Shielding list no longer in use in England

Posted by & filed under MS News.

If you’ve been on the shielding list in England, you’ll get a letter soon from the NHS letting you know that the list won’t be used anymore.

Instead of everyone considered ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ being given the same advice, the UK government now recommends you get personal advice directly from your health care team.

Why is the shielding list ending in England?

The government says there are several reasons to stop using the shielding list:

  • They won’t advise everyone on the list to shield again – partly because shielding affected some people’s physical and mental wellbeing
  • There’s a lot more information now about what makes each person vulnerable to COVID-19
  • Many people have been vaccinated
  • There are now proven treatments for COVID-19

The government says it will still monitor the COVID-19 situation and, based on clinical advice, respond to keep the most vulnerable safe.

No one has been advised to shield since 1 April 2021. And since 19 July, everyone considered clinically extremely vulnerable has been advised to follow the same guidance as everyone else.

Managing your risk

If you or a loved one are considered clinically extremely vulnerable, you might want to read the MS Society information about making decisions around risk

Source: The MS Society (https://www.mssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/news/shielding-list-no-longer-us…)

MacMillan Coffee Morning, 19th October

Posted by & filed under Events.

I’m hosting a MacMillan Coffee morning on Tuesday 19th October, in the morning.  Some people will know that my mum has ovarian cancer and my Dad has prostate and bladder cancer, so I’m supporting MacMillan’s big coffee morning.  Please come along and buy some cakes and if you can also donate any cakes, it would really be appreciated.

Balance

Posted by & filed under Information.

The MS Society has been raising awareness of problems with balance and feeling dizzy which are common in MS. Like all MS symptoms, these issues affect people differently and vary from day to day.

Find out more about MS and Balance on the MS Society website here: https://mssoc.uk/3EcmFla

Did you know that both physiotherapy and oxygen treatment can help with balance wobbles? Give us a call on 0118 901 6000 to find out more about our services. 

Whisper TV is looking for homeowners who, due to life changing events, need to turn their homes into more practical and liveable spaces

Posted by & filed under Information.

We have been contacted by Carys Marchant from Whisper TV with a request: 

I am a Casting Researcher at production company Whisper TV and we are currently casting a non-broadcast pilot for ITV looking for families who are about to start work on a project which involves them adapting their homes due to a change in their personal circumstances. 

Our presenter for the series will work with a designer and the chosen family to help them adapt to the changes in their lives, and realise their homes’ full potential, turning them into beautiful, practical spaces that really work for their circumstances.  Whether it be an aged parent, who is moving in due to care, or a disabled family member who needs a downstairs bedroom. It could be a loft conversion for one of their grown-up children who’s been forced to return home to live; or they may want a proper home office instead of a make-shift one, as they prepare to make their work-from-home life permanent.

We are very keen to hear from families who will be starting a project soon (this side of Christmas) with budget, builders and planning in place, who would like some design advice from one of our chosen designers. 

If you are interested please email casting@whisper.tv

Booster shots for people with MS

Posted by & filed under MS News.

This week the Government announced booster Covid shots for people over 50, those with health conditions and health and social care staff. 

We continue to strongly encourage you to regularly use lateral flow tests (find out more by clicking here). 

Here is the booster information from the MS Society website: 

Across the UK, people with MS who’ve already been fully vaccinated will be offered a booster jab. This will be timed for at least 6 months after your second jab.

The NHS will get in touch to arrange it. You might be invited to have the annual flu jab at the same time. 

Friends, family and colleagues might also be able to get a booster jab. It’s also being offered to everyone over 50 and adults who live with someone who is immunosuppressed. 

A booster could help keep up the protection that vaccines give against COVID-19, which decreases over time. That extra protection could be particularly important as we go into the winter months.

When will I get the booster jab?

The first booster jabs are expected from 20 September, but it’ll take several weeks or months to offer the vaccine to everyone who’s eligible.

Boosters will be offered in the same order as the UK government’s original vaccine priority list. But local areas will have flexibility, to make sure people get the booster as quickly as possible. For example, that could depend on when someone had their second dose.

Some people with MS are being offered a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine because they were severely immunosuppressed when they had the first or second jab. This is not part of the booster jab scheme. Read more about the third dose vaccine if you were severely immunosuppressed

Read the government vaccine advisers’ announcement of COVID-19 booster jabs

Source: https://www.mssociety.org.uk/care-and-support/ms-and-coronavirus-care-an

Enable Magazine September-October issue

Posted by & filed under Information.

Presenting Enable Magazine
September-October issue

The UK’s leading disability and lifestyle title

Introducing the September-October issue of Enable magazine.
We’re so excited to share this issue with you and your network.

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Documenting memories is an important step with many conditions. Find out how Janis Winehouse is fighting MS and preserving her daughter Amy’s legacy with a new documentary. As the world reopens the importance of care is at the forefront of many people’s minds. Carers emphasise the important role that respite has to play before charities and young people discuss the need to reform the social care system.

Diversity and inclusion should mean more than ticking a box: we find out how big brands are committed to putting disability on the agenda, and chief executive of The Valuable 500, Joanna McGrath, talks about leading the global movement helping CEOs to insight change. All of this and much more in the latest issue of Enable Magazine.

Emma Storr

DC Publishing

Acting Editor | 0141 212 2505

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Follow our #EnableCommunity @EnableMagazine

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APPEAL FOR OXYGEN OPERATORS

Posted by & filed under Centre News.

We are short of oxygen operators, as we have now lost Zoe who is starting at college this week.  Zoe generally covered 3 sessions a week. 

We need someone for Monday, Thursday and Friday morning so if you can spare some time 9.30-12.00 and would be prepared to learn how to operate the chamber one morning a week please let Sue know. 

Full training provided by a senior operator and you would not be required to operate it on your own.If we cannot find any new operators we may have to REDUCE oxygen sessions. 

For more information speak to Sue.

100 club winners for August:

Posted by & filed under Fundraising.

100 club winners for August:

1st prize – Babs Copley

2nd prize – Angela Day

3rd prize – Peter Pearce


Sharing a prize fund of: £82.50Speak to Sue/Reception for 100 details, half the money raised goes to the centre, half as prize money.  It all helps!  You have to be a member of the centre to be in the 100 club.

MS Society – Approved but denied campaign

Posted by & filed under MS Society Local Branch.

The MS Society has just launched a new campaign to make sure people with MS in England aren’t facing an unacceptable postcode lottery. Take action now to call on your local health service to provide Sativex for people with MS. 

Getting the treatment you need shouldn’t be a game of chance. But too often, this is the case for thousands of people living with MS who experience muscle spasms.  

Sativex, a cannabis-based spray, was approved to treat moderate to severe spasms when other treatments haven’t worked in England in 2019. Yet many people with MS are still unable to access it.

Sativex is only funded in 49 out of 106 of England’s local health bodies. This means that people with MS are facing an unacceptable postcode lottery.  Read on.