Author: Alex Jones

Once again, Sefton Council will be supporting local families over the forthcoming half-term holiday by providing meal vouchers.

Eligible Sefton families can use the vouchers, worth £15 per child per week, to buy food in-store and online at local supermarkets.

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said:

“With local families struggling to cope with the spiralling cost-of-living, I am pleased that Sefton Council has again been able to act decisively by stepping in to provide them with direct help through these holiday vouchers.

“This additional £15 per week for each eligible child will help families manage over this difficult period but if people are experiencing severe hardship, a disaster or emergency, details of our Emergency Limited Assistance Scheme can be found at www.sefton.gov.uk/elas.”

Sefton Families that don’t receive free school meals at the moment but think they might qualify should visit www.sefton.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals.

The half-term vouchers, which the Council is providing through its Household Support Grant funding allocation from the Department of Work and Pensions, are for buying food and essentials only. They cannot be used to purchase alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, phone top-ups or stamps.

Cllr Hardy added:

“In addition to the school meals vouchers, we have now paid out over £9.8 million of the one-off, £150 Council Tax Energy rebate payments to the almost 67,000 eligible Council Tax Band A to D households, which will also provide them with some help.

“And, over 20,600 households have responded to the letter we sent them by using the secure code to provide their details and register to receive the payment.

“I would urge anyone who has received the letter to register today, and if they have any concerns about the process to visit www.sefton.gov.uk/energyrebate where they can find out more.”

As Sefton residents prepare to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, NHS leaders are sharing information on how to get healthcare help while enjoying the long bank holiday weekend.

Think 111 first

Anyone in need of urgent NHS care, but it is not a 999 emergency, is advised to contact NHS 111 which is staffed by trained professionals and clinicians who will direct you to the most appropriate health service, including appointments with a GP outside of your practice’s regular opening hours.

Dr Pete Chamberlain, chair of NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even on bank holidays.

“You can visit 111.nhs.uk online or call 111 over the phone to get healthcare support. You can also call 18001 111 on a textphone.”

Plan ahead for prescriptions

Residents are also advised to order their repeat prescriptions early, to make sure they have enough supply while some services are closed over the bank holiday weekend.

Dr Rob Caudwell, chair of NHS Southport and Formby CCG, said: “Pharmacies and GP practices may change their opening hours over the bank holiday, so it’s best to be prepared and plan ahead.

“Your local pharmacists are highly qualified and can give free, confidential advice on many healthcare concerns, as well as help you get your medicine cabinet stocked up with treatments for common ailments.”

Jubilee bank holiday pharmacy opening times

A number of pharmacies in Sefton are open on the bank holiday Thursday and Friday. Opening times for these pharmacies can be found on the link below when they become available. Residents are advised to call ahead to their local pharmacy before travelling, to confirm that they are open as advertised.

• southseftonccg.nhs.uk/jubilee-bank-hol-2022
• southportandformbyccg.nhs.uk/jubilee-bank-hol-2022

Booking GP appointments

Anyone registered with a GP surgery in Sefton can book a routine, non urgent evening and weekend appointment with a doctor, practice nurse or other healthcare professional through the ‘GP Extra’ service in south Sefton and the ‘7 day GP service’ in Southport and Formby. The opening hours for these services over the bank holiday weekend are:

7 day GP service – The Family Surgery, 107 Liverpool Rd, Birkdale

Thursday 2 June: 5pm-9pm

Friday 3 June: 9am-1pm

Saturday 4 June: 9am-1pm

Sunday 5 June: 9am-1pm

GP Extra – Litherland Town Hall, Hatton Hill Rd, Litherland

Thursday 2 June: 10am-1pm

Friday 3 June: 10am-1pm (Physiotherapist available 7pm-8pm)

Saturday 4 June: 10am-1pm

Sunday 5 June: 10am-1pm

Patients can pre-book routine appointments with these services by calling their own GP practice during their usual practice opening hours. Find out more about the ‘GP Extra’ service and ‘7 day GP service’ and their usual opening hours at:

• southseftonccg.nhs.uk/your-health-and-services/gp-extra
• southportandformbyccg.nhs.uk/your-health-and-services/7-day-gp-service

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the University College London Institute of Health Equity and leading voice on health inequalities, has published a landmark report on how public, private and third sector organisations in Cheshire and Merseyside can work together to tackle health inequalities.

The report – All Together Fairer – has been written by Sir Michael and his team of researchers in partnership with Cheshire and Merseyside’s local authorities, and sets out measurable actions for each area, as well as the subregion as a whole, to create a fairer, equitable society.

The subregion, which is made up of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, Warrington and Wirral, has been working as a ‘Marmot Community’ since 2019 and has undergone a period of intense research from Sir Michael’s team to create a set of recommendations to deliver real, tangible changes for local communities.

Some of the recommendations, which have been broken down into one-year and five-year goals, along with related indicators to measure outcomes, include action on young peoples’ services, wages, housing, racism, poverty and much more. They are influenced heavily by the Marmot Principles, eight policy areas defined by Sir Michael, which include early years development, employment, living standards, communities, ill-health prevention, discrimination, and environmental sustainability.

All Together Fairer was presented at an event by Sir Michael yesterday, who delivered a keynote address to partners made up of local authorities, the NHS, private and third sector organisations, and interested members of the public.

