Practice News

What matters most to you

At the end of 2025, we started a conversation with people in Kent and Medway to find out what matters most to you about your local NHS services.

We heard about the principles people wish us to consider when planning and buying NHS services and are now feeding those in to make sure what we heard is at the heart of our planning.

We would now like to talk to people about what matters most to them about neighbourhood health, as we look at how care is delivered across local communities.  
 
Aligned with national NHS priorities and the Government’s 10‑year plan, neighbourhood health focuses on shifting care from hospitals to community, strengthening primary and community services so people receive support closer to home. 
 
Neighbourhood health looks at how the NHS can work with all partners across health and care to bring the right services closer to home. 
 
To support this developing approach, we will be holding workshops, bringing together partners from across health, social care, and the voluntary and community sector as well as patient and public representatives. These events will showcase progress so far, share best practice, and help shape the next phase of neighbourhood working. 

The east Kent workshop is open to book, with more dates and venues across Kent and Medway coming soon.

• Canterbury: Thursday, 29 January at 9.45am

Be part of the shift – book your place.

Missed Appointments to date 2025

The following appointments were wasted due to none arrivals of patients at Musgrove Park, Sydenham House and Hollington Surgery:

• Practice Nurse 557 did not attend
• Nursing associate 183 did not attend
• Health Care Assistants 752 did not attend

This totals 1482 missed appointments in total.

If you have been affected by suicide - AMPARO CAN HELP

Published on 8th Jul 2025

Local Parent Wellbeing with NCT Walk & Talk

These weekly walks are a lifeline for many new parents, offering gentle exercise, peer support, and a reason to get out of the house. The walks are free, accessible with a buggy, and take place in local parks or open spaces. 

Warm Homes Healthy Futures

What is Warm Homes, Healthy Futures?
The aim of Warm Homes, Healthy Futures is to provide energy advice and support ‘on prescription’ to vulnerable people living with a health condition or disability that’s made worse by living in a cold, damp, poor quality home. People can be supported with:
• Bespoke advice and support with their energy bills, suppliers, and energy saving
• Benefit checks, income maximisation and claim support
• Servicing of boilers and gas appliances
• Signup to the Priority Services Register
• Carbon monoxide awareness
• Support accessing crisis support that might be available, for example fuel vouchers
• Support accessing grants for repair and replacement boilers and other household measures such as insulation

Who is delivering it? 
National Energy Action (NEA) is a national charity working across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that everyone can afford to live in a warm, safe and healthy home. NEA has been around for more than forty years and has worked on the delivery of many heathfocused referral projects. We and our partners know how significant this type of support can be to people who have a health condition, are vulnerable to the cold, and struggling to manage their energy bills. NEA is pleased to be working with a wide network of health partners and other key local agencies in more than twenty areas across Great Britain. The programme is funded by the Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance fund and is supported by the Gas Distribution Networks, Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, SGN and Wales and West Utilities. 

Referrals are being taken now and the programme will run until March 2026.

How does the programme work?
The project is intended to support individuals who are living with a health condition or disability that is made worse by living in a cold, damp, poor quality home, and struggling to afford the cost of their energy bills.

If you identify clients or patients that could benefit from support with this issue, then please 
make a referral via the dedicated Warm Homes, Healthy Futures secure online referral form: 
https://www.nea.org.uk/whhf-energy/

NEA’s expert and dedicated advisers will then make contact with that person to discuss how we 
can best provide help and support. We’ll try to reach to them by phone and text message (as well 
as email if they have provided an email address and are happy to communicate this way).

For questions or further information please contact: healthyfutures@nea.org.uk

Covid vaccinations

Covid vaccinations are now available to book via the national booking site or by telephoning 119. Musgrove Park is listed as Stour PCN.