Last year saw an increase in measles cases, taking the number of cases to the highest it has been in decades. Vaccination is important to ensure the long-term health of your child, and of the nation as a whole.

From 1 January 2026, all children will be offered the combined MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) vaccine at 12 and 18 months of age. This adds protection against chickenpox to the existing provision of protection against measles, mumps, and rubella.

This guidance for healthcare professionals describes eligibility, administration and safety, and answers frequently asked questions about the new vaccination programme.

To learn more about the MMRV vaccine vist the NHS webpage https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/mmrv-vaccine/ 

Measles, mumps and rubella are highly infectious illnesses, with potentially life-changing complications, that can easily spread between unvaccinated people. Mumps outbreaks are currently occurring across England. Children need two doses of the safe and effective MMR vaccine. Both doses are needed to ensure full and lasting protection against measles, mumps and rubella.

If your child has missed either of these two doses, please contact us for an appointment with Nurse Jo. It’s never too late to catch up and protect those around you.

The theme of this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week is 'Alcohol and me'.

Alcohol is the cause of many health problems including:

• Insomnia
• Low energy
• Increased anxiety
• General feeling of ill health
• Liver disease
• Stroke, high blood pressure and cancer

The effects of alcohol on our brain can also lead to issues which can snowball into much worse, such as:

• Inability to work or low productivity
• Financial problems
• Relationship problems
• Hurting loved ones
• Homelessness

Alcohol is promoted all the time in the media and by the manufacturers, so it often feels like an inevitable part of our lives. This Alcohol Awareness Week invites a different conversation, asking: how might alcohol truly be impacting our lives and what can we do about it? When we drink less alcohol, the benefits often reach far beyond ourselves, strengthening our relationships, our families, and improving our working lives, communities, and society.

During this awareness week, Alcohol Change UK want to help people understand their own relationship with alcohol, and how they might cut down, or even go alcohol-free. They will provide:

• Tools to help you learn more about how alcohol might be affecting your health and wellbeing and what – if anything – you’d like to do next
• Top tips for cutting down
• Stories of change

It only takes two minutes to explore the role alcohol is playing in your life, and although exploring your relationship with alcohol might feel uncomfortable, that’s okay. But it might be a sign that this is just the right time to learn more, get advice and take a step forwards.

Visit https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/alcohol-awareness-week-1 to find out more, share your story and discover how you might make a change for the better.

Samaritans is a charity that prevents suicide through the power of human connection. They connect people in crisis with trained volunteers who will always listen, and they connect people calling for change with those who need to listen. They answer a call for help every ten seconds.

Samaritans Awareness Day takes place on the 24th of July to highlight the fact that Samaritans are available to listen 24/7. It is a day to help raise awareness and funds to prevent suicide today, because tomorrow could be too late.

You can help by donating or fundraising to help keep their call centres open and staffed by highly-trained volunteers. There are lots of fundraising ideas and resources on their website, https://www.samaritans.org/support-...your-own-fundraising/fundraising-inspiration/.

Or you can visit their volunteering page, https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/volunteer/, to get involved as a regular fundraiser, support the work of Samaritans in other ways, or even become a volunteer listener yourself.

Group B Streptococcus is a type of bacteria which can be passed on by direct physical contact, and is carried by around 1 in 4 adults, usually harmlessly and with no symptoms. But during childbirth, it can be passed to babies – and in rare cases, lead to serious complications like sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis. On average, two babies a day in the UK develop group B Strep infection. One baby a week dies, and another is left with life-changing disability.

However, most group B Strep infections are preventable. With better awareness, routine testing, and timely antibiotics during labour, the risk can be significantly reduced. Because GBS can be passed on by skin-to-skin contact, everyone should wash and dry their hands properly before handling a newborn baby.

Group B Strep Awareness Month, aims to save lives by educating expectant parents and health professionals about how GBS is carried, how it can be transmitted during childbirth, and what steps can be taken to reduce the risk.

Information about GBS and getting support in the UK can be found at https://gbss.org.uk, and you can see more information, fundraising toolkits and materials, and take a fun quiz on the Group B Strep International website: https://www.groupbstrepinternational.org/gbs-awareness.html

Good Care Month is an opportunity to celebrate the dedicated professionals working across the social care sector. Carers, both paid and unpaid, make a vital contribution to communities by providing support to vulnerable individuals.

It is spearheaded by adult social care organisations, local authorities, and care providers, and also aims to raise the profile of care as a rewarding and essential career path, particularly at a time when recruitment and retention in the sector are national priorities.

Everyone is encouraged to join in by doing simple things to thank carers in their local community, such as sending thank you cards, or providing a gesture such as pastries for staff tea breaks at a local care home.

