A service whose mission is to ensure people who are homeless receive top healthcare will have its good name beamed onto millions of screens on Christmas Day. Created by Oldham medic Dr Zahid Chauhan, Homeless-Friendly was founded after rough sleepers reported they were being turned away from surgeries because of a lack of permanent address. Responsible for changing those attitudes and making hospitals, practices, walk-in centres and even cafes hubs of homeless care, the programme’s moniker will be emblazoned on a banner at Oldham Parish Church during BBC1’s Christmas Day Service (10am). Read more->
Union Recognition AgreementWe are delighted to sign a union recognition agreement between MioCareGroup, North West UNISON, Unison Oldham LG, GMB NW & I and Unite the Union. We in Oldham believe that unions play a crucial role to protect workers rights. It was one of my priorities in my cabinet role with Cllr Sean Fielding.
Annie Comes HomeThanks to Jim McMahon MP and the team’s hard work behind the scenes, Oldham was able to welcome its Annie Kenney statue in Parliament Square. Read more->
Annual Christmas Stall
Save Our Post Office
Delighted to join the fight to #SaveOurPostOffice in Oldham town centre. It’s clear post office management are driving this great British institution into oblivion by their cost cutting strategy. Hundreds of shoppers signed our petition to halt the closure. MPs Angela Rayner, Debbie Abrahams and Jim McMahon joined with councillors, members and volunteers who came from far and wide to show solidarity thanks to the CWU.
Greater Manchester Asian Business Leaders Awards 2018
Statement from Dr Zahid Chauhan, creator of the Homeless-Friendly programme following his receipt of the Business Solving and Social Problem category at the GM Asian Business Leaders Awards 2018
“I am absolutely delighted and humbled to have received this award as it recognises and rewards the work being done by Homeless-Friendly to achieve excellent healthcare for the most vulnerable in our society. Read more->
‘Oldham Cares’ bid to combat loneliness
Oldham Cares is launching a new Social Action Fund to tackle social isolation and loneliness in communities across the borough. Around 10-per-cent of local residents across all ages currently self-identify as being lonely. That is a figure mirrored nationally and leads to impacts on health and mortality which are as important as other risk factors like high blood pressure, obesity and smoking. That’s why Oldham Cares’ Thriving Communities programme is now making £850,000 available to fund two to four projects over a three-year period that will help people to become more socially connected. Read more->
Blue Badge service to move to Access Oldham
Oldham’s blue badge application service is moving. The service, which is currently operated from the Link Centre on Union Street, will move to Oldham Council’s main customer contact centre, Access Oldham on West Street, from December 1. It will be delivered by Unity Partnership who operate Access Oldham. The move is designed to strengthen the customer experience and means the service’ opening hours, which were Tuesday to Friday between 11am and 3pm, will be extended. It will now operate in line with Access Oldham’s opening hours – from 8.40 – 5pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and from 9.30am to 5pm on Wednesdays. Read more->
Oldhamers urged to sport an interest in coaching and help beat childhood diabetes
Adults in Oldham need to set a better example by eating healthier diets and even mentoring football teams and dance groups – if we are to stop an alarming number of kids getting type two diabetes. That is the view of health campaigner Dr Zahid Chauhan after shock new statistics showed that nearly 7,000 young Britons have been officially diagnosed with the condition. Type two diabetes can result in blindness and limb amputation and since it is linked to obesity, a huge risk of heart disease and stroke. All of which has prompted Dr Chauhan to call for more sanction on advertisers and retailers, and parents and other grown-ups to junk poor diets and promote exercise. “This problem is a direct result of the rise of cheap, non-nutritious food and frankly, shockingly poor attitudes to personal health and activity,” said Dr Chauhan. Read more->
The Big Alcohol Conversation
Delighted to support The Big Alcohol Conversation in Oldham town centre on 21st November 2018. The Big Alcohol Conversation is examining the scale and nature of alcohol-related harm across Greater Manchester and identifying how it can best be reduced. Read more->
Our Day 2018
This year’s #OurDay took place on 20th November. Our Day gives everyone who works or volunteers in local public services the chance to share their stories of how they improve the quality of life of its residents.
I would like to personally thank all staff who work every day to serve the residents of Oldham.
Have a look on @oldhamcares Twitter to see some of the stories shared on #OurDay.
FC Paris Junior
Thank you to organisers for inviting me to speak to youngsters from FC Paris Junior’s with Debbie Abrahams, Shaid Mushtaq and Jenny Harrison. Alexandra councillors and Oldham Council are determined to promote sport . Well done to all participants, winners and organisers.
Labour Door Step
We had a brilliant response whilst out campaigning in the Failsworth East by election for Liz Ellen Jacques. Thank you for your support.
