Hello,

In the last few weeks I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you while out and about in the North Kensington community and and attending various meetings with community organisations, including our North Kensington Recovery (NKR) Health Partners.

I’d like to thank you for sharing your thoughts and being so open with me about your views on shaping a community-led recovery.
 
I’d also like to encourage everyone living and working in North Kensington to have an Enhanced Health Check (EHC). These are a great way to have your health and wellbeing checked out and it’s recommended that you have one on an annual basis. More details are below and here’s a timely reminder of all the services you can access, published this summer: Service leaflet. 

The service leaflet includes details on the Grenfell Community Case Management service. This service is available to all North Kensington residents aged 18-64 who have long term health conditions and have been affected by Grenfell. 

We are always keen to hear from people living and working in the North Kensington as your views help shape future health service – your opinions and different viewpoints really matter. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing me, our engagement colleague Radhika Howarth, or any other member of my team via: nhsnwl.nkrt@nhs.net

Best wishes,

Mike Martin,
Assistant Director, North Kensington Recovery Team

New NKR team members 

We are really pleased to welcome some new additions to our team.

Dr Anu Sirpal joins Dr Amy Wheelwright as joint GP Leads and Dr Andrew Steeden expands his brief as Medical Director for West London to cover Grenfell as the Strategic GP Clinical Lead.

Sahil Gul (previously Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) joins the team as our new Mental Health and Dedicated Service Lead.

Public statement on racism and hate speech from NHS North West London

North West London is a rich and diverse area with a wide range of different cultures and communities, all of which contribute to making this a great place to live and work. We condemn in the strongest terms antisemitism, Islamophobia and all other forms of racism and hate speech. Such attitudes have no place in the NHS.

We are working with our staff and all our providers to ensure there is a zero tolerance approach to racism and hate speech across North West London.

Planning for future services in North Kensington

We are currently looking at what future services should look like in North Kensington to meet health needs associated with the Grenfell Tower Fire. This follows engagement exercises earlier in the year conducted as part of the ‘Joint Strategic Needs Assessment’ with RBKC.

We are planning to complete this work by the end of the year and in the new year are planning some ideas and options for how future services could operate, for input and agreement with community members. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing: nhsnwl.nkrt@nhs.net

Kensington & Chelsea Council 

– future Grenfell support

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council is leading a consultation on ‘Future Grenfell Support’ (formerly known as the ‘Restorative Justice’ programme) that will be in place for the immediate local community near Grenfell Tower from 2024 to 2028.

This support is for local residents, who can help to shape what it will look like, where it is delivered and how people can access it. It could look very different from what is available now, and it will be in addition to the support put in place by the NHS in the future.

Local residents can go to www.linktr.ee/grenfellcommunitysupport, where they can find more information, including details of upcoming events, FAQs, and surveys in other languages. The English version of the survey can be accessed directly here: www.bit.ly/grenfellfuturesupport. They can also email futuregrenfellsupport@rbkc.gov.uk, call or WhatsApp on 07714 846092 to find out more.

Next steps to a memorial: report recommendations

The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission (GTMC) has published a new report titled: Remembering Grenfell: Recommendations and next steps to a memorial. Translated summaries and an audio version, read by community representatives Hanan Wahabi and Susan Al-Safadi, can also be accessed.

The recommendations contained within this report reflect the last four years of work undertaken by the Commission to understand the Grenfell community’s wishes for a fitting memorial to all those whose lives were tragically lost in the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017.  

GTMC’s recommendations are viewed as an important and necessary next step in taking the community’s vision for a future memorial, and then turning it into a reality.

Hard copies of the report are also available at various sites around North Kensington.

Enhanced health checks

Enhanced health checks are great for supporting families to lead a healthier life as they can spot early signs of health problems or any underlying health conditions, to ensure help is accessed at an early stage. You can have one at your GP surgery or there are a number of dates and local venues available that makes getting one even easy for Grenfell-affected residents here.  

Simply choose your date then email nhsnwl.grenfellenhancedhealth@nhs.net with your name, date of birth and contact number. The service will make contact to arrange an appointment or you can call 07768 271 733 to speak to Razna (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).

Update on community-based specialist palliative care

North West London residents are being asked to register their interest in attending an online webinar where we will be looking at future potential service options for delivery of the new model of care for adult (18+) community-based specialist palliative care. 

The proposed new model of care has been co-designed over the last year by a working group of NW London residents, along with clinicians, NHS providers and charitable hospices with the ultimate goal of making sure there is improved access to high quality services. 

Details of the potential service delivery options will be published before the webinars so that attendees have the chance to look at and consider them before the meeting commences. 

The webinars are being held at a borough or North West London level so there is plenty of choice as to the event you can attend. Find out more here.

