The 48-hour strike will involve nursing staff working in emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care and other services that were previously exempt. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and government are in dispute about the timings of the strikes but for operational purposes, the NHS must plan for strikes to go ahead. The government on Monday announced it will take legal action against the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), over its planned 48-hour strike. Health Secretary Steve Barclay has written to RCN leaders claiming their plans for industrial action "go beyond the mandate you secured from your members." In a statement released on Twitter on Monday evening, Mr Barclay said he had “no choice but to proceed with legal action” against the RCN. “Following a request from NHS Employers I am regretfully applying to the High Court to declare the Royal College of Nursing’s planned strike action on May 2 unlawful. “Despite attempts by my officials to resolve the situation with the RCN over the weekend, I have been left with no choice but to proceed with legal action." More information and updates to follow. Meanwhile the NHS is asking patients to choose services appropriately during these strikes and to take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most. In a statement Royal Berkshire NHS Trust have said: “As a Trust our priority is to provide safe care for our patients. And we have plans in place to deal with any changes to our services. We are working with the RCN to make sure we can provide emergency and urgent services to patients on these days. To allow us to do this, we may need to reschedule some routine and non-urgent appointments and procedures, and if that’s the case we will contact you directly in advance to re-arrange your date. If you do not hear from us, you should come in as planned. Emergency Departments are for medical emergencies only, to help those most in need. An emergency is if somebody is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk like: a heart attack, stroke, having difficulty breathing, or a seizure. If you need medical help but it's not an emergency, then the Urgent Care Centre in the Broad Street Mall, Reading (RG1 7QE) is open from 8am-8pm seven days a week. Your local Pharmacy or GP are also there to help with non-emergency care. If you’re not sure where to get support, contact NHS 111 who will give you advice.” Healthwatch will update this page with new information as it comes in. Share your views about the strike action and/or share your experience of healthcare during the strikes here.

Health and care partners in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) are asking for Reading locals views to support the development of its NHS Joint Forward Plan. The Joint Forward Plan outlines how health and care services will be delivered to people living in BOB over the next five years. The plan is developed by the BOB Intergrated Care Board (BOB ICB) and NHS provider Trusts, working closely with local authority colleagues. The plan also explains how the ICB will deliver the ambitions set out in BOB Integrated Care Strategy and includes operational plans for 2023 and 2024. The ICB has been working closely with stakeholders over the past few months to understand how to deliver health and care services which best meet the population’s needs, and now needs Reading locals' feedback on five key areas of the the plan: Promoting and Protecting Health – supporting people to keep healthy and well, with focus on prevention, inequalities and vaccination and immunisation. Start Well – helping children achieve the best start in life, focusing on maternity services, children’s mental health, children’s learning disabilities, children’s neurodiversity and children with long-term health conditions. Live Well - supporting people and communities to live happy and healthy lives, with particular interest in long-term conditions, adult mental health, adult neurodiversity and cancer services. Age Well – enabling people to stay healthy and live independently for longer, looking at frailty and community multidisciplinary teams. Quality and Access – creating access to the right care in the best place, reviewing primary care, urgent and emergency care, planned care and palliative and end of life care. Members of the public can have their say on the Joint Forward Plan by submitting their thoughts on the online engagement website, YourVoiceinBob. Feedback can also be shared by: Email: engagement.bobics@nhs.net Phone: 0300 123 4465 Writing to: Communications and Engagement Team Freepost BOB INTEGRATED CARE BOARD (Note: when using this Freepost address please ensure BOB INTEGRATED CARE BOARD is written in capital letters)

