Your local NHS

Issue 3 • Summer 2009

Four steps to a healthier

2010

01484 344285 Huddersfield

01924 351498 Dewsbury/Batley/Spen

Working in partnership:NHS Kirklees and

Kirklees Council

Promoting equality and diversity in

Kirklees

www.kirklees.nhs.uk

Four steps to a healthier 2010

WelcomeWelcome to the fourth edition of Health Talk from NHS Kirklees – your local leader of the NHS.

The main themes of this edition include healthy eating, drinking and being active in Kirklees and the work that we are doing in your community. You can also find information about programmes such as Healthy Start, Better Health at Work and the On Trak alcohol treatment service.

Remember that it’s National No Smoking Day on 10 March so if you, a friend or family member want to kick the habit, make sure that you get involved.

In this issue we will tell you how we have been focusing and building on our partnership working with Kirklees Council and other public organisations on projects such as the Expert Patients Programme and the joint guide to health and council services.

And finally, there are details of useful health information provided at NHS Choices and we share some of our good news stories with you about how we are promoting equality and diversity in Kirklees.

We hope you find this information helpful to you as well as understanding the wide range of work that is taking place to help you and your family, friends and colleagues lead a healthier life.

If you have any comments about Health Talk call us on 01484 466223, email communications@kirklees.nhs.uk or write to Communications,

NHS Kirklees, St Luke’s House, Blackmoorfoot Road, Huddersfield, HD4 5RH.

These practical tips can help you make healthier choices. The two keys to a healthy diet are eating the right amount of food for how active you are and eating a range of foods to make sure you're getting a balanced diet.

A healthy balanced diet contains a variety of types of food, including lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy foods such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals; some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils, and some milk and dairy foods.

Step one: Base your meals on starchy foods

Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are a really important part of a healthy diet. Try to choose wholegrain varieties of starchy foods whenever you can.

Most of us should eat more starchy foods - try to include at least one with each of your main meals. You could start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal, have a sandwich for lunch, and potatoes, pasta or rice with your evening meal.

Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain less than half the calories of fat. You just need to watch the fats you add when cooking and serving these foods, because this is what increases the calorie content.

Why choose wholegrain foods?Wholegrain foods contain more fibre and other nutrients than white or refined starchy foods. We digest wholegrain foods more slowly so they can help make us feel full for longer.

Wholegrain foods include:

Wholemeal banana crumbleIngredients6 oz wholemeal flour

3 oz demerara sugar

A dash of ground nutmeg and cinnamon

3 oz oats (optional)

3 oz margarine

6 small/medium bananas

One packet of reduced sugar instant custard

10 minutes

PREP TIME

20 minutes

CO

OKING TIME

50p per serving

COST

6SERVES

Method• Put the flour, sugar, ground

nutmeg, cinnamon and oats into a bowl and mix together

• Rub the margarine into the mix until it’s like fine breadcrumbs

• Grease a medium sized oven dish (use greaseproof paper if possible)

• Slice the bananas and lay them so that they cover the bottom of the dish

• Sprinkle the crumble mix over the top and press down firmly

• Bake in the oven at 150°C/gas mark 4 for 20 – 30 minutes until golden brown

• Serve with reduced sugar instant custard (follow the instructions on the packet)

The bananas can be replaced with tinned or stewed fruit such as apples, rhubarb or plums.

For a healthier alternative serve with low fat natural yoghurt or reduced fat crème freche.

TIPS

• wholemeal and wholegrain bread, pitta and chapatti

• wholewheat pasta and brown rice

• wholegrain breakfast cereals

Take a look at our winter warmer recipe.

Healthy Start is a government scheme for families with children aged four and under and pregnant woman. It provides those who qualify with vouchers which can be used to buy fruit, vegetables, milk and instant formula. The scheme also gives free vitamin supplements to pregnant women and young children. The Healthy Start supplements are branded products and contain the exact amounts of vitamins recommended by

the Department of Health.

