Health

A specialist Southport day service for Sefton residents with dementia turned back the clock this week and entertained clients with a musical variety afternoon.

Tuneful memories from the last half century and beyond were on offer at Brookdale Resource Centre in Ainsdale which is run by the borough’s leading adult social care provider, New Directions.

Stars of the show were the Tarleton-based Dolly Mops, a 12-strong group of retired singers and dancers who soon had the Brookdale service users singing along to their varied repertoire.

This ranged from songs from shows like Oklahoma, and country and western classics, to hits made famous by Elvis Presley and Liza Minnelli in Cabaret.

Meanwhile, as the concert was staged on Halloween, staff were attired in suitably spooky fancy dress, and items on the afternoon tea menu included edible spider cakes and blood-red beverages.

Brookdale Resource Centre’s day service enables the carers of Sefton residents with advanced dementia to have an important respite break.

Service users enjoy a wide range of activities including arts and crafts, sensory stimulation and music and reminiscence therapies.

Brookdale Manager, Salwa Moustafa, commented:

“This was a really lovely event and we’ve had some excellent feedback from everyone who attended.

“The Dolly Mops put on a terrific show, with a wide-ranging programme and frequent costume changes, which ensured there was something to suit all musical tastes during the course of the afternoon.”

New Directions was established in Sefton in 2007 as the first local authority social care trading company in the country.

Ten years on, the organisation remains at the forefront of the local care sector, with a team of more than 300 staff caring for older Sefton residents, or people with disabilities or mental health support needs.

For more information about the services offered by New Directions, or to find out about joining the team, ring 0151 934 3726 or visit www.ndirections.co.uk.

Sefton Council have once again given food for thought at its annual Children’s Access to Food Programme, supplying nearly four thousand hot meals to those in need.

The scheme, which is in its second year, helps to support families across Sefton who are most in need of help and hot meals, allowing them to end a reliance on school meals to help nourish their children.

3981 meals were served across Sefton during a six week period.

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

“We had feedback from one mum who said that without this service, she would have had to miss paying bills to accommodate the extra cost of feeding her children during the 6 week period

“During the scheme we also saw a definite reduction in families requesting food vouchers for the food bank at one Centre because they were able to access free meals.

“The huge increase on last year shows that there is a need for schemes such as the Access To Food Programme and we are delighted that we have been able to help and support those families that are most in need within our communities.”

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Sefton are encouraging anyone with an interest to go along to their November governing body meetings.

The CCGs’ hold their governing body meetings every two months in public, so people can hear them discussing and making decisions about local health services.

Doctors, nurses and other health professionals who make up the committees will discuss a range of issues including the performance of the services they commission, like hospitals and community care.

Rob Caudwell, local GP and NHS Southport and Formby CCG chair, said:

“We invite the public along to this formal meeting to listen to the CCG’s plans. Residents also get the chance to ask any questions they have before the meeting gets underway.”

Andy Mimnagh, local GP and NHS South Sefton CCG chair, said:

“The meetings are a great chance for people to meet our health professionals and our governing body members. It’s also a good chance for us to meet some of our public and we welcome their views and questions as always.” 

The NHS Southport and Formby CCG meeting will take place on Wednesday 1 November at the Family Life Centre, Ash St, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 6JH, at 1pm. Papers will be available here beforehand: www.southportandformbyccg.nhs.uk/about-us/governing-body/governing-body-meetings   

The NHS South Sefton CCG meeting will take place on Thursday 2 November at Merton House, Stanley Road in Bootle at 1pm. Papers will be available here beforehand: www.southseftonccg.nhs.uk/about-us/governing-body/governing-body-meetings   

Anyone who is interested in attending is asked to call 0151 247 7000 to confirm their attendance.