Greater Manchester Sports Awards
Very proud to attend the Greater Manchester Sports Awards 2018 and see Oldham represented on the evening. Well done to all nominees from Oldham Council – Oscar Schofield, Mary Shaw, Paul Jenkner, Andy Steel , Lee Hadfield , Dace Donlan and Broadfield Primary School Read more->
I’d like to thank the staff at Right Start for meeting with me. Improving children’s social, emotional and physical developments, as well as school readiness and social interaction, Right Start can ensure that even our most disadvantaged children don’t start school with a disadvantage – something we know many never recover from.
Oldham is working hard to limit the impact of Conservative Government cuts, which have led to the closure of over 1,000 centres since 2009, leaving many families out of reach of their nearest centre and others hollowed out with valued services like ‘drop in play’ lost.
As a Doctor I understand the value of early intervention; an underfunded early years service will only lead to more complex and more expensive problems later down the road. Labour’s proposals will take the burden off schools and social services and ensure that no child starts life with a disadvantage.
That’s why I support Labour’s proposals to increase Early Years funding by £4.8bn – reopening and rejuvenating Children’s Centres, extending the offer of 30 hours of free childcare to all parents with children aged 2, 3 or 4, and increasing wages to ensure a high quality graduate led workforce, with better training and more opportunities.
Health Zone plan to cut down obesity and create good air quality
Here I discuss the importance and the myths of receiving the flu jab. Protect yourself and protect others by having your flu jab, contact your GP for an appointment today. Find out more here nhs.uk/staywell
Devolution Difference Event and the Formal Launch of Oldham Cares
It was my great pleasure to welcome everyone to the special Devolution Difference event on Monday. I say it is special because it marked the formal launch of Oldham Cares – our new approach to integrated health and social care for the people of Oldham. A great range of people, staff, GPs, elected members, partners and most importantly – our residents, attended. Read more->0
0
Fairfield General Hospital in Bury becomes the first hospital in the UK to pledge as Homeless Friendly
Fairfield General Hospital in Bury has become the first hospital in the UK to pledge to be part of the Homeless-Friendly programme – helping rough sleepers receive care before they fall dangerously ill.
A lack of permanent address means that many people experiencing homelessness believe they cannot get treatment at their local GP. Instead they often visit A&E to receive care. But a partnership between The Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, which manages Fairfield General Hospital, and the Homeless-Friendly programme will ensure patients attending A&E in Bury are now also signposted to GPs, dentists and social workers that can help them with health and housing issues in the future. Read more->0
Homeless Friendly reflects on it's first year in action
Posted by That's TV Manchester on Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Reducing Fire Risk and Increasing Health and Wellbeing #Stoptober
Councillor Zahid Chauhan attended a Stoptober awareness event (held on October 3rd) in Oldham Town Centre hosted by Turning Point, Oldham Stop Smoking Service and Greater Manchester Fire Rescue Service.Cllr Chauhan, Positive Steps and Turning Point signed a plaque to show each organisations’ commitment to reducing substance misuse and fire risk.Smoking is the top cause of accidental fire deaths nationally and in Greater Manchester. In Greater Manchester, approximately 50-per-cent of fire deaths are smoking related.For people who smoke, the best way to prevent a smoking-related fire is to quit – and quitting smoking can improve health straight away. Read more->0
New cabinet member for health promises to address Oldham life expectancy gap
GP Dr Zahid Chauhan has vowed to provide a listening ear to local residents after being appointed Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care at Oldham Council.
Dr Chauhan, a national campaigner behind drives to improve medical provision for the homeless and beat deadly superbugs in UK hospitals, will be in charge of key policy decisions on everything from mental health care to services for the disabled to sporting and leisure activities within the borough.
And with a track record of tackling health inequalities, his first goal will be to address an 11-year gap in life expectancy between those living in affluent and deprived areas of Oldham.
Dr Chauhan said: “Postcode should never determine the quality and longevity of life and we need to do much more to improve provision in poorer neighbourhoods and reduce the stresses, strains and influences that blight peoples’ health there. “While we have made huge improvements, health and social care in Oldham still lags behind national standards and there is much to be done across the political spectrum to improve this.” Read more-> 00
Bury becomes first borough in Britain to guarantee homeless people urgent medical attention
BURY has become the first borough in Britain to guarantee homeless people will receive urgent medical attention.
GP services across the town have signed up to an initiative, launched by Homeless Friendly and Bury Council, which will see rough sleepers, sofa-surfers and others around the town given a card advertising a phone number for BARDOC, which they can call 24 hours a day.
Homeless people often struggle to see a doctor because they have no permanent address and find it difficult to register at a practice.
Dr Zahid Chauhan, founder of Homeless Friendly, added: “It is a great initiative. Bury Council has set a model for the rest of the authorities across the country. Read more->0
An Oldham GP and national health campaigner has warned that one in eight people could be at risk of liver failure and even death, if they don’t do something about their diet.
