We will be meeting between 6pm and 7:30pm on Wednesday, 25th September at the University Health Centre, 9, Northcourt Avenue, Reading RG2 7HE. There will be a presentation from the Independent Patient Advocacy Service SEAP, an update from the CCG and the chair, a report on the QIPP (quality, innovation, productivity and prevention) programme for next year, a presentation from Healthwatch on Patient Participation and a discussion on ideas for Patient Engagement across the South Reading area. There will also be elections for Chair, Vice-Chair, Information Officer and Outreach Officer. Nominations to Karen.Grannum@nhs.net Anyone registered with a practice in the South Reading CCG area may attend. If you have not been before please contact Karen Grannum on email address karen.grannum@nhs.net or on telephone 07500 072 720 to give your contact details beforehand - we will be delighted to see you!

We will be meeting between 6pm and 7:30pm on Wednesday, 25th September at the University Health Centre, 9, Northcourt Avenue, Reading RG2 7HE. There will be a presentation from the Independent Patient Advocacy Service SEAP, an update from the CCG and the chair, a report on the QIPP (quality, innovation, productivity and prevention) programme for next year, a presentation from Healthwatch on Patient Participation and a discussion on ideas for Patient Engagement across the South Reading area. There will also be elections for Chair, Vice-Chair, Information Officer and Outreach Officer. Nominations to Karen.Grannum@nhs.net Anyone registered with a practice in the South Reading CCG area may attend. If you have not been before please contact Karen Grannum on email address karen.grannum@nhs.net or on telephone 07500 072 720 to give your contact details beforehand - we will be delighted to see you!

South Reading