Library Services

Services for Hearing Impaired and Deaf.
We have been looking at how we can help Deaf customers to access our services.  We have a couple of members of staff who are level 1 British Sign Language (BSL) signers (Romford and South Hornchurch, please ring ahead to make sure they are available).  We also run a reading group with a BSL signer on the first Tuesday of the month at Romford Library, starting at 2pm.  You can bring your own books or choose one of ours.  The group is newly formed and very informal.  

Electric Blanket Testing

Havering Council is urging residents to dust off their electric blankets and get them safety checked ahead of the cold snap. The Council’s Trading Standards officers will be at Yew Tree Lodge Resource Centre on Thursday 28 November between 9.30am and 2.30pm. On the day, the Council will check blankets to ensure they are working properly and are safe to use.  The London Fire Brigade will also be on hand offering home safety checks and free smoke alarm fittings.

GP opening hours

Havering GPs opening at weekend to help busy A&Es

Havering GPs are to open their doors at weekends to help relieve the pressure on local hospital A&E departments. A new scheme, which starts this weekend, aims to offer patients who are ill or injured and need urgent care, but are not a medical emergency, a weekend GP appointment in place of a long wait at A&E. 

The scheme is designed to ease the pressure on local A&E departments this winter with Havering GPs reminding the public that A&E is only for people with a life-threatening medical emergency. 

Here’s how it works. Starting this weekend, the local NHS 111 service can book an urgent weekend GP appointment for you, if needed, at a nearby surgery.

If the problem can wait until Monday, you will be given a ‘passport slip’ that will ensure your own GP contacts you. This will also help reduce the pressure on GP surgeries at the start of the week as patients will not have to wait until Monday to phone for an appointment. 

Patients access the new service by calling 111 to ensure they get the right care. Some services, such as x-rays, stitches and medical certificates are not available through the new scheme. 

Local hospitals can also re-direct patients to a weekend GP surgery if it is the right place for them to be seen. 

A&E attendances at Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT) increased by 18 per cent between 2003 and 2011, with the biggest increases coming at the weekend. Winter is the busiest time for the NHS so local GPs want to make sure that, if people need urgent care, alternatives are in place so only those with a life-threatening emergency use A&E and can be seen more quickly. 

The scheme will be rolled out between now and December starting in those areas that have the highest numbers of patients using A&E. Participating practices will be open for appointments between 9.30am and 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Havering CCG chair and local GP Dr Atul Aggarwal said: 

“We know our local hospital is likely to face serious pressures over the winter and, as local GPs, we must do our bit to help. 

“Patients should only go to A&E if they have a life threatening emergency, but sometimes they simply don’t know where they should seek help. We need to provide alternative places for patients who don’t need to be in A&E at weekends but do need to be seen quickly. By calling 111, those patients who need an urgent weekend GP appointment will get one. 

“Opening some GP surgeries at weekends this winter is a key part of our plans to make sure patients get the right care in the right place.” 

The weekend opening scheme will initially run through the winter. GPs will then look at how effective the scheme has been in reducing A&E attendances before deciding whether to continue it on a longer term basis.

Library Forum

The 4th annual libraries forum was held in Romford Library on the 11th October 2013.  There was a packed agenda which included updates on the Digital projects currently being delivered by volunteers and a presentation on our new web services.  Customers gave positive feed back about our progress on the key objectives set out in our three year strategy.  We were particularly asked to  extend the training for the RNIB software and to run courses on using your iPad and down loading e books and magazines.  

Travel today

Following the stormy weather conditions this morning (Monday 28 October) many public transport services are now resuming, but with delays - you are advised to monitor public transport and road updates, as they are continually changing:

www.tfl.gov.uk

www.c2c-online.co.uk

www.greateranglia.co.uk

Halloween

Ardleigh House Halloween Party,

 

31 October from 6pm - £5 adults £3 kids (under 5 free)

 

Free face painting for kids and a glass of ghoul (Free glass of alcoholic ghoul

for adults) Spooks & Ghosts in the grounds. Ride the ghost train, if you dare!

Apple bobbing - trick or treat with free kids activities. Bar open for adults.

Jacket spuds, hot dogs, Best costumes competition (for adults and kids (judged by age)) Plus

lots more - ALL ARE WELCOME

 

Autumn leaves

What to do with Autumn Leaves

It feels a little later than usual but autumn is now in full fall, and those with green fingers will lap up the opportunity to put the leaves to good use by composting them. With around 20,000 trees lining the borough Havering Council is encouraging residents to rake and collect the leaves that drift onto their property and then either compost them, put them in their green bins, or take them to the nearest refuse and recycling centre for composting. If residents aren’t able to dispose of the leaves, the Council offers a service to collect leaves blown in from the street and pick them up.

 

Residents should collect and bag their leaves during the autumn then call 01708 432563 to arrange a collection.