The national Healthy Start scheme is available to pregnant women and families with children under the age of four and who meet the following criteria:

• You or your family get Income Support, or,

• You or your family get income-based Jobseekers Allowance, or

• You or your family get Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit unless your family is receiving Working Tax Credit run-on only) and have an annual family income of £16,040 or less, or

• You or your family get income-related Employment and Support Allowance

or:

• You’re pregnant and under 18 years of age.

If you are eligible for the national Healthy Start scheme all you need to do is complete part A of the

registration form found in the Healthy Start leaflet,

get your midwife or health visitor, or a nurse or

doctor to fill out part B and send the application form off. Registration forms can be picked up from your local Children’s Centre, health centre, midwife or health visitor.

As part of a new initiative, NHS Kirklees is extending the supplement part of the scheme to those who are not currently eligible under the national scheme. So anyone who is pregnant or has a child under four-years-old and living in one of the following five localities can get free supplements:

• Batley, Birstall and Birkenshaw

• Spen

• Dewsbury and Mirfield

• Huddersfield North

• Huddersfield South

If you are not eligible for the national scheme but are eligible for the local scheme (you live in the above five localities), you can sign up to the local scheme by asking your midwife, health visitor or your local Children’s Centre about it.

For more information about the scheme, email kate.parker@kirklees.nhs.uk

or visit the national website at www.healthystart.nhs.uk

www.kirklees.nhs.uk

Most people know we should be eating more fruit and vegetables but most of us still aren't eating enough.

Try to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. It might be easier than you think.

You could try adding up your portions during the day. For example, you could have:

• a glass of juice and a sliced banana with your cereal at breakfast

• a side salad at lunch

• a pear as an afternoon snack

• a portion of peas or other vegetables with your evening meal

You can choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced fruit and vegetables.

Step two: Eat lots of fruit and vegetables

Remember: potatoes count as a starchy food, not as portions of fruit and vegetables.

Give your kids the best start in life...

www.kirklees.nhs.uk

We should be drinking about six to eight glasses (1.2 litres) of water, or other fluids, every day to stop us getting dehydrated.

When the weather is warm or when we get active, our bodies need more than this. But avoid drinking soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugar.

AlcoholTo avoid the health risks from drinking alcohol, women shouldn’t regularly drink more than 2 to 3 units of alcohol per day and men no more than 3 to 4 units of alcohol per day. The daily limits for regular drinking aim to make it clear that you shouldn't store up your whole week's 'allowance' until the weekend and then drink heavily.

Step three: Get active and try to be a healthy weight

Step four: Drink plenty of water

It's not a good idea to be either underweight or overweight. Being overweight can lead to health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes.

Being underweight could also affect your health.

If you're worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice. But if you think you just need to lose a little weight, the main things to remember are:

• only eat as much food as you need

• make healthier choices - it's a good idea to choose low-fat and low-sugar varieties, and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and wholegrains

• get more active

Remember it's important to eat a variety of types of food so you get all the nutrients your body needs.

Physical activity is a good way of using up extra calories and helps control our

weight, but this doesn't mean you need to join a gym. Just try to get active every day and build up the amount you do. For example, you could try to fit in as much walking as you can into your daily routine.

Whenever we eat more than our body needs we put on weight. This is because we store any energy we don't use up - usually as fat. Even small amounts of extra energy each day can lead to weight gain.

Crash diets aren't good for your health and they don't work in the longer term though. The way to reach a healthy weight - and stay there - is to change your lifestyle gradually. Aim to lose about 0.5 to 1kg (about 1 to 2lbs) a week, until you reach a healthy weight for your height.

How much is too much?

