On Tuesday 27 November 2018 the Wessex Cancer Alliance will be holding a meeting to look at setting up a social capital network in the local area. The meeting will take place at 9:30 in Room F in Portsmouth Central Library, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth PO1 2DX Further details on Eventbrite Communities working together to beat cancer page  or see information taken from the page below The Wessex Cancer Alliance is looking to fund the set-up of a social capital network, in the Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport areas, that will raise awareness of cancer and cancer screening and we wondered if you would like to be involved in the [...]

Healthwatch England have published a new guide to choosing a care home. Following on from Competitions and Market Authority advice on consumer rights the guide gives six areas to consider when choosing a care home Healthwatch England - Care homes: understanding your rights Competition and Markets Authority - Care homes: consumer rights for residents and their families  

Portsmouth City Council has approved plans to close Edinburgh House and Hilsea Lodge care homes as they have been judged no longer fit for purpose. Both care home sites will be redeveloped to provide better services for older people and dementia care. On the Edinburgh House site in Cosham the Council plan to build 50 apartments with support available onsite enabling residents to maintain more independence. The Hilsea Lodge site will also  be redeveloped with facilities for independent living. The care homes, two of the five run by Portsmouth City Council, were found to be in need of improvement in recent Care Quality Commission inspections and have [...]

Are you worried about your child's language development? Are they not talking as well as they could? NHS Solent are recruiting families with children aged between 21 and 34 months for a 10 week programme of group learning with parents which, it is hoped, will lead to better language development among toddlers. More details of the research is given in the flyer below. If you would like to take part contact Dr Deborah Gibbard - ParentTalk@solent.nhs.uk (with details of the child name, dob and family contact telephine number).  

We have received information from Portsmouth City Council on help that is available for vulnerable households in the city who may need help with keeping their homes warm. Here is the information from the Council: Portsmouth City Council has a number of free schemes to promote energy efficiency in homes which are vulnerable or run the risk of falling into fuel poverty. The recently launched Warmer Homes scheme offers free first time gas central heating to homes which currently have expensive and inefficient electric heating or gas room heaters. The details of the scheme and how to apply are here: www.warmerhomes.org.uk To find out more email energysaving@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call [...]