August 2021
Dear Friends of Walton Parish Nursing,
I was asked recently how things are going in Walton with our Parish Nursing service so I apologise for taking time to update you on the work.
Despite the pandemic we are blessed to have two very dedicated nurses in Lorna and John and they have done their best to keep things moving along.
Lorna has had face to face meetings with clients at last and she has welcomed a new volunteer, Hazel, who is also a Trustee and on the Management team. Hazel has also volunteered to train to teach Chair based exercises.
Lorna has had new referrals and she has attended a community cafe where she gives health advice and takes blood pressures. This also happens at other community hubs such as St Philip’s church and a local housing association in Walton.
Both Lorna and John provide transport to appointments, especially at hospital.
Lorna is in touch with a number of local initiatives which help the community in different ways, so she networks well and is aware of what is currently happening here. She also has the opportunity of spreading the word about Parish Nursing as she has been given a slot at a service at St Martin’s, Trimley, on September 5th, as they would like to access a Parish Nurse too.
John has been able to restart the No Labels group, which helps people with mental health issues. It has been particularly good for them to be able to meet in person. He has also arranged a sailing morning for clients, which took place in August. He is due to be part of a PNMUK focus group to discuss guidelines for mental health within Parish Nursing.
This shows how our work has sometimes been trailblazing, which is a privilege and an honour.
We were able to continue our Management Team meetings on Zoom but the last one in July was at church and in person again, which was very good.
Our volunteers were unable to hold chair based exercises during the past 18 or 19 months. However, on September 1st we are holding a Social event to welcome our clients back. Many have declined in health quicker than they would have done, due to lack of exercise and company, and we have seen some move on to Care Homes and sadly two clients have died (not of Covid). After meeting and becoming familiar with the venue again, we hope to start the exercise classes on September 8th. There are a few “rules” we have in place to keep people safe, such as wearing masks into the building (but not during exercises) and taking lateral flow tests if possible, so we hope people will not feel daunted by them.
Please pray for the above points, as well as a few extras below:
Lorna is currently on compassionate leave as her mother died this week after a long illness. Please pray that she will have time to adjust before returning to work.
We look forward to our Celebration service on Sunday 17th October (see invitation) at Seaton Road Methodist Church , when we hope to have Nick Swanson, a former Pastor at Maidstone Road Baptist Church, speak to us. It would be good to have you there if you can make it. Please pray about all the arrangements for this.