Spotlight on mental health 

The NHS is asking residents of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea their views on the future shape of services in their boroughs for adults aged 18 to 65 with acute mental health needs. A public consultation launched on 24 October 2023 and will run for 14 weeks, concluding at the end of January 2024. Feedback from local people and the context of the wider mental health strategy for North West London will then inform decisions on how services will operate in future.

Full details of all events and engagement activities are available on the NHS North West London website: www.nwlondonicb.nhs.uk/acuteMHconsultation

Last month's World Mental Health Day [10 October] ran with the theme: Mental health is a universal human right. CNWL’s Chief executive Clare Murdoch CBE praised the role of voluntary groups in helping to support people’s mental health in her letter.

Trauma-informed training

In partnership with RBKC we are looking to train up to 20 trauma-informed champions within the system - and this quarter we are also rolling it out with a bespoke offer for schools.

Training for schools includes an explanation of trauma, how it affects the brain and the way it presents in children and young people. Trauma-informed classroom strategies and self-care are included in these sessions. 

We encourage colleagues to sign up for these important training sessions as it will not only help foster a greater understanding of the needs of the community, but it’s also part of our commitment to support staff to help build resilience within the system.

Spaces can be reserved by emailing glynis.rogers@rbkc.gov.uk  

Introducing PATCHS

PATCHS is a new and convenient way to book GP appointments - and it avoids the frustration of being kept on hold when you try to get through to your GP practice at a busy time. 

This is because PATCHS enables patients who are registered to use the PATCHS service to contact their GP directly via their practice website. 

All the patient needs to do is answer a few simple text questions, covering the details of their request and any ideas, concerns, and expectations they may have.  The text questions (no cost to the patient) enable the GP practice to quickly and safely understand how best to respond.

Click here to watch the videos for further information and find out how to register.

Protect yourself and others against flu and Covid-19

this winter

The NHS is actively encouraging North Kensington residents who are eligible for the Covid-19 and flu vaccinations to have them this winter. You can check if you are eligible on the NHS North West London website. 

Vulnerable residents may have already received an invite but for those who haven’t bookings can be made via the NHS website’s online booking system, by downloading the NHS App, or by calling 119 for free (handy if you can’t get online).  

Walk-in drop-in centres for Covid-19 vaccination sites have also opened up across North West London, including the North Kensington area, to make accessing your vaccines even easier. Find your local centre here.

Flu jabs are also accessible through many pharmacies. You can find a pharmacy near you. 

West London GP and vaccine lead Andrew Steeden explains: “During the colder months, flu and Covid-19 spread more easily as we spend more time indoors. These viruses are unpleasant, but for some, particularly those with certain health conditions, older people and pregnant women, they can be very dangerous and even life-threatening, which is why it is so important to have these vaccinations.”

Black History month:

spotlight on health 

Celebrating the achievements of black people and communities was the focus of October’s Black History month and also an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the integral NHS values of social justice and inclusion. 

North West London’s diabetes transformation team commemorated the month by reminding BME residents about the specialist BME section on their Know Diabetes website. 

There was also a campaign to raise awareness of sickle cell disease, a disease that affects people with Black heritage. NHS Blood and Transplant also put out a call to the same community for more donors to donate blood, due to a rise in demand for blood transfusions for some people with rare blood types that are more common in people of black heritage. Click here for more details.

Al-Hasaniya – a safe space for Arabic-speaking women

Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women’s Centre has been providing support to Arab-speaking women in North Kensington through a variety of traumatic experiences, whether that be domestic abuse, the recent earthquake in Morocco, or the Grenfell Tower fire. 

Aside from specialist counselling sessions, the centre also provides a safe, tranquil space for women to enjoy crafts, yoga and other activities. This can be evidenced by the bond developed by a group of Grenfell-affected women who attend a twice weekly knitting group. The friendship that’s developed through making clothes and sharing stories has been transformative. Zohra Davis, the centre’s mental health and wellbeing project lead, explains more here.

Maxilla Men’s Shed 2023

Connected with the international Men’s Shed movement, ACAVA’s Maxilla Men’s Shed is a community workshop and maker space with a focus on tackling social isolation. Between October 2019 and June 2023 the Shed welcomed 391 people through its doors – although 56% are men, everyone is welcome.
 
The welcoming and engaging environment means the weekly ‘Tinkering sessions’, held at their Maxilla Walk Studios, attract people who want to work on practical projects, learn new skills, or simply share skills.

Their Make and Reuse Creative Workshops is a popular new project, inspiring a community of makers to reuse materials, contribute to the circular economy and make their everyday more sustainable. 
 
Attendees report that being part of the ‘shedder community’ has a positive effect on their wellbeing as it decreases their anxiety levels and provides the opportunity to develop ‘soft skills’ as well as technical ones.

Tinkering sessions are held most Tuesday and Wednesdays from 10am to 4.30pm but please check their website for more information and address details, or email rasha.el-sady@acava.org