25th April 2023 InfoNOW News

It’s not rocket science: The Carer’s Promise

Richard and Lauren from InformationNOW attended the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) Carer’s Promise Conference last week. It was a fantastic event with over 300 people. We heard lots about how the trust works with carers to understand improve and shape NHS services. Read more about The Carers Promise.

We spoke to lots of people at our stall who were excited to find out more about InformationNOW. Many members of NHS staff are already using the website everyday in their roles. They commented how

“InformationNOW is excellent. I use it every day to find out what’s going on in our area and signpost people to other services”

From the event we’ve arranged to visit a number of different team meetings and give demonstrations to staff, carers and volunteers about how InformationNOW can help you find the information that you need.

If you would like Richard or Lauren to speak to your team or group please contact us at [email protected]

Act F.A.S.T. stroke campaign

The NHS In partnership with the Stroke Association have relaunched the Act F.A.S.T. stroke campaign. The campaign highlights that a stroke is a medical emergency and urges the public to call 999 immediately if they notice any of the signs of a stroke in themselves or others.

You can Watch the When Stroke Strikes Act F.A.S.T. video here

Read more on InformationNOW about Strokes

Healthy cooking course at Search

Search Newcastle are running a 4 week healthy cooking course in partnership with HealthWorks Newcastle. Each week they demonstrate a healthy main meal and dessert. You can then enjoy your food and take part in a food based activity around food waste and health eating.

3rd May 1-3pm
10th May 1-3pm
17th May 1-3pm
24th May 1-3pm

Read more on InformationNOW about Healthy eating and drinking

Adopt North East events

Adopt North East work on behalf of the local authority to find adoptive parents for children who need a forever family. They are holding several  information events from May to July,
The information events are an informal, warm and honest presentation about adoption. You will hear from their team about the adoption process and the support available, as well as from adopters themselves about their journey

• Wednesday 3 May, 6.30 – 8.30pm: At the Adopt North East office, Longbenton
• Tuesday 6 June, 6.30 – 8.30pm: Online event 
• Wednesday 5 July, 6.30 – 8.30pm: At the Adopt North East office, Longbenton

Read more on InformationNOW about caring for young relatives

Jobcentre Plus arrangements for May bank holidays

Jobcentre Plus opening times are different for the bank holiday on 1 May and for the King’s Coronation on 8 May.

• Monday 1 May offices and phonelines are closed
• Monday 8 May offices and phonelines are closed

To make sure people get their payment on a day when Jobcentre Plus offices are open, some payments will be paid early:

• If the expected payment date is Monday 1 May, benefits will be paid on Friday 28 April
• If the expected payment date is Monday 8 May, benefits will be paid on Friday 5 May

Read more on InformationNOW about Welfare benefits

Elders Council ‘Getting My Affairs in order’

This event gives older adults the opportunity to share thoughts with others about getting your affairs in order – anything from making a will to power of attorney or planning a funeral. You can also pick up some useful information from local organisations such as Independent Age and Age UK.

Getting My Affairs In Order is on 11 May 10:30am – 12:30pm

If you’d like to attend, please contact The Elders council on 0191 208 2701 or [email protected]

Read more on InformationNOW about Wills, Managing someone’s affairs and planning a funeral

April benefit rise reminder

This April several benefits and pesnions saw a rise in line with inflation:

Attendance Allowance 

• Lower rate – £61.85 to £68.10
• Higher rate – from £92.40 to £101.75.

Carers Allowance

• from £69.70 to £76.75.

Personal Independent payment (PIP)

• Daily living component, standard / enhanced rate – from £61.85 to £68.10 /  £92.40 to £101.75
• Mobility component, standard / enhanced rate – from £24.45 to £26.90 / £64.50 to £71

Pension credit

• Single person (standard) – from £182.60 to £201.05
• Couple (standard) – from £278.70 to £306.85

Universal credit

• Single person, under 25 / over 25  – from £262.51 to £292.11 / £334.91 to £368.74
• Couple, joint claim under 25 / over 25  – from £416.45 to £458.51 / £525.72 to £578.82

Several benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Housing Benefit, Income based jobseekers allowance, have various rates depending on your circumstances. You can read more on GOV.UK about Benefit and pension rate changes 2023

Newcastle Welfare Rights Service can carry out benefits checks to make sure your receiving all the benefits you are entitled to.

Opportunities for action

Tyne and Wear Metro satisfaction survey

CoMET  (The Community of Metros) is a group of 42 metro systems in 39 cities around the world – including the Tyne and Wear Metro network. They measure and compare performances of metro systems and uses this to suggest good practice and improvements.