Research released last week by Biobank showed that 12% of people they tested nationally had inflamed, fatty livers, largely caused by poor nutrition and lack of exercise.
And Dr Zahid Chauhan believes these alarming stats should serve as a major wake-up call for overweight and obese people in Oldham – particularly as fatty liver disease is difficult to diagnose and even harder to treat.
“It is no exaggeration to say that fatty liver is a silent killer that is hard to discover even with ultra-sound” said Dr Chauhan Read more->
Brits will consume 80 million Easter eggs this year, with the average child doubling their recommended weekly calorie intake by eating on average, five chocolates eggs.
As a nation we are the fourth biggest consumers of chocolate in the world, but then with regular studies claiming chocolate can cure everything from high blood pressure to depression, surely it is okay to munch away?
Not so. Such research is at best spurious, based on short-term effects, examining cocoa extracts rather than chocolate and sometimes being imaginatively interpreted.
An example of this would be the myth propagated in some sections of the media, that dark chocolate contains properties that can cure the blues. Read more->
0
Ration the number of chocolate eggs you give to your children and help bar obesity and tooth decay from becoming even bigger problems.
That’s the message from Oldham GP and national health campaigner Dr Zahid Chauhan, after figures showed that chocoholic UK children are consuming the equivalent of a WEEK’s worth of calories over Easter.
Eating 80 million Easter eggs each year, Britain is ranked fourth in the world for munching chocolate and Dr Chauhan is concerned at the impact this is having on worrying heart disease and diabetes rates in Oldham. Read more->
I read with some dismay the finding of a recent medical Protection (MP) survey showing that patients become irate and even abusive towards GP’s if we won’t prescribe antibiotics they think they need.
A third of family doctors have apparently been confronted with ‘anger and frustration’, and I have heard tales of patients threatening to get GP’s struck off, or having to be escorted from the practice premises.
This is symptomatic of a society that no longer respects the GP and is sadly typical of a generation of impatient patients desperate to get better quickly. It is also a case of Dr Internet at its worst again, where myths are pedalled that miracle medications are somehow being denied to the sick.
And the biggest touted cure-all is antibiotics. Read more->
Pneumonia, falls, asthma attacks due to cold air, even cardiac problems caused by poor circulation – a winter snap is rated as four times more dangerous than any heatwave says Dr Zahid Chauhan GP.
Sometimes as medics, we have to shrug our shoulders and accept that cold weather causes patients problems. Read more->
Don’t put off that visit to the doctor
Oldham family doctor and health campaigner Dr Zahid Chauhan has warned that postponing a visit to the surgery because you’re frightened, could have horrific consequences.
Brand new research has shown that two-thirds of British people would delay a trip to the doctors because they are fearful of receiving bad news or worried they would be given a lecture about their unhealthy lifestyles.
But Dr Chauhan insists such attitudes “belong in the past” and that health checks, attending NHS screening programmes or even just talking about worries with a medic, could prevent your chances of developing a deadly illness. Read more->
Cervical cancer kills nearly 900 hundred women each year and is the most common form of cancer in females under 35 in the UK.
93% of cervical cancer cases are actually preventable through a vaccine called Gardasil (usually administered to girls aged 12-13), avoiding cigarettes (since people who smoke are less able to get rid of the infection which can develop into cancer), hygienic sexual health and regular cervical screening. Read more->
Doctors in Bolton are among the first in the country to ensure the ‘hidden homeless’ do not slip through the net. GP’s in Crompton, Horwich, Ladybridge and Little Lever are making sure they can reach ‘sofa-surfers’ and those living in temporary accommodation. Bolton Community Practice, which has the four sites across the borough, has become the first in the country to publicly pledge to be Homeless – Friendly and ensure their services cater for those with no fixed abode. Read more->
New advice on children’s snacking is being welcomed by Oldham GP Dr. Zahid Chauhan.
The new national campaign urges parents and carers to ‘look for 100 calorie snacks, two a day max’ in a bid to reduce the fat intake of children.
It comes after figures showed that a third of UK children are leaving primary school obese or overweight. Read more->
0
Oldham doctor urges Government to find solution to homelessness
An OLDHAM doctor is urging the Government to use the New Year to find a sustainable solution to homelessness.Dr Zahid Chauhan, who set up Homeless-Friendly with NHS Greater Manchester practices, has produced a UK Parliamentary petition to persuade politicians to act. Read more->
Medics attend Salvation Army drop-in for Oldham’s vulnerable
Medics go out of their way to administer flu jabs for the homeless and vulnerable.
A team from the newly established Homeless Friendly scheme is touring various homeless charities and drop in sessions throughout December.
