Demonstrations about how to use a defibrillator, talks from medical experts and information about topics ranging from community transport to Alzheimer’s were just some of the highlights of Saturday’s health and well-being event.
The morning was organised by Farnham Town Council and the Friends of Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health with support from GP practices and the Farnham Integrated Care Centre at Farnham Hospital.
Councillor Mike Hodge, Mayor of Farnham said: “I attended the health and well-being event and was amazed by how much I learnt. I had no idea there were quite so many health-related services available to the public in Farnham. It was a pleasure to join the group of people who heard consultant geriatrician Dr Lucy Abbott give her top tips on keeping healthy. Her advice demonstrated how we can all make small changes to increase our chances of staying fit and healthy. I would like to thank everybody who gave up their time to put on this event and hope it will become a regular event in the Farnham calendar.”
George Alford Chair of the Friends of Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health says: “It was a pleasure to partner with Farnham Town Council and to receive the support of Virgin Care and Farnham Dene Medical Practice. The purpose was quite simply to make the community more aware of the full range of services on offer at Farnham hospital and this is what we achieved. Throughout the morning we saw a steady stream of people and the 20 other health service providers who organised stands were busy talking to members of the public. We thank everyone for supporting this first effort and look forward to being able to grow this event so that even more people from within our community benefit from being better informed.”
Sue Anderson, Virgin Care’s Community Hospital Matron at Farnham Hospital said “We focussed on telling people about our services to help their health and well-being in the winter. We gave them information on flu and the importance of getting their flu jab and gave tips on how to keep warm and well in the coming cold months”.
In consultation with the community, Farnham GP practices have changed the way they work and are now offering more services during weekday evenings and on Saturday mornings. The new service began this month and includes routine GP consultations, NHS health checks and blood tests. More specialised services such as asthma reviews, joint injections and family planning clinics will be added over the coming months.
For more information about health-related organisations and services in Farnham visit Farnham Town Council’s directory of services or www.lof-fhch.co.uk.