Their satisfaction survey for 2023 is now live and you can share your opinions on using the Metro via this link:
https://surveymonkey.co.uk/r/TyneandWearMetroTwitter

Please note that this is separate and independent to Nexus’ Tyne and Wear Metro customer satisfaction survey.

RNID Subtitle it campaign survey

Deaf people and people who have hearing loss rely on subtitles to ensure that they can watch anything they want to on TV. The Government recently published a Draft Media Bill, a proposed law that would change the way in which broadcasting in the UK is regulated. This includes a proposal that on-demand broadcasters will have to subtitle 80% of their content and provide signing on 5%.

If you use subtitles or British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation to watch TV, then Royal National Institute for the Deaf RNID want to hear from you!  They have an online survey to record what the british public want from subtitles and BSL interpretation when watching TV and on-demand services. You can complete the online survey(which also has a useful video) here

If you are concerned about your hearing, did you know that in just 3 minutes you can check your hearing using RNID’s free online hearing check

Read more on InformationNOW about British Sign Language and subtitles

The Big Help Out 

To mark The King’s Coronation thousands of organisations across the country are getting together to give us all the chance to help out in our own local communities. Its called the Big help out and its a free service for volunteers and local organisations to come together (using apps and the website) in the name of volunteering.

If you’d like to volunteer to help out you can sign up online or use the Big Help Out App on Apple or Android to find out what help out opportunities are available across Newcastle.

If you’re an organisation The volunteering hub powering The Big Help Out campaign is open to use and populate with your events and volunteering opportunities.  simply head to The Big Help Out website or follow this registration link to add your organisation and events. If there’s a call for more people to help out, you can include this as a Big Help Out opportunity from May 8th onwards

Theres heplful guides and FAQs on their website  if you need support to join or use the big help out campaign. You can download their brand and social media resources from their website here. If you have a specific question you need answering you can log it via their enquiry form.

Volunteers and the law training

An informative session aimed at voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, who co-ordinate volunteers on 12 May 10am – 12pm.

The session covers Understanding your legal responsibilities as a volunteer coordinator and the difference in responsible good practice issues

• Includes DBS for asylum seekers
• Question portability and references

Find out more: Volunteers and the law training session 

This session. is delivered by Karen Watson from Volunteer Centre Newcastle   
Read more on InformationNOW about volunteering 

Consultations 

Healthwatch Newcastle Surveys for young adults and those with autism or learning disabilities

Healthwatch Newcastle are running a survey to find out how GP surgeries meet the needs of those with autism or learning disabilities – and how many people with those diagnoses are aware that they are able to ask for “reasonable adjustments” to help access to services under equality law. You can take part in the survey via the link here

Healthwatch’s Youthwatch survey is open to those aged 16-25 years old. You can share your views on health and social care services and have a chance to enter their prize draw to win £30 in shopping vouchers. You can take part in the survey via the link here

Read more on InformationNOW about Having your say about health and care services

Spotlight on

Health Determinants Research Collaboration

Newcastle City Council with Newcastle University are set to establish a Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC), with funding from the National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR)

NIHR HDRCs are nationally recognised centres of ‘research excellence,’ based in and led by local government. Find out more about the HDRC.

The HDRC will help the city and its residents better understand the factors impacting people’s health and wellbeing so they can develop evidence-based responses within the council and with local, regional and national organisations and partners.

Roles Available

They are recruiting a number of roles within the HDRC to help use data for public good.

• Service Managers – To manage the HDRC service.
• Senior Data Analysts – To work with colleagues across the council on qualitative and quantitative analysis.
• Data Scientists – To provide meaningful insight derived from complex datasets from a range of sources to inform and help design and shape service delivery.
• Data Architect – To support the organisation’s use of data through effective collection, management, and modelling
• Data Analysts – To manipulate, analyse and visualise data held in a range of systems
• Data Engineers – To extract and transform data into meaningful and useful products and processes
• Research Support Officer (Undergraduate Placement)

If you want to use your skills and professional curiosity to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of people who live and work in Newcastle, please send an email to [email protected] and someone will get in touch with you.

You can read more about this on NIHR’s website: £50 million to tackle health inequalities through research – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
On the City Council’s website : Council awarded £5m to develop research collaboration | Newcastle City Council

Research and reports

Millions missing cheaper Broadband tariffs

New research from Ofcom states that more than 4 million UK households may be missing out on deeply discounted savings on their broadband bills. only 5.1% of the 4.3m households receiving universal credit payments are signed up to ‘social tariffs’, some providers may call them ‘essential’ or ‘basic’ broadband tariffs. Households receiving benefits could be eligible for discounts of about £200 a year on average,
Social tariffs are cheaper broadband and phone packages for people claiming Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income support, employment and support allowance. Some (but not all) providers.may also include Personal Independent Payments and Attendance allowance.

