In February, we held our first Community Assembly of the year, which gave us the chance to update you on the latest from Healthwatch Southend as well as inviting speakers from local NHS organisations to talk about their services.

Karen Samuel-Smith, Chief Officer at Community Pharmacy Essex gave an us update on some of the challenges local pharmacies face, ranging from financial and supply chain issues to the struggle to recruit and retain staff. She also spoke about some of the opportunities on offer, such as Pharmacy First which we will look at later in this newsletter.

We ended the session by hearing from two colleagues at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), Charlotte Dillaway, Director of Delivery and Partnerships and Carolyne Dawson, Stroke Matron. They explained NHS Mid & South Essex’s consultation on the future use of beds at the Cumberlege Centre in Rochford. Those of you who joined us were able to give feedback on your thoughts and opinions, and have helped us shape our response to the consultation.

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