The mobile phones of Reading Borough locals will emit a loud alarm and vibrate in a nationwide test of a new public alert system on 3pm on Sunday 23 April. The test on St George’s Day coincides with major events including the London Marathon and the 2pm kick-off Premier League matches. The National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) warned people with hidden second mobile phones to turn off the alerts to avoid revealing the location of their devices. NCDV’s Sharon Bryan said: “Hidden second mobiles are an emergency lifeline for victims and survivors living under the constant threat of abuse, or worse. This siren test may unexpectedly reveal their presence to abusers – with disastrous consequences.” If you have a second, concealed mobile or device for your own emergency use, and you are worried about the Government’s national emergency alert test on April 23rd 2023 setting off a loud alarm on it, please see the guidance from NCDV, below. Please note the Government recommends you keep emergency alerts switched on for all other purposes and on primary devices. How to turn off Emergency Alerts on Apple devices Go to the settings app of the Apple device Scroll down to find and click or tap on the ‘Notifications’ tab Scroll all the way down to the bottom to find the dedicated section for emergency alerts You will be able to see ‘Extreme Alerts’ and ‘Severe Alerts’. This may vary depending on what Apple device or Iphone you are using but these tabs will normally always be set by default to ON To turn them off, press all the toggle buttons (blue or green means on, grey is off) How to turn off Emergency Alerts on Android devices: Go to the settings app of the android device Search for ‘Emergency Alerts’ using the search bar or magnifying glass search option at the top of the screen Click or tap on either Emergency Alerts or Wireless Emergency Alerts When you are in the device’s Emergency Alerts setting page, turn off the Emergency Alerts by pressing all the toggle buttons (Blue means on, Grey means off) To contact the NVDC for domestic abuse and violence support, click here. For more information about the national public alert, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/alerts

A new yearly prescription for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help women with menopause symptoms has launched, and is already proving popular. 37,700 prescriptions were purchased in the first few days of the launch. Anyone who needs HRT to help with menopause symptoms can now purchase a prescription costing £19.30, which lasts for 12 months. This yearly cost is the equivalent of paying for two items on a monthly prescription. This prescription is known as a HRT Prescription Prepayment Certificate (HRT PPC). The HRT PPC can be used to purchase as many menopause prescription items that are needed monthly, and throughout the year. These items include tablets, gels and patches. A full list of HRT prescription items can be found on the NHS website. The aim of this new HRT PPC is to make menopause support more readily available to everyone who needs it. As well as making HRT more accessible and reducing the cost for those who need it. It is thought that around 400,000 women could benefit from this new HRT PPC. How to get your HRT PPC: Online on the NHSBSA website In person at some pharmacies. Over the phone with NHSBSA - 0300 330 2089. If you’re deaf or hard of hearing, you will be able to use the textphone (or minicom) to contact the NHSBSA using the text relay service, from 25 May 2023. Dial 18001 then the relevant phone number. The NHSBSA offers a telephone translation service and can provide documents in large print or Braille on request. What to do before getting the HRT PCC: Women should check whether they are already entitled to free NHS prescriptions generally (by age or because they have a certain medical condition) using the eligibility checker on the NHSBSA website. Women should check if their prescribed type of HRT is eligible to be covered by the HRT PPC (testosterone, for example, sometimes prescribed for certain symptoms, is not.) Women should consider whether a 3 or 12-month general PPC covering all types of medication, including HRT, is more cost-effective, especially if they're being treated for long-term conditions as well as menopausal symptoms. While the HRT PPC is welcome and long overdue, here at Healthwatch Wokingham Borough we know that women also face other access barriers such as getting a GP appointment in the first instance, having th eir symptoms taken seriously by clinicians, or being certain that their local pharmacy will have consistent supplies of HRT. Healthwatch Reading Borough want to hear your views, stories and experiences around this, to help drive change around women's health, so contact us here.

The team are currently preparing their new Workplan for 2023 - 2024, and would like to hear from you on what your health and social care priorities would be. Your views will help us to ensure that our work flow represents your voice. Please click on the image below to complete our short survey with your priorities. Thank you.

