Welcome to the September 2024 edition of our Residents’ eNewsletter, featuring the latest news and updates from your county council.

Positive Ageing Month: free events at our libraries

Selected libraries across West Sussex will host free events and health checks to raise awareness for Positive Ageing Month next month.

Throughout October, you can listen in to talks on ageing, book a wellbeing assessment, attend a drop-in, speak with local organisations, and of course pick up plenty of books on ageing well.

One of the first events is at Littlehampton Library on Tuesday 1 October. Arun Wellbeing will be offering free wellbeing checks and blood pressure checks. No appointment is needed for blood pressure checks, but full wellbeing checks must be booked in advance. Email wellbeinginfo@arun.gov.uk or call 01903 737862 for more information and to book.

For details of events in all libraries, click on the 'ageing well' tag on our Library What’s On pages.

Positive Ageing Month

Have you got high blood pressure?

High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and strokes.

We’re encouraging everyone over the age of 40 to have their blood pressure checkedand take control of their health. Find out more about blood pressure here.

You can pop into your local pharmacy to ask about getting a free blood pressure check and some GPs have machines in their waiting rooms. You can also buy a monitor to check yours at home.

Blood pressure measurement is also part of the NHS Health Check. If you're aged between 40 and 74 years old with no pre-existing conditions, this free 30-minute check will tell you your level of cardiovascular risk and what you can do to ensure it stays low.

Free NHS health check

Best start in life for our children

Our new ‘Right from the Start: Early Years and Childcare Strategy’ sets out our vision and priorities for supporting children in West Sussex.

The four-year strategy aims to improve the wellbeing of young children, reduce inequalities and support positive choices for families.

This strategy will be embedded across all our services supporting young children, to help every child in West Sussex achieve their full potential.

Ensuring we work together with families and other services to implement the strategy and shape what happens next is a high priority for us.

Please look out for opportunities to get involved through our upcoming communications.

Read the strategy

Our plan to reduce emissions and increase climate resilience

We’ve set out the first phase of a six-year plan to become carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2030.

A Climate Action and Adaptation Plan for 2024 to 2027 has been published which identifies 20 priority actions to be taken across the council and in partnership with key stakeholders in the county.

The actions are broken down into six pathways focusing on issues such as buildings and energy, transport, and nature and environment.

Read the plan

Vaccinations update

• A new vaccine to help protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is now available on the NHS. It will be offered to those aged 75 to 79 and women who are over 28 weeks pregnant. RSV is a major cause of respiratory illness, particularly dangerous for infants and the elderly. Find out more about this new vaccine which will help to prevent severe illness in those most vulnerable, helping to protect lives.
  
  
• The Covid-19 vaccine will be offered this autumn to those at high risk of serious disease and who are most likely to benefit from vaccination.  Find out more about eligibility.
  
  
• The flu vaccine helps protect against flu, which can be a serious or life-threatening illness. It's offered on the NHS every year in autumn or early winter to people at higher risk of getting seriously ill from flu. For more advice about the flu vaccination, speak to your GP, practice nurse, pharmacist or school immunisation team.

Free electric blanket testing dates

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is offering free electric blanket testing sessions this autumn.

Last year 36% of the blankets tested were found to be defective. Faulty electric blankets are a common cause of fire in the home.

Testing is recommended for blankets more than two years old. Blankets over 10 years old should be replaced.

The sessions will take place on the dates below by appointment only. You can book an appointment to have your blanket tested by calling 0345 872 9719.

• 1 October Bognor Regis Fire Station
• 2 October Durrington Community Centre
• 3 October Petworth Fire Station
• 4 October Age UK Burgess Hill
• 7 October Burgess Hill Town Hall
• 8 October Horsham Library
• 10 October Haywards Heath Fire Station.

If your blanket is found to be faulty, a limited number of replacement blankets will be available thanks to our partnership with SGN. These will be given free of charge to vulnerable residents who receive certain benefits, while stocks last.

Read more about keeping safe and warm at home

‘Money muling’ on the rise

Money muling is a type of money laundering, where a person receives money from a third party into their bank account and then transfers it on to another one, keeping a commission.

Money mules may not be directly involved in crime, however they are an accomplice as they are laundering the proceeds of crime.

At this time of year, criminals may try to take advantage of students studying in the UK by offering them quick ways to make money.

You may think it’s an easy way to increase your cash flow, but the reality is you could end up with a criminal record and a hefty prison sentence.

If you think that you or someone you know is a victim of money muling, stop communication with the criminals, stop transferring money and report it to the police and Action Fraud.

Action Fraud

Sepsis: Know the Signs, Save a Life

As part of Sepsis Awareness Month this September, we are highlighting the importance of recognising the symptoms of sepsis.

In the UK alone, there are at least 245,000 cases and up to 48,000 deaths of sepsis every year. That’s more deaths than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined.

There is no single sign or diagnostic test, and sepsis is indiscriminate: while it primarily affects very young children, older adults, and people with underlying health conditions, it can sometimes be triggered in those who are otherwise fit and healthy. 

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition.

How to spot sepsis in adults:

• Slurred speech or confusion
• Extreme shivering or muscle pain
• Passing no urine (in a day)
• Severe breathlessness
• It feels like you’re going to die
• Skin mottled or discoloured

A child may have sepsis if they: 

• Are breathing very fast 
• Have a ‘fit’ or convulsion 
• Look mottled, bluish, or pale – on darker pigmented skin, colour changes may show on the inside of the forearms or palms
• Have a rash that does not fade when you press it 
• Are very lethargic or difficult to wake 
• Feel abnormally cold to touch

A child under 5 may have sepsis if they: 

• Are not feeding 
• Are vomiting repeatedly 
• Have not passed urine for 12 hours

If you or another adult or child develop any of these signs, it is important to seek urgent medical attention.

Call 111 or contact your GP if you are worried about an infection. 

Call 999 or visit A&E if you or another adult or child has one of the sepsis symptoms.

Just Ask: Could it be Sepsis?

For further information on sepsis please click on this link: FAQs – The UK Sepsis Trust

More information on sepsis

Head to our Newsroom to find all the latest news.

• Applications for secondary school places in West Sussex for September 2025 are now open. It's vital applications are made on time for the best chance of being offered one of your preferred places. Applications close on Thursday 31 October 2024.
  
  
• Low income households without gas central heating can get funding to help improve their home’s energy efficiency. Register your interest before the end of October 2024.
  
  
• You could get the Winter Fuel Payment if you are receiving Pension Credit.  Check your eligibility here or call 0800 99 1234.
  
  

• People in Arun, Adur and Worthing can have their say on proposals for new electric vehicle chargepoints on 15 streets throughout the local area.
  
  

• An annual report issued by the West Sussex Director of Public Health focuses on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing in a changing world, and provides a retrospective snapshot of the services and work undertaken. 
  
  

• We're developing a new Local Flood Risk Management Strategy and we’d like you to complete this survey and share your local knowledge of flooding issues.

You can become ‘scam savvy’ by attending one of the free sessions we’re running this autumn in-person and online. 

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