategy, then please attend this focus group. The information gathered at the session will be fed back to NHS Health Scotland. This is one of only four focus groups happening in Scotland. Tuesday 29th November in Inverurie (venue to be confirmed). To register your interest, go to https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/2JBNVMN. The event will begin with a buffet lunch at 12.30 and the session will last from 1-4pm
Review of Dispensing GP practices
NHS Grampian has been consulting with the patients of six GP practices who currently get, or who are eligible to get, dispensed medicines from their GP practice.
A Review Group will be analysing all the responses to the consultation and will make recommendations to the Board of NHS Grampian.
The Review Group would like to invite any group or individual in the communities affected by the consultation – Auchenblae, Rhynie, Udny Station, Gardenstown, Portlethen and Skene – to make representations or presentations to the members of the Group.
The Review Group will be in attendance at the following locations on the dates and times shown below:
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Rhynie
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Friday 18 November 2016 in No 14 The Square, Rhynie, AB54 4HD at 1330 – 1800 hrs |
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Auchenblae
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Tuesday 22 November 2016 in Auchenblae Hall, Monboddo Street, Auchenblae, AB30 1XS at 0900 – 1800 hrs |
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Skene
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Thursday 24 November 2016 in the Westhill Community Church, Old Skene Road, Westhill, Aberdeenshire, AB32 6AQ at 0900 – 1230 hrs |
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Portlethen
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Thursday 24 November in Portlethen Academy, Bruntland Road, Portlethen, AB12 4QL at 1400 – 1800 hrs |
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Gardenstown
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Monday 28 November 2016 in the Dreel Hall, High Green, Gardenstown, AB45 3YN at 0900 – 1800 hrs |
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Udny Station
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Tuesday 29 November 2016 in the Udny Station Community Centre, Udny Station, AB41 6QJ, at 1330 – 2000 hrs |
If you represent a group or organisation in the area served by one of these practices, or you are an elected public representative, an independent contractor to the NHS or an interested individual you are invited to make a representation or presentation to the Review Group.
If you would like to do so please email nhsg.involve@nhs.net or write to Freepost, NHS Grampian by Friday 11th November. You will be allocated a time and to ensure that the maximum number of people have the opportunity to participate you should speak for 15 minutes or less.
There is no requirement to support your presentation with a written submission, but if you would like to do so please email your submission to the above email address by Friday 11th November. Read the rest of this entry »
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN HELPING YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY TO BECOME MORE ACTIVE?
A Volunteer Walk Leaders Training Courses is being held in Stonehaven on Thursday 6 October 2016. The course is designed to establish a group of local people (aged over 18 years) who are trained to promote and lead Health Walks on an ongoing basis.
Only one day of training is necessary but information will be provided to support development of local walks in Kincardine and Mearns for walk leaders attending the training through Paths for All and through local contacts.
A Health Walk is a short, local, low level walk which seeks to encourage and support people to become more active. A typical health walk usually lasts between 10 minutes and 1 hour.
| Date: |
Thursday 6 October 2016 |
| Time: |
9.30am to 4.30pm Registration from 9.15am onwards |
| Venue: |
McRobert Pavilion Mineralwell Park Stonehaven AB39 2RD
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Cost: |
FREE including resource materials (packed lunch required) |
For booking and more information please contact:
Brenda Johns, Clerical Officer, NHS Grampian
Email: nhsg.publichealth@nhs.net
Scottish Mental Health First Aid: Young People
Aberdeen Health Village, Frederick Street,
Aberdeen AB24 5HY
Tuesday 27th Sept 2016 or Monday 28th Nov 2016
The course was developed as a mental health equivalent of physical first aid for those working, supporting or parenting 11 – 17 year olds. SMHFA/YP is an evidence learning course for adults to provide initial support; in a crisis and non-crisis situation.
We are running 2 courses in Aberdeen to meet the demand.
This course does not train you to become a counsellor or mental health professional. It is designed to teach you to better understand mental health and how it affects young people, as well as learn mental first aid skills such as:-
- How to recognise the signs of mental health problems or distress
- How to ask about mental distress
- How to provide initial support
- How to guide a young person towards appropriate professional help
The course also aims to show how mental health first aid can be applied in a crisis situation involving a range of common mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, suicide and substance misuse.
This 14-hour training course is designed to increase understanding of mental health and how it affects young people. The course requires several hours of personal CPD both before and after the training day in order to complete the course requirements. The personal learning part of the course is done through the e-learning zone on the SMHFA –YP website.
The Cost is £75 per participant for the 14 hours CPD (including 1 day training). To book a place on either course please email training@thespark.org.uk or contact Emma Cameron on 07760257038 or at e.cameron@thespark.org.uk stating which course date you are interested in. 
Come and have your say – review of dispensing GP practises
Review of dispensing GP practices
Drop-in session for the public
Monday 12 September 2016
3.30pm – 7.00pm
Community Learning Centre, Portlethen Academy, AB12 4QL
&
Thursday 15 September 2016
3.30pm – 7.00pm
Auchenblae Village Hall
Come and find out about the review of dispensing GP practices which includes Portlethen GP practice.
NHS Grampian staff will be available to answer your questions and you can have your say and contribute to the review.
All are welcome to drop-in between the above times.
Appetite for Change
Join our supporters today and sign up for our
Community Food Challenge 17th – 21st October 2016
- Survive on £2 per day for five days
- Raise funds through sponsorship
- Help fight local food poverty
- Only £10 registration fee
Contact Andreea to register your support and receive your detailed
information pack. Email info@cfine.org or call 01224 596156
All funds raised through Appetite for Change will go directly towards local
charity CFINE (Community Food Initiatives North East) to tackle poverty,
food poverty and improve the circumstances of local vulnerable and
disadvantaged people. The charity also works towards reducing waste,
and environmental and community regeneration.
SC 037833 www.cfine.org 01224 596156 #fightfoodpoverty
Gardening is good for your health
The National Gardens Scheme published an independent report on the benefits of gardens and gardening on health. The report has three aims: to bring together the wide range of literature on gardens and wellbeing; to demonstrate how gardening interventions have an important place in the health and care system and to place gardens and health within the current strategic health policy context. The report includes a menu of recommendations that aims to encourage the NHS, government departments, national bodies, local government, health and wellbeing boards and clinical commissioning groups to make more of the diverse health benefits of gardening in support of their priorities. Read the report here. 
National Mental Health Awareness Week
In support of
National Mental Health Awareness Week
16th – 22nd May 2016
Healthy and supportive relationships promote mental wellbeing and reduce the risk of mental ill-health. This is a celebration of the connections, the relationships and the people in our lives that add to our wellbeing and protect and sustain our mental health. From family and friends, to colleagues, neighbours and communities; taking notice of those connections that make us feel good, give us a sense of belonging and help us feel safe and supported.
What’s happening in Kincardine & Mearns?
Monday 16th May – Health Walk –leaving from Pillar Kincardine Office 42-46 Barclay St Stonehaven at 10.30 or by arrangement.
Booking essential – please call 01569767222 or email info@pillarkincardine.co.uk
Tuesday 17th May – Pillar Presents – Stonehaven South Church from 12noon to 2pm
For an invitation or to book a place call 01569767222 or email info@pillarkincardine.co.uk
Wednesday 18th May – Portlethen Health Walk. Meet at 10am in the Jubilee Hall, Cookston Road, Portlethen
Monday 16th to Friday 20th May – Behind the Mask display in Stonehaven Library Window
For a full copy of the South Aberdeenshire programme contact info@pillarkincardine.co.uk
K&M Communities 