The NHS is offering a further vaccination to those most at risk of COVID-19 across Reading Borough from 17 April 2023. People who are eligible for a spring vaccination include: people aged 75 and over (by 30 June 2023) those aged 5 and over with a weakened immune system residents of care homes for older adults. Care home vaccinations have already started today (3 April) but eligible people can book their spring vaccine from Wednesday 5 April, with appointments starting on Monday 17 April and finishing on Friday 30 June 2023. The spring vaccine will be offered to eligible people around six months after their previous dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The NHS will also write to all those who are eligible to remind them they can get the spring vaccine. GP practices, pharmacies and local hospitals across Berkshire will be delivering the spring vaccination campaign. Some walk-in centres will also take part and these will be publicised when available. Spring covid vaccination bookings can be made by: using the NHS App online calling 119 for free The NHS will also continue to provide first-time 'first and second' COVID-19 vaccinations for everyone aged 5 (on or before 31 August 2022) and above across Berkshire. However this will service will end at the same time as the spring vaccinations, on 30 June 2023. People can book a first and second jab at a GP practice or pharmacy online, here. Alicia Siraj Head of Vaccinations for the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB Vaccination Programme, said: "The virus, that causes COVID-19, is still with us and poses a high risk to the most vulnerable including the elderly and people with weakened immunity. We urge these people to book a vaccination from Wednesday 5 April onwards to get strong protection for themselves, their family and friends. We also encourage anyone eligible who has had just had one COVID-19 vaccination, or not had one at all, to come forward for their vaccine as soon as possible before the offer finishes on 30 June to protect themselves against the virus – it’s never too late to have the jab.” Further information on COVID-19 vaccines can be found on the NHS website, here.

Below is a list of pharmacies that will be open across Reading Borough throughout the Easter holidays. NHS advice is to phone the pharmacy before visiting to ensure it's open and that they stock the medication you may need. Get medical help with NHS 111 this Easter NHS 111 can also be used for less-urgent health concerns to get advice and information based on their individual specific symptoms. The service is available 24 hours a day, including weekends and bank holidays, and can be reached online at 111.nhs.uk or over the phone by calling 119. In an emergency this Easter People experiencing a genuine, life-threatening health emergency, such as heavy bleeding, significant chest pain or loss of consciousness should seek help straight away by calling 999 or by visiting the nearest hospital emergency department.

Following a review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), all medicines containing cough suppressant pholcodine are being withdrawn from sale as a precaution. This is due to its potential to cause a severe allergic reaction when combined with general anaesthetic. These medicines will be no longer available from pharmacies. Please see the list of medicines, and current advice below. Current advice: If you are taking a cough medicine (including tablets and syrups), check the packaging, label or Patient Information Leaflet to see if pholcodine is a listed ingredient – if it is, and you have any questions, you can talk to your pharmacist who can suggest a different medicine suitable for you. A cough usually clears up within 3-4 weeks. You can treat it with other cough medicines or hot lemon and honey (not suitable for babies under 1 year old). Rest up if possible and you can try paracetamol or ibuprofen, if suitable, to treat any pain. If your cough persists for longer than 3-4 weeks seek advice from a healthcare professional. There is evidence that using pholcodine-containing medicines leads to an increased risk of the very rare event of an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in patients who receive general anaesthesia involving neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) during surgery. Tell your anaesthetist before you have surgery if you have taken pholcodine, particularly in the past 12 months, or think you may have taken a pholcodine-containing product. There is no increased risk of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, with other allergens following pholcodine use and the absolute risk in patients who have used pholcodine is very small, but patients should talk to a pharmacist, their GP or their surgical team if they have any questions. Medicines being recalled: Boots Night Cough Relief Oral Solution Boots Dry Cough Syrup 6 Years+ Boots Day Cold & Flu Relief Oral Solution Advertisement Cofsed Linctus Care Pholcodine 5mg/5ml Oral Solution Sugar Free Galenphol Linctus Galenphol Paediatric Linctus Galenphol Strong Linctus Covonia Dry Cough Sugar Free Formula Pholcodine Linctus Bells Healthcare 5mg Per 5ml Oral Solution Numark Pholcodine 5mg per 5ml Oral Solution Well Pharmaceuticals Pholcodine 5mg per 5ml Oral Solution Superdrug Pholcodine Linctus BP Strong Pholcodine Linctus BP Pholcodine Linctus BP Strong Pholcodine Linctus BP Pholcodine Linctus Day & Night Nurse Capsules Day Nurse Capsules Day Nurse Professor Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: The risk to patients who have used pholcodine is very small. This withdrawal is needed as safety of patients is paramount and we support efforts to ensure that all medicines on the market are safe and effective. Europe's medicines regulator, the European Medicines Agency, recommended the withdrawal of pholcodine medicines from the European market in December last year.

