Improving the Cancer Journey Service

We know that getting a cancer diagnosis can impact on many parts of our lives.

'Improving the Cancer Journey’ (ICJ) is a Macmillan funded Link Worker service that can help people affected by cancer (so families and carers too). 

ICJ is part of Scotland’s Cancer Strategy to help people access the support they need ‘at the time that it is right for them’.

We have teams in East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian & West Lothian & offer everyone time to talk about what matters to them, help them access local supports and services and be a listening ear/point of contact.

If you support cancer patients or know someone who has been diagnosed, then this service may be able to help with a number of issues.

Since starting in Summer 2021, we have worked with over 2200 people including more than 200 family members. ICJ works with services to help people with money & benefits (over £2million secured so far), become more physically and socially active, find emotional support & help with practical issues that people experience. 

Self-referrals welcome and we can usually see people within 2 weeks of hearing from you.

How to refer:

The service takes self-referrals.

To self-refer contact loth.icj@nhs.scot/ 0131 537 1500 or find out more by going to our webpages NHS Lothian Improving the Cancer Journey 

‘The main thing from the appointments was I felt I wasn’t alone and that there was help available.’

Massage availability October to December

Did you know that council employees have access to appointments with a qualified massage therapist on site at John Muir House campus?

Fully qualified remedial and sports massage therapists Susan Green and Angela Jones operate by appointment only from Block A in Brewery Park on Wednesdays and Fridays. Appointments last for approx. 1 hour and cost £35, payable to the therapist on the day. They can be pre-booked through the Healthy Working Teams inbox. Susan and Angela have the following availability in October, November and December - book now to avoid missing out: 

Susan Green

• Fri 18 Oct:             10.30am, 12.00pm
• Fri 01 Nov:            10.30am
• Fri 15 Nov:            9.00am, 10.30am, 12.00pm
• Fri 29 Nov:            10.30am, 1.30pm
• Fri 13 Dec:            12.00pm

Angela Jones

• Weds 23 Oct:     12.30pm
• Weds 06 Nov:    11.00am
• Weds 04 Dec:    11.00am

 To book an appointment please email hwl@eastlothian.gov.uk 

Campaign to Rethink Dementia

When a friend or relative is diagnosed with dementia it’s natural not to know what to do, but helping someone stay connected, socially active, and doing many of the things you’ve always done together, can help them stay well for longer. The Scottish Government in partnership with COSLA has launched a new campaign to challenge the stigma surrounding dementia.

Alleviate symptoms

The ‘Rethink Dementia’ campaign encourages people to continue doing the things they always did with friends or relatives diagnosed with dementia. Created in collaboration with a National Dementia Lived Experience Panel, the campaign emphasises the importance of maintaining relationships with those living with dementia. Research has shown that making this effort to stay in contact and include individuals in social activities can help alleviate symptoms of depression, agitation, sleep disturbance, anxiety and apathy that can often come with dementia.

Think differently about dementia

Dementia affects an estimated 90,000 people in Scotland and 3,000 of whom are under the age of 65. Insight informing the campaign highlighted that many people associate dementia with the later stage of the illness and therefore change their behaviour towards a friend or family member who has been diagnosed, some even step away.

The Rethink Dementia campaign will play a key role in getting friends and family to think differently about a dementia diagnosis and provide simple ways they can help a friend or loved one live fulfilling lives with dementia and help them stay well for longer.

Things you can do with someone who has had a dementia diagnosis:

If you have a friend or relative who has been diagnosed with dementia, they have not changed overnight. They will appreciate your understanding and support, as well as you still being you.. Having fun, laughing and chatting about the same things you always did matters. So keep doing the things you did together before their diagnosis. There are so many simple ways you can be there for someone living with dementia. You could:

•  go shopping together so they can choose things for themselves
• take your usual walks or go for a scenic bike ride
• keep doing your hobbies together – play your weekly game of golf, watch the local football, go bird watching or go to the gym
• listen to music, reminisce and have a dance
• have them round for dinner or organise a family get-together
• read books – take turns reading aloud or go through it together, you could even start a family book club
• spend time in the garden or walk through the local park, talking about the different plants and flowers
• go for a swim at your local pool or if you live near the water take a dook in the sea
• look through old photo albums to bring back favourite memories
• play games you’ve always enjoyed – things like dominoes, board games, card games and jigsaws

 

Find out more about local supports for people living with dementia from the East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership web pages.

For more information around supporting someone with a dementia diagnosis, please visit NHS inform - Rethink Dementia

 

Walk the walk with Step Count Challenge Autumn 2024

East Lothian Council staff are looking forward to taking part in Paths for All’s 4 week Step Count Challenge, starting on 4 November. The latest walking challenge welcomes teams of five to find new and exciting ways to help walk more during our working day, and there are still a few free places left for teams who have not signed up yet.

Get involved and when the challenge begins you will be able to log daily steps, set weekly targets and take part in weekly challenges to keep motivated and moving. Increasing physical activity throughout the working day brings incredible benefits: spending time outdoors can help to clear your head and boost your mood, helping you to feel more productive and focussed, reducing staff sick days and boosting team morale. Why not schedule a walking meeting or a lunchtime walk with colleagues now to help you boost your step count when the challenge starts? You could even end up topping the leader board for the whole of Scotland, just like Haddington Primary School’s very own Happy Positive Striders did earlier this year!

This initiative is a great opportunity for us to get together and stay connected, whilst having some fun along the way.

If you would like to sign your team up for free, just get in touch with Healthy Working Lives at hwl@eastlothian.gov.uk

Welcome to the Council – Corporate Induction

Our Organisational Development Team have developed a new process to increase awareness, attendance and commitment to these events. 

• Corporate Induction events will take place every 4 months online via Teams
• The webinar invite will be sent to all managers that have had new employees start since the previous event, approximately 2-4 weeks before the event
• This will include any new employees due to start, up to the event date
• Managers can then forward the invite onto their new employee, which includes the full schedule 

Emails to managers that have had new starts in July, August and September have already been sent and a further email will shortly be sent to those managers with new start in October and up to the next event, which is 6 November. 

BUG lunchtime outing inspires team to get on their bikes!

Ciara Webb (Team Leader, Justice Social Work Services) and Errol Walls (Social Worker, Criminal Justice) took the opportunity to join the lunchtime bike ride on Tuesday, 3 September which was organised by Healthy Working Lives and the ELC Bike Users Group (BUG).

Starting at the Brunton Hall, Richard Kerr and Hedvig Ponten from the Healthy Working Lives team met with Ciara, Errol and other riders to head towards the beautiful Cockenzie House before returning to the Brunton. Cyclists also enjoyed lunch afterwards – the perfect reward for their efforts!

Ciara said: “Errol and I took part in a bike ride where we learnt more about the Council’s sustainability plans and also shared knowledge/ideas about how Justice Social Work might be able to contribute to these plans.

"Off the back of this, Errol and I decided to organise a team cycle.  Six of us pootled from Musselburgh to Prestonpans and back again, enjoying the fresh air and the quiet paths en route.”

You can join the Bike Users Group (BUG) to receive their newsletter, packed with all things cycling. If you’d like to get these updates a few times a simply email bug@eastlothian.gov.uk to join the mailing list.

If you are new to cycling, the Get Cycling webpages may be of interest to you. There are a number of articles on helping you choose the right bike for you, what you should wear, bike security and other useful information to get you biking.