Commenting on the launch of this report, Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology at University College London, and Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity, said:

“The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities. Life was harder for those living in deprivation. The rising cost-of-living is a social crisis which will have further damaging impact on peoples’ physical and mental health. We need central government action. But much can happen at local level, as shown by the eagerness of colleagues in Cheshire and Merseyside to grasp this issue with both hands and do everything in their power to change lives for the better.

“It is shocking that a third of residents in Cheshire and Merseyside live in the most deprived 20 per cent neighbourhoods in England. It is vital that local leaders and partners do not accept this as destiny. The kind of large-scale change needed cannot be delivered by just one organisation or group of people, which is why I’m delighted to see how closely the public, private and third sectors work together in the subregion, which will prove most helpful when delivering the schemes and initiatives set out in our report.”

Like other parts of England, Cheshire and Merseyside faces numerous challenges, and many people in the subregion’s nine local authority areas are living in poverty and deprivation, which impacts health. Life expectancy is lower for men and women, many areas are below average levels of healthy life expectancy, the COVID-19 mortality rate is higher than average, levels of fuel poverty have been higher than average since 2016 and areas also struggle with increasing levels of alcohol and drug misuse.

Raj Jain, Designate Chair of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said:

“The launch of this groundbreaking report and the imminent integration of health and care services across Cheshire and Merseyside mean we are now in a position to make a real difference for the people who live and work in our area.

“It was very encouraging to see 500 people join the launch of this much awaited report yesterday. It will help guide us through the journey of positioning, creating, and improving services for our people while tackling some of the current inequality in health and care across our Places.”

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, and Cabinet Member of Poverty and Wellbeing, said:

“I am confident that we will see a real change for our local people because of this work. Put simply, we cannot afford to fail. Continuing and worsening health inequalities are not inevitable and we want to make a difference, so that all local people in Cheshire and Merseyside live healthy and happy lives. No one organisation has all the answers or resources, which is why we can only really improve the health of our population by working together. I’d like to thank Sir Michael and his team for their support and expertise in producing this report, and as we continue to work together over the coming years.”

Councillor Ian Moncur, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing at Sefton Council, said:

“All Together Fairer supports transformation across our system in line with the eight Marmot priorities. It’s particularly exciting as Cheshire and Merseyside is the first report where the two new Marmot priorities, tackling racism and pursuing environmental sustainability, have been included. I know for a fact that there are committed public servants and leaders in our councils and across our public sector partners who want to tackle the causes of poor health, who will do everything they can to make these recommendations a reality. Too many people do not have access to the opportunities, or the resources, that they need to fully thrive and that’s what must change.”

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“The true measure of levelling up isn’t in the shiny buildings that shape our skyline -it’s in the health, wellbeing, and prosperity we create for the people. It’s an absolute injustice that still now – in 2022 – where you are born often determines your life chances – a post code lottery determining your bank balance, the food you can afford, the diseases you’re likely to develop, and how long you will live.

“In our region, life expectancy is worse than the national average for both men and women – this has got to change. While we know that health inequalities aren’t isolated to our area, I know that we have the capabilities to lead the way in addressing them.

“It’s fantastic to have the support and expertise of Sir Michael Marmot and his team with us as we begin our journey to building a healthier, fairer city region – where no one is left behind. This isn’t a journey for an easy life, but for a better future for the 1.6 million people who call the Liverpool City Region their home.”

The All Together Fairer report was commissioned by the Cheshire and Merseyside Population Health Board and can be downloaded here. To be kept up to date with the latest news from this programme of work, please sign up to the mailing list for the Champs Public Health Collaborative, here.

Examples of the work already taking place across Cheshire and Merseyside that embody the approach defined by Sir Michael and his team have been captured as video case studies. These videos can be viewed here.

Sefton Council has officially reinstated Cllr Clare Louise Carragher for another term as the borough’s civic Mayor.

Last Thursday, 19th May, Mayor Carragher officially signed the declaration of the acceptance of office for 2022/23. She was joined by her fellow councillors from across the chamber.

Mayor Carragher has held office since 2021/2022 office since replacing outgoing Mayor Cllr June Burns, who had previously held the civic title since 2019.

Following her reinstatement, Mayor Carragher said: “It has been an honour to be able to represent this beautiful borough on both a local and national level. As I enter my second term, I cannot wait to continue engaging with Sefton residents and celebrate everything our incredible borough has to offer.”

Mayor Carragher has done a great deal of work in the community in the past year. Last year the Mayor’s Christmas Toy Appeal helped children of families in the community facing hardship. The appeal, with the help of generous individuals and organisations, resulted in thousands of items, ranging from giant teddy bears to junior science kits, being sent in for children to open on Christmas Day.

Mayor Carragher is a former dancer and theatre performer who has starred in national productions of Grease, Chicago and more. Following the end of her stage career, Mayor Carragher turned her hand to the legal profession, working in witness services in Bootle before pursuing a full-time role as a councillor for Manor ward in Sefton in 2015.

In her second term, Mayor Carragher will be supporting the following three charities. These are The Plaza Cinema, a community cinema run by volunteers that offers dynamic film-based education programmes to schools, the voluntary sector and the general public. Southport Royal British Legion, a base for the UK’s leading Armed Forces charity. And Sefton Children’s Trust, who provide holidays/residential experiences for young people of families in Sefton who are experiencing difficulties.

For more information about the Mayoral role and what it means, please visit www.sefton.gov.uk/mayor