From Monday 13th March until Thursday 16th March junior doctors, across England, will be taking industrial action for 72-hours starting at 7am. All NHS Trusts across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) will be affected to varying degrees together with a number of GP training practices, this includes the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. The message from Royal Berkshire Hospital if you are a patient with a booked appointment during strike action: "If you do not hear from us, you should come in as planned. The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust may need to reschedule some routine and non-urgent appointments and procedures on 13, 14, or 15 March and if that’s the case they will contact you directly to re-arrange your date. Advice for locals during strike action: Reading Borough locals who need care should continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-saving cases. Call 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency; emergency departments are for medical emergencies only, to help those most in need. An emergency is if somebody is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk like: a heart attack, stroke, having difficulty breathing, or a seizure. If you need medical help but it's not an emergency, please go to the Urgent Care Centre in the Broad Street Mall, Reading (RG1 7QE) which is open from 8am-8pm seven days a week. If you’re not sure where to get help and support, please contact NHS 111 who will give you advice. Your local Pharmacy or GP can also help with non-emergency care. Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West Integrated Care Board ((BOB ICB) who are a group of organisations that come together to plan and deliver health and care services for people who live and work in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West)) have said: "The NHS wants to see a resolution as soon as possible to the strikes, but ultimately pay is a matter for the Government and the trade unions. Maintaining safe patient care is our priority, however we recognise and respect the right of NHS staff to take part in lawful industrial action and will work collaboratively with staff and union partners to minimise the effects on patients and staff. " The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust have said in a statement: "We recognise and respect the democratic right of our staff to take part in lawful industrial action. We are working with them and the BMA to minimise the impact on patients, visitors, and staff. Thank you for your understanding." Tell us your experiences of NHS care during strike action: Online form. please click here. Call us: 0118 214 5579 Email us: info@healthwatchreading.co.uk.

NHS and social care services only make the best decisions if they listen to the people they care for. Read our national body's Annual Report to Parliament to see how your local feedback about services across Reading Borough has helped decision-makers prioritise what matters most, nationally. What action has been taken by Healthwatch England In 2021-22, Healthwatch England supported more than two million people to have their say on care and get the right advice. Here are just some of the ways we made a difference: Explored vaccine confidence with people from different backgrounds. Highlighted the negative impact poor NHS admin can have. Helped the Government update key hospital discharge guidance to put patient safety first. Raised public concerns about how the NHS collects and uses patient data. Pushed for improvements to non-emergency patient transport services. Called for an urgent response to hospital waiting lists, and better interim communication. Warned that improvements to NHS dentistry are too slow, leaving thousands in pain. Uncovered that only a third of NHS Trusts fully comply with their duty to help patients with sensory impairments and learning disabilities. Campaigned for everyone to be given healthcare information in a way they understand. What next? The NHS and social care system, which we value and rely on, faces enormous challenges. Millions of people are currently on NHS waiting lists for vital surgery and treatment. Waiting times at A&E departments have risen. Seeing essential community services, like a GP or dentist, has become more difficult. And there's a similar picture in social care. Healthwatch England's Interim Chair, Belinda Black, sets out how we will to help address the health and care challenges our nation faces in our report. She states: Restoring confidence and building the health and care system we all want will not be easy. But, if NHS and social care decision-makers work with communities and put people’s voices at the heart of work to improve care, I believe that together we can. And this is where Healthwatch can play a vital role. Three ways Healthwatch England and Healthwatch Reading will play our part: Continue to support those who face the most significant health inequalities Focus on the areas where people are facing the biggest challenges Work to ensure patients have a strong voice in plans as the NHS reorganises itself into Integrated Care Systems. Download the full report here. Download the report in Easy Read here. Download the report in large print here. If you need this report in a different format, please email enquiries@healthwatch.co.uk or call 030000 68 3000.