Read more on InformationNOW about Social Tarrif provider lists

Citizens Advice May cost of living briefing

11 May 2023 at 11 am

Join Citizens Advice for their May cost-of-living briefing where they will analyse the latest front-line data.
They’ll also be joined by special guests Carys Roberts, Executive Director at Institute for Public Policy Reform (IPPR) and Paul Johnson, Director at Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), alongside Chief Executive, Dame Claire Moriarty.

Book here; Citizens Advice May Cost of Living Briefing

Read more on InformationNOW about Cost of living

Resources

Active Bystander free training

Active Bystander Training gives you a range of tools to safely respond to potentially harmful situations such as sexual harassment in public.  By attending the training you can gain the skills, confidence, knowledge and practical tools and techniques to intervene skilfully and safely in a range of situations, whether with a stranger or with a friend. Anyone aged 18 or over can complete the training.

Read more and book online on InformationNOW 

Upcoming events and activties

Visit our Events & Activities section to see what’s happening near you this week on our calendar. Or search by location or postcode.

Jesmond Community Festival 2023

Since 2005 Jesmond Community Festival has been an annual showcase for the wide range of community activities taking place in Jesmond.
The 2023 festival runs from May 6th to 4th June and features a wide range of events for all ages, from walks, talks, tour-de-Jesmond, music, food, competitions, exhibitions and much more!

Highlights

Saturday 6 May – Jesmond Food market

Sunday 7 May – Tour de Jesmond (Active Fun)

Monday 8 May – Big Friendly Coronation Gathering

Thursday 11 May – A history of Ouseburn in 10 objects

Friday 12 May – Axum with the Elderly Brothers

Saturday 13 May – Community Litter Pick and Picnic Social

Friday 17 May – Jesmond Ceilidh

Friday 2 Jun – Frets ‘n’ Bows ‘n’ Tales ‘n’ Ales

Read more on InformationNOW about Jesmond community festival and events

Ask the expert: undergoing fertility treatment

 27 April 2023

An online event to hear general health and lifestyle advice for people who are going through fertility treatments. With an opportunity for questions with Consultant obstetrician and Gynaecology and Honorary Lecturer at Sunderland Medical School, Mr Hany Mostafa

Read more and book online on InformationNOW 

Chris Killip retrosepctive

until 3 September 2023

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art presents a full career retrospective by one of the UK’s most important influential post-war documentary photographers and co-founder of the Side gallery , Chris Killip (1946–2020).

His images from the North East of England focused on portraits of Tyneside’s working class communities and urban development during the 1980s.
There is a ‘what to expect when you visit’ guide available to support your visit

Read more on InformationNOW about BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

Skills for People Family Groups

Skills for people Family advice and support have a a new series of groups for Spring 2023.

Coffee morning events with Pass it on Parents. 
Drop in anytime at any of their locations between 10:30-12:00 to meet other parents and get advice or support.

Wednesday 26th April at the Alan Shearer Centre, West Denton Close

Tuesday 2nd May  at  the Skills for People office, Byker

Wednesday 3rd May at St Martins Centre, Roman Avenue, Walker

Wednesday 10th May at Sir Charles Parsons school, Westbourne Avenue, Walker

Family meet up sessions at the Tim Lamb Centre

For Parents / Carers of young people with additional needs to meet other families in a safe setting for children to play and a chance to chat to members of our team for advice/ support. Sessions are £3 per child, no membership is needed and siblings are welcome to join.

Tuesday 2nd May at Tim Lamb Centre Rising Sun Country Park, Whitley Rd, Benton

Tuesday 16th May at Tim Lamb Centre Rising Sun Country Park, Whitley Rd, Benton

Read more on InformationNOW about Skills for People Family advice and support service and events

Updated and new organisations

Fertility Network UK

Fertility Network UK provides free and impartial support, advice, information and understanding for anyone affected by fertility issues.

They run a North East England fertility support group that meets online monthly, as well as other UK wide groups such as LGBTQ+ fertility, Secondary infertility, South Asian fertility group.

Read more on InformationNOW about Fertility Network UK

Action Tutoring

Action tutoring are a charity that supports disadvantaged young people in Newcastle with their learning and academic achievement with volunteer tutors.

Read more on InformationNOW about Action Tutoring

Disability North

Disability North provides information and advice on all aspects of disability for disabled people, their families and carers.

Read more on InformationNOW about Disability North

Updated and new articles

Direct Payments

Direct Payments are a way of arranging your Care and Support services. The direct payments can give you more independence, flexibility and choice over how your services are arranged and provided.

Read more on InformationNOW about Direct Payments

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Best Wishes

Lauren and Richard

Lauren Hoy and Richard White Prevention, Information and Advice Lead at Newcastle City Council

Last updated: April 26, 2023