The law is changing to protect children and young people from the

dangers of second hand smoke.

Both the driver and the smoker could be fined £50 if someone under 18

is inside the vehicle. The law applies to every driver in England and

Wales, including those aged 17 and those with a provisional driving

licence.

www.nhs.uk/smokefree‎

Welcome to the October - November

edition of the Calderdale Voice.

One of my favourite annual celebrations

is getting closer and closer now -

Halloween! Diabetes UK are asking

people‎to‎‘dress‎diabolical’‎this‎year‎to‎

help support their work (Page 8).

Another exciting event coming up soon

in Bonfire Night. With all the fun and

awe of all the fireworks, its important

to keep safe when handling them. We

have a few tips on firework safety on

page 12.

The Healthwatch Calderdale team have

recently completed another Enter &

View report which you can find out

about on page 2.

All the best,

Emma Worsley, The Calderdale Voice Editor

There are more bacteria in your mouth

than there are people in the world.

Through our engagement work, we retrieved

information from residents of Calderdale,

which informed us of the trends in Health &

Social Care services in Calderdale.

These trends help initiate our Enter & View

visits. Our newest report has now been

published on our website.

Alan Walsh, our Development Officer said

“Enter‎&‎View‎is‎an‎integral‎part‎of‎our‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎

operation(s) because it highlights, and brings

to the fore, the views and experiences of

Calderdale residents. It is vitally important

that we have open, transparent dialogue

between us, Calderdale residents and Health

& Social Care services to ensure patients

needs are met and a high level of excellent

care/treatment‎is‎provided.”

Please visit our website for more information

www.healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

Healthwatch Calderdale is a membership

organisation. We make sure that all our

members are kept up to date with

everything related to Health and Social

Care at both a local and national level.

Becoming a member is free of charge and

is open to anyone who lives in Calderdale

and/or receives substantial health and

social care services from any provider

within Calderdale. It is also open to

voluntary and community groups who

supports users of health and social care

services.

To become a member, please email

info@healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

The average person has 2 million

sweat glands!

Healthwatch is the consumer champion,

for health and social care. The aim of

local Healthwatch is to give citizens and

communities a stronger voice to influence

and challenge how health and social care

services are provided locally.

The feedback we receive from local

residents allows us to understand what

the issues are from the people that use

the services. Your views will help us

identify areas that need to be looked into

further.

Please get in touch by calling 01422

431099 or you can email us on

info@healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

You can also give us your feedback by

visiting‎the‎’Talk‎to‎Us’‎page‎on‎our‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎

website

www.healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

Similar to fingerprints, everyone also has a

unique tongue print.

Earlier this year, Healthwatch Calderdale set

up a Task & Finish group to focus on

Calderdale physiotherapy services. This was

in response to a number of comments we

had received about local physiotherapy

clinics and their facilities.

To gain further information on this issue, we

undertook a survey that was made available

online and was also completed face to face

with service users at physiotherapy clinics

across Calderdale including:

· Calderdale Royal Hospital

· Broad Street Plaza

· Todmorden Health Centre

· Brighouse Medical Centre

· Valley Medical Centre

· Beechwood Community Health Centre

· Allan House

In total, we received 145 completed surveys

from which we are currently collating and

analysing the data. The final report will be

publicly released later this year.

The Healthwatch Calderdale website offers a number of different services:

Send‎us‎your‎feedback‎using‎the‎‘Talk‎to‎Us’‎page

Sign up to be a member of Healthwatch Calderdale

Find out about our volunteering opportunities - recruiting now!

Search for local Health & Social Care services

Keep up to date with news from Healthwatch

Find out where your nearest Healthwatch drop in session is

Watch videos from Healthwatch England

See our Healthwatch Calderdale Twitter feed

Read the Healthwatch Calderdale Pledge

Find out about Healthwatch Calderdale local meetings

www.healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

Twitter @hwcalderdale

Facebook Healthwatch Calderdale

Your spit has a painkiller 6 times stronger

than morphine, called opiorphin.

A new project with 3 organisations

working together has been launched to

provide all-round support to help

individuals to maintain good mental

health.

1. Disability Support Calderdale can

support you to find the right help for all

your needs

2. Noah’s Ark Centre offers a free,

confidential counselling service as well as

money management and debt advice

3. Healthy Minds runs mental health

support groups where you can meet

people with similar issues and share

experience

You can choose any or all of the above. All

services are FREE

To find out more about the project,

please call 0777 306 2261 or email

dsbevm@hotmail.com

Find your skills

Discover your strengths

Explore your potential to volunteer

Recognise yourself

HOPE – the Calderdale Recovery College is

offering lots of different recovery focused

courses that could help you to boost your

work skills, improve your health and

wellbeing or get involved in local initiatives.

HOPE provides educational courses that can

help people on their recovery journey.

Recovery‎is‎a‎personal‎journey!‎It’s‎about‎

building lives, creating opportunities, taking

control and instilling hope.

Our educational courses have been designed

in partnership with people who have

experience of mental and physical health

problems – to offer everyone the chance to

learn a new skill, build on your strengths or

become an expert in your own self care.