2-3 units or less

2000 calories

3-4 units or less

2500 calories

Shot 25ml at 40%

1 unit 54 cals

Bottle of wine 750ml at 12%

9 units 700 cals

Bottle of vodka 1litre at 40%

40 units nearly 2000 cals

Alcopop 5%

1.4 units 350 cals

Cider I pint 5% 2.8 units 220 cals

Large glass of wine 175ml at

12% - 2 units 160 cals

Beer 1 pint

4% - 2.3 units 182 cals

You should also aim to have two alcohol free days per week, and pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol.

Do you know how many units are in your drinks?We measure the alcohol content of a drink in units. One UK unit is 10ml or eight grams of pure alcohol (also called ethanol). But one unit is not one drink, the picture below shows how many units and calories are in some common drinks.

On Trak, the new specialist alcohol treatment service for adults in Kirklees opened its doors for the first time in October 2009 and was officially launched in mid January this year. The service is operating out of new and completely refurbished premises in Dewsbury and Huddersfield town centres. It is a significantly expanded and dedicated alcohol treatment service which is delivered in partnership between Lifeline Kirklees and Community Links.

On Trak has been funded by NHS Kirklees and Kirklees Council and jointly put together with other partners including West Yorkshire Police and the West Yorkshire Probation Service. The service aims to reduce alcohol related health problems across the local population and develop comprehensive alcohol treatment.

For more information on the service please contact either the Dewsbury office on

01924 486170 or the Huddersfield office on 01484 437909.

Recommended daily guidelines for sensible drinking/calorie intake

Treatment : Recovery : Alcohol : Kirklees

www.kirklees.nhs.uk

Promoting equality and diversity in Kirklees

NHS Kirklees and Kirklees Council

working togetherNHS Kirklees and Kirklees Council are working together in a number of ways. The Experts Patients Programme and the joint guide to health and council services are just some of the projects that we are working on together this year. We are also continuing to work with numerous other public organisations so that we can continue to improve our services for you.

An Expert Patients Programme has been established by NHS Kirklees, in partnership with Kirklees Council and the voluntary and community sectors. This is a free 8 – 10 week self-management course for people with long term health conditions and their carers. You will be able to learn skills for managing and improving your health and well-being.

The programme provides a set of tried and tested skills which have proven to lead to many benefits for people with long term conditions. It has helped people to feel better and be more in control of their lives. You will have the option to go on to more training to become volunteer course tutors after the course if you want to.

The programme is delivered by a group of trained tutors, the majority of whom are volunteers. Courses are mainly delivered in English but can be provided in alternative community languages too.

This year we have worked with the council to produce a joint annual guide to local health services and A-Z guide of council services which will be distributed to all households in Kirklees. The two guides have always been produced separately in the past but this year we are hoping that by offering you a single guide this will help you find all the information you want in one handy booklet.

By working together to produce the guide we have saved money by sharing the cost of production and distribution and we will be looking into more opportunities to work together in the future.

Expert Patients Programme

For more information please contact: Julie Lawes on 01924 351448 or julie.lawes@kirklees.nhs.uk

Joint guide to health and council services

Interfaith successes and achievementsA recent fund raising day run by the Kirklees Faiths Forum raised over £7,000 for the neo-natal unit at Dewsbury District Hospital and the intensive care unit at Huddersfield Hospital.

At the ‘Pledge a pound and fast for a day’ event at the Al-Hikmah Centre, Batley, representatives from the Christian and Muslim faiths spoke about fasting and what it means for their faiths. Local children from Paradise Primary School did performances including singing and recitations from the Quran. Thousands of people across Kirklees fasted for the day and contributed to local health services. Kirklees Faiths Forum have expressed their thanks to Zaccharia Mosque in Savile Town who raised over £6,000 for the event.

In addition, Kirklees Council has received a prestigious national award for its unique education project. Interfaith Kirklees (Schools) has received the national Quality Badge Award for Learning Outside the Classroom.

Councillor Ken Smith, Joint Cabinet Member for Children and Families said: “This is an important project which provides high quality religious education in Kirklees by fostering the mutual respect and understanding of other religions and thereby helps engender the respect we should all have for each other.”