Their latest flu jab clinic took place at the Salvation Army’s Oldham base in Roundthorn Road, as part of the church’s long-established Friday drop-in session Read more->
Oldham surgeries among the first in the country to take part in a campaign by Dr Zahid Chauhan to make Britain Homeless Friendly
TWO Oldham surgeries are among the first nine in the country to take part in a pioneering campaign to make Britain Homeless Friendly.
The scheme asks organisations to examine their policies to make sure rough sleepers, sofa surfers and others without a fixed abode get proper access to services and are reminded that they are valued members of society. Read more->
Oldham GP Dr Zahid Chauhan teams up with Antibiotic Research UK
A WORLDWIDE campaign designed to tackle antibiotic resistance is being supported by an Oldham GP.
Dr Zahid Chauhan, a GP at Royton Medical practice, has teamed up with Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK) to encourage people to make a few simple changes now and stop demanding antibiotics from their doctor. Read more->
Doctors urged Bolton residents to avoid demanding antibiotics in face of increased resistance
OUT-OF-HOURS doctors have called on Bolton residents to take action over antibiotics.
GPs from emergency out-of-hours health and dental service BARDOC have urged residents not to demand antibiotics from their doctor.
Out-of-hours GP and BARDOC director, Dr Zahid Chauhan, features in a new film to raise awareness about the threat to human health.
The film, called ‘Let’s stop trouble brewing for future generations’, will be released ahead of World Antibiotics Awareness Week, which commences on Monday, November 13. Read more->
Quartet make pledge for homeless
Three local surgeries and a town centre charity are amongst the first organisations in the country to promise to be Homeless-Friendly.
In the company of Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd, The Dale Medical Practice, Nye Bevan House, plus The Strand and Bowness Road Family Practices, Middleton, pledged to examine their policies and procedures and ensure they cater for the homeless. Read more->
BBC NEWS: Greater Manchester GP practices start ‘homeless-friendly’ scheme
Homeless patients are being urged to seek treatment at ten GP practices in Greater Manchester instead of accident and emergency departments.
NHS policy states identification or proof of address is not needed to be seen by a GP, but some homeless people claim they have been turned away.
The scheme, which was set up by Dr Zahid Chauhan at social enterprise Beacon GP Care, has also seen survival kits, containing blankets, bottled water, sleeping bags and a list of surgeries, handed to rough sleepers.
Read More->
Homeless people will now be able to access immediate healthcare at GP surgeries in Greater Manchester – and it could be life-changing.
Rough sleepers often struggle to see a doctor because they have no permanent address and find it difficult to register at a practice. Read more->GP Online: Dr Zahid Chauhan: Stop turning GPs into admin machines and let them look after patients
GPs are drowning in administrative tasks, warns Manchester GP Dr Zahid Chauhan. The growing avalanche of demands on practices from schools, employers, charities have reached a critical point and must now be addressed to give general practice space to focus on looking after ill patients. Read more->
Rochdale Online:Rochdale puts helping the homeless into practice
Rochdale is right at the heart of a new national campaign to make Britain homeless-friendly.
The Dale Medical Practice and the borough’s out-of-hours healthcare service BARDOC, are among the first nine concerns in the country to put that ethos into practice.
Run by social enterprise Beacon GP CARE and created by Nye Bevan House GP Dr Zahid Chauhan (who writes a regular column for Rochdale Online), the pioneering scheme asks organisations to examine their policies to make sure rough sleepers, sofa-surfers and others without a fixed abode get proper access to services and are reminded that they are valued members of society. Read More->Statement in response to the election results
On June 9th, Dr Zahid Chauhan, Councillor for the Alexandra Ward in Oldham, said: “Last night’s extremely encouraging General Election results demonstrate that Labour policies really resonate with the people in our region. Read more ->
Read more ->
Dr has Labour candidate appointment
Local GP and national health and charity champion Dr Zahid Chauhan will be interviewed tomorrow (Monday 8th May) for the Labour candidature for the crucial General Election seat of Rochdale.
Read more ->
Dr Zahid Chauhan – just what the people of Rochdale ordered
A popular national health and social care campaigner is seeking Labour’s nomination for the seat of Rochdale – with a mandate to heal divisions and restore the town’s reputation as a hub of industry, diversity and prosperity.
Read more ->
Councillor Dr Zahid Chauhan, Chair of the Oldham West and Royton Labour Party said: “This is the most important General Election in Britain for decades and it is our opportunity to stop the march of right-wing politics and its dogma of division and self-interest. Read more ->
Councillor Dr Zahid Chauhan said: “My heart goes out to all of those affected by the terrible events in and around Westminster Square on March 22nd – particularly those who have lost loved ones. Read more ->
Doctor’s dismay at Prime Minister’s seven-day claim
A family doctor has written an open letter to Theresa May accusing her of breaking the bond of trust between patient and GP – by suggesting surgeries are not working hard enough.
Read more ->