For more details about the courses

available, please visit

www.calderdalerecoverycollege.co.uk

Imagine a bigger version of the shed at

the bottom of the garden. A place where

you‎can‎enjoy‎a‎chat‎and‎a‎brew…

A‎Men’s‎Shed‎is‎a‎place‎to‎pursue‎hobbies‎

and interests in a friendly environment.

The Phoenix Shed are a group of men in

Halifax looking for other men to join

them in creating a place where we can

get together to share tools and learn new

skills. They also choose projects to

undertake and work at their own pace.

Sheds can change lives, improve health

and can restore a sense of purpose.

To find out more about the project,

please ring 07481 543 881 or email

phoenixshed@outlook.com

Better Living Service Families is a fun

physical activity and healthy lifestyles club

for overweight young people and their

families.

Clubs run for 2 hours a week for ten weeks

and are free of charge. Sessions run in

Leisure Centres and Schools across

Calderdale on week days after school and

on Saturdays.

Upon completion of the free ten-week

course, all Better Living Service Families

members receive an Active Lifestyles

membership card that entitles them to

certain activities across Calderdale at a

reduced rate.

Any children, young people who are

overweight or have issues regarding their

weight may attend. All family members are

welcome. As the scheme runs as a whole

family approach, at least one adult must

attend with the child; however, the whole

family is encouraged and welcome to attend.

If you are interested in taking part in the

Better Living Service and to see if you are

eligible, please 01422 230230.

CASS Women's Self Injury Helpline aims to

offer non-judgemental, non-directional

emotional support to women affected by

self injury. CASS stands for: confidential

anonymous self injury support

All calls are answered by female

volunteers who have received specialist

training. You can talk about anything you

want to and we won't tell anyone you

called unless you tell us exactly where

you are and that you are currently at risk

of harm. You don't have to be in crisis or

distress at the time you call, and you can

talk to us for up to half an hour each

time we are open.

Call for confidential, non-judgemental

emotional support around self injury

on 0808 800 8088 FREE.

Smokers across the country are being urged

to sign‎up‎to‎Stoptober,‎the‎country’s‎28-day

mass quit attempt from Public Health

England (PHE), to receive support and

encouragement every step of the way from

some‎of‎the‎nation’s‎top‎comedians.

And to stand an even better chance of

quitting, they are encouraged to sign up with

their friends, family and colleagues, as

evidence‎reveals‎that‎this‎type‎of‎‘social‎

quitting’‎can‎dramatically‎improve‎people’s‎

chances of successfully stopping.

Research shows that smokers are two-thirds

(67%) more likely to quit when their spouse

stops smoking, and a third more likely to quit

when a close friend (36%) or someone they

work with (34%) stops. The data also shows

that individuals are much more likely (61%)

to smoke if their partner or a close friend

smokes, showing the powerful influence that

people’s‎social‎networks‎have‎on‎their‎own‎

smoking behaviour.

To‎sign‎up‎to‎the‎nation’s‎biggest‎mass‎quit‎

attempt, visit

www.smokefree.nhs.uk/stoptober

Global Handwashing Day is an annual global

advocacy day dedicated to increasing

awareness and understanding about the

importance of handwashing with soap as an

easy, effective, and affordable way to

prevent diseases and save lives.

Celebrated annually on October 15, Global

Handwashing Day was founded by the Global

Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing,

and is an opportunity to design, test, and

replicate creative ways to encourage people

to wash their hands with soap at critical

times.

Global Handwashing Day is designed to:

Foster and support a global and local

culture of handwashing with soap

Shine a spotlight on the state of

handwashing around the world

Raise awareness about the benefits of

handwashing with soap

To find out more about Global Handwashing

Day past and present, please visit the

website

www.globalhandwashing.org

Did you know? Mouth cancer takes more

lives every year than road traffic

accidents on Britain's roads.

Every November, the British Dental Health

Foundation organises and runs Mouth

Cancer Action Month, under the message

‘if‎in‎doubt‎get‎checked‎out’.‎

Their campaign has become an influential

springboard in increasing education and

knowledge about a disease which

awareness of still remains relatively low.

Understanding the risks and being able to

spot the early warning signs are crucial to

survival. Mouth Cancer Action Month want

to make sure that throughout November,

people are completely #mouthaware.

For more information about how Mouth

Cancer Action Month, visit

www.mouthcancer.org

Fireworks can travel at speeds of up

to 150mph, the cruising speed of some biplanes.

Fireworks and Bonfire Night can be

great fun. Unfortunately, every year,

people get hurt because they fool

around with fireworks.

Last year over 900 people required hospital treatment from accidents involving

fireworks.

Make‎sure‎you’re‎not‎one‎of‎them‎by‎following‎these‎few‎simple‎tips

Never play with fireworks - They are explosives and can hurt you.

Only adults should light or hold fireworks.

When you are watching fireworks stand well back.

Never go‎near‎a‎firework‎that‎has‎been‎lit.‎Even‎if‎it‎hasn’t‎gone‎off,‎it‎

could still explode.

Fireworks will frighten your pets, so keep your pets are safely indoors.

If you are given a sparkler: Always wear gloves. Hold‎it‎at‎arm’s‎

length. When your sparkler goes out, DON’T‎TOUCH‎IT.‎It‎could‎still‎burn‎

you, so put it in a bucket of water.

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