The faith centres reflect the major religions represented across Kirklees. There are two Christian, two Muslim, two Sikh centres and one Hindu and Buddhist centre. Each have hosts from the respective worshipping community who are trained in engaging with young people.

NHS Kirklees’ single equality schemeA key task for NHS Kirklees in 2010 is to make a genuine impact on the equality and human rights agenda and show that we are making a real difference to the people of Kirklees. To help us achieve our public sector duties, we are required to prepare and publish an equality scheme. Our goal for 2010 is to review our existing scheme, and with the help of patients, staff, partners and the public, develop a new scheme that reflects local priorities identified by people living and working in Kirklees.

We are committed to tackling health inequalities and providing high quality healthcare services based on the needs of the whole community. If you would like to have your say and get involved in developing our new single equality scheme, or if you would just like some information about our work around equality and human rights, then please contact NHS Kirklees’ Equality and Diversity Manager on 01484 466021 or email kate.bell@kirklees.nhs.uk

www.kirklees.nhs.uk

Kirklees Stop Smoking Service will support you if you want to stop smoking; whether that’s using willpower alone, using medication to help ease the cravings or quitting alongside other people in the same position. Kirklees Stop Smoking Service has supportive advisors that will work with you to reach your goal. Many smokers feel trapped by their smoking and feel that they are controlled by the addiction. Ex-smokers often say that the feeling of freedom is one of the best benefits of quitting smoking.

Why not make 2010 the year when you break free from the control of cigarettes?

Last year No

Smoking Day saw one in ten smokers kick the habit; an impressive 900,000 people. We're expecting even more to

take part this year.

Better Health at WorkThe Better Health at Work team at Kirklees Council have been working with local, medium to large size businesses since January 2009, promoting a healthy lifestyle and supporting employers and employees to make small positive changes to improve their physical and emotional well-being. Due to the initial success and fantastic response from employees, they have exceeded their targets and now have 15 businesses signed up.

The Better Health at Work team have had some encouraging responses to their key health messages regarding diet, smoking cessation, alcohol awareness and being more active. Many people have admitted it has given them a wake up call. The team have made use of the Blendavenda, (a portable, pedal-powered smoothie maker), beer goggle bowling, (where the goggles mimic the effects of mild inebriation) and the fat vest, (a specially designed garment that allows the wearer to temporarily experience 20 lbs of excess body fat).

One of the ways to increase physical activity is walking and to encourage this, the team has given out free pedometers. This has created challenges for employees including increasing their daily steps to replicate walking the Pennine way.

The Kirklees Stop Smoking service offers a variety of one-to-one appointments and drop-in sessions across Dewsbury, Batley, Spen and Huddersfield.

For more information or to book an appointment telephone 01924 351498 (Dewsbury/Batley/Spen) or 01484 344285 (Huddersfield).

A full list of venues and clinic times is also available by visiting www.kirklees.nhs.uk/your-health/stop-smoking-support/

For further information please contact:

Better Health at Work Tel: 01484 416777

Email: env.better health@kirklees.gov.uk

A lot of illnesses or symptoms can be treated in your home. A well stocked medicine cabinet and plenty of rest can help you take care of very minor ailments. Staying at home and using 'self care' is the best option when treating very minor ailments.

NHS Direct: For health advice and information call 0845 4647 www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

Pharmacists (chemists) are highly trained healthcare professionals and can give you advice on illnesses and the medicines you need to treat them.

GP (doctor): Your local GP surgery will provide a wealth of services: advice, assessment, prescriptions, examinations and much more.

Walk In Centre / Minor Injuries Unit: Located throughout the region and will assess and treat minor injuries and illnesses.

West Yorkshire Urgent Care Services: For unexpected or worsening health conditions call 0345 605 99 99 www.wyucservices.nhs.uk

Accident and Emergency (A&E)Accident and Emergency departments provide immediate emergency care in very serious or life-threatening situations. Call 999 for medical emergencies.