Key Dates

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to every one of you who attended the first REN Project Community Champion Training. Your commitment and participation are truly appreciated.

 We are excited to announce that the second REN training session will be conducted online and we are happy to continue this journey with you.

The second online training session is scheduled for Tuesday, June 25, 2024, from 10am to 12noon. We are excited to continue our journey together and further enhance our skills and knowledge as REN community champions.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support and commitment. We look forward to your continued participation in this important initiative.

Bringing healthcare closer to our communities: NHS Mid and South Essex launches winter vaccination bus 🚌

Last year, nearly 60% of eligible residents in mid and south Essex received their flu vaccination. This year, we’re going even further to ensure even more people are protected.

Our community vaccination bus will be visiting towns across the region, offering flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as free blood pressure checks for adults over 40. Healthcare teams onboard will provide expert advice, administer vaccinations, and signpost residents to further care when needed.

The towns selected are areas with historically low vaccination uptake and higher health inequalities. By engaging directly with local communities, we’re raising awareness of the importance of winter vaccinations and offering immediate vaccination at the point of conversation. This approach is key to increasing uptake and protecting the most vulnerable as we approach winter.

The vaccination bus schedule:
- Tesco Extra, Mayflower Retail Park, Basildon – Tuesday, 15 October (9am-5pm)
- Morrisons, Southend-on-Sea – Wednesday, 16 October (9am-5pm)
- Grays High Street – Thursday, 17 October (9am-5pm)
- Morrisons, Northwick Road, Canvey Island – Friday, 18 October (9am-5pm)

By bringing healthcare directly to our communities, we’re supporting public health and helping to prevent winter illnesses.

 #PublicHealth #WinterVaccinations #HealthcareProfessionals #CommunityHealth

The REN learning event was a huge success, we had over 30 attendees comprising of community champions, Primary care Network researchers, researchers from ARU and some non-exec members form the ICB. The event saw community champions presenting the outstanding outcomes they've achieved since joining the REN project, highlighting the real-world impact of their work.

The event was opened with an introduction by Tom Abell, Chief Executive Officer of MSE ICB, and we also heard from Dr. James Hickling, Deputy Medical Director, who gave an insightful presentation. Their contributions set the tone for a truly engaging and impactful day.

It was inspiring to hear how their efforts are making a positive difference. Additionally, researchers in the room shared the wonderful collaborations they’ve had with the REN champions and provided valuable insights into future research opportunities for continued engagement. The event was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the power of collaboration between the REN community and the research sector.

We were also privileged to also have Dr. Sophia Morris, the System Clinical Lead for Health Inequalities, join us. She spoke powerfully about the impact of health inequalities on marginalised groups and shared valuable resources and opportunities to further support our community champions in their work. Her insights were incredibly well-received and reinforced the importance of tackling health disparities through collaboration and engagement.

The event was a fantastic opportunity to learn about the progress of the REN project, share experiences and explore how we can further enhance research uptake in our community.

NHS Change: Help to make a better health service for the future!

 The NHS has been there for us for over 76 years, but to make sure it’s here for the next 76 years, doing all it can to support the health of everyone, we need your help!

The Government has launched ‘Change NHS’ a 10 year plan, which is part of the government’s health mission to build a health service fit for future.

We want to hear your views, experiences and ideas to help to shape the 10 year plan for England.

The plan will set out how we will deliver an NHS fit for the future, creating a truly modern health service designed to meet the changing needs of our changing population. The government will co-develop the plan with the public, staff and patients through a detailed engagement exercise.

This will be focused on the three shifts that the Government, health service, and experts agree need to happen and these include:

• moving care from hospitals to communities
• making better use of technology
• focussing on preventing sickness, not just treating it 

If you would like to participate and give your views and ideas, please register to join our ‘on-line’ focus groups events we are running to capture the views of people across mid and south Essex.

To register, please click on the date and time that is convenient for you:

https://www.midandsouthessex.ics.nhs.uk/events/nhs-change-10-year-plan-focus-group-2/

When you have registered, you will be emailed a link to join the focus group event.

I am excited to inform you that we are setting up a regional event sponsored by NHS England, designed to bring together REN teams within the region to share knowledge, insights, collaborations, engagements, and findings through their REN networks. This event will provide an excellent opportunity for all of us to connect, learn from one another, and further strengthen the REN community.

See event details below:

Location: The Maltings, Ship Lane, Ely, Cambs.

Date: 18th March 2025 

Time: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

We would be delighted to have as many representatives from each group as possible to attend and share the progress and findings made since joining the REN project. 

NOTE: To assist with transportation, we are working on organising a minibus to aid with transportation due to the distance. If you are interested in taking the bus, please reach out to me so we can include you in the booking.

For the bus, we will gather at a central location, like Basildon Bus Station, where everyone can converge, and we will travel together from there.

Please mark this date in your diaries and let me know if you'd like to join us by bus so we can finalise the arrangements.

Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the event.