The Good Care Month initiative began in Hertfordshire, and there are lots of inspiring personal stories from carers, talking about why they love working in care at the Hertfordshire Care Providers Association website: https://www.hcpa.info/good-care-month-material-july/#good care month.

If you feel inspired to learn more about a career in care, you can explore your options and find out how you can get into a caring role at https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/care-worker.

July is UV Safety Month, which highlights the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the importance of protecting yourself from UV rays and how you can stay safe in the sun.

Sunshine helps our bodies to make vitamin D, and while this is very important, the benefits of getting some sun must be balanced with the need to protect yourself from over-exposure. There is no such thing as a healthy, safe way to tan, and a tan does not protect you from UV rays.

The risks of excessive UV exposure include:

• Sunburn
• Premature ageing (such as wrinkles and age spots)
• Increased risk of skin cancer
• Eye damage (increasing the risk of cataracts and other eye conditions

Did you know that 90% of UV rays can pass through cloud cover, so even when it is cloudy, windy and cool, you can still burn. In the UK, the sun is strongest from March to October, particularly between 11am and 3pm, so you should avoid direct sunlight between these times. Ways to protect yourself include:

• Staying in the shade of trees, buildings or parasols
• Covering up legs and arms with long sleeves and trousers or long skirts
• Wearing UV-protective sunglasses
• Wearing a wide-brimmed hat
• Applying a minimum SPF30 sun cream regularly to all exposed skin

Visit https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/ to find out more about the dangers of UV light, and how to stay safe this summer.

Melasma is an adult skin condition, affecting millions of people, where brown or greyish patches of pigmentation develop, usually on the face, and usually during the summer months. It is more common in women, but can also affect men. Melasma is more common in people with brown or black skin and those who tan very quickly, but can occur in anyone.

Melasma is not an infection, so it is not contagious, and it is not due to an allergy. It is not cancerous and will not develop into skin cancer. The exact cause is not known, but it is thought to be due to cells in the skin producing too much melanin pigment. Triggers might include hormonal changes during pregnancy, medication and UV light, which is also known to make melasma worse.

Although melasma is not harmful, and does not cause pain or itching, many people find its appearance upsetting, and may experience a drop in self esteem, or prejudice due to misunderstanding of the nature of the condition. Melasma Awareness Month aims to improve awareness and knowledge of the causes, treatments and preventative steps people can take to lessen its impact.

You can find out more about melasma, and discover ways you can fundraise for a variety of skin conditions on the British Skin Foundation website at https://www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk/conditions/melasma.

If you’re caring for someone at risk of going missing, you might want to have a look at the Herbert Protocol. Named after a war veteran called George Herbert, the Herbert Protocol helps you to establish information about someone who’s at risk before they go missing.

In the event that they later do go missing, you’re able to quickly share the information with the police force.

We’ve linked some national information below, but you’ll be able to find the information for your local police force and their forms by carrying out an internet search. The police will ask additional questions about what happened if/when the individual goes missing, but having the protocol ready helps you to think about important information beforehand when you’re not in a moment of intense stress.

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-s...gether-magazine/scheme-support-missing-people

The safety initiative ‘Ask for Angela’ has being rolled out to bars, clubs and other licensed businesses across England. 

People who feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened can discreetly seek help by approaching venue staff and asking them for ‘Angela’. This code-phrase will indicate to staff that they require help with their situation and a trained member of staff will then look to support and assist them. This might be through reuniting them with a friend, seeing them to a taxi, or by calling venue security and/or the police. 

Venues that support ‘Ask for Angela’ have been given Welfare And Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) training. Delivered by the Met’s licensing officers and Safer Sounds partnership, it gives staff the ability to help customers who may be in a situation that makes them vulnerable or unsafe.

For more information about the scheme, visit: https://askforangela.co.uk/

Aged 17 to 65?

Generally fit and well?

Weigh more than 7st 12lbs (50kg) and less than 25st (158kg)?

You could help by donating blood as stocks are critically low.

Giving blood

You can give blood at thousands of donation venues across England, from permanent donor centres to pop-up community venues.

More about giving blood

Giving plasma

You can give plasma (part of your blood that can make life-saving medicines) at 3 donation venues in England:

• Birmingham
• Reading
• Twickenham

More about giving plasma

Information: 

Note that you can't donate blood and plasma at the same appointment.

If you have a baby under six months of age, it can be really difficult to know whether you need to make a medical appointment, or whether you can safely look after your baby at home.

The Lullaby Trust have built an app to help parents of young babies to know the difference:
https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/baby-check-app/

But don't forget we are here for you if you have any doubts, worries or concerns. 

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Babies are usually ready to start trying their first solid foods when they reach six months of age.

Giving your baby a wide variety of normal family foods can encourage habits for life, but we do need to make sure we’re careful as some foods such as salt and honey aren’t suitable for very young children.
https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/weaning/how-to-start-weaning-your-baby/