All welcome on Wednesday 1st March in person or virtually. The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Partnership (BOB ICP) is a group of organisations which plan and provide health and care services for nearly two million people who live and work in the region - specifically the local authority areas of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and ‘Berkshire West’ (West Berkshire, Reading and Wokingham). Members of this group include local authorities, local NHS organisations and GPs, public health, Healthwatch, care providers, voluntary sector, the Oxford Academic Health Science Network and other research partners. The public can join this meeting in person or virtually to get the latest updates on local healthcare. Date: Wednesday 1st March Time: 2:00pm-4:00pm Face-to-face: Oxfordshire County Council, Council Chambers, County Hall, New Road, Oxford, OX1 1ND Virtually/online: Members of the public who wish to attend this meeting can join in person or ‘virtually’ through an online live stream.

The NHS Health Check is a free check-up of your overall health. It can tell you whether you're at higher risk of getting certain health problems. Am I eligible for an NHS Health Check? The check is for people who are aged 40 to 74 who do not have any of the following pre-existing conditions: heart disease chronic kidney disease diabetes high blood pressure (hypertension) atrial fibrillation transient ischaemic attack inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia) heart failure peripheral arterial disease stroke currently being prescribed statins to lower cholesterol previous checks have found that you have a 20% or higher risk of getting cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years You should have regular check-ups if you have one of these conditions. Your care team will be able to give you more information about this. How will the NHS Health Check help me? You will have your individual cardiovascular risk (risk of getting conditions related to the heart or circulation) calculated and explained to you. While the cardiovascular risk levels vary from person to person, everyone is at risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and some types of dementia. At your NHS Health Check you will be given advice on how to prevent them. Your NHS Health Check can detect potential health problems before they do real damage. Dr Sarah Jarvis talks about the importance of NHS Health Checks and patients describe their experiences in the video below. What happens at the NHS Health Check? An NHS Health Check takes about 20 to 30 minutes. The health professional – often a nurse or healthcare assistant – will ask you some questions about your lifestyle and family history, measure your height and weight, and take your blood pressure and do a blood test. The blood test will be done either before the check with a blood sample from your arm, or at the check. Your blood test results can show your chances of getting heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes. If you're over 65, you will also be told the signs and symptoms of dementia to look out for. You will then receive personalised advice to improve your risk. This could include talking about: how to improve your diet and the amount of physical activity you do taking medicines to lower your blood pressure or cholesterol how to lose weight or stop smoking Read more about what happens at an NHS Health Check Find out about the pros and cons of having an NHS Health Check How can I arrange to have an NHS Health Check? You'll be invited for a free NHS Health Check every 5 years if you're between 40 and 74 years of age and do not already have a pre-existing condition. If you're registered with a GP surgery that offers the NHS Health Check, you should automatically get an invitation. Do not worry if you have not been invited yet – you will be over the next 5 years. Alternatively, your local authority will send you an appointment letter explaining where you have to go for your NHS Health Check. If you're not sure if you're eligible for an NHS Health Check and would like one, or if you are eligible but have not had an NHS Health Check in the last 5 years, ask at a GP surgery for an appointment. The NHS Health Check programme aims to prevent cardiovascular disease, and associated conditions, through the early assessment, awareness and management of individual behavioural and physiological risk factors. In doing so it promotes the early identification of cardiovascular disease and the other associated conditions. It also supports individuals to manage and reduce behavioural risks and associated conditions through information and evidence-based risk reduction interventions. The programme has the potential to: prevent 1,600 heart attacks and strokes prevent 4,000 people a year from developing diabetes detect 20,000 cases of diabetes or kidney disease each year avoid at least 650 premature deaths a year A total of 15 million people are eligible for free NHS Health Checks in England. Read more about how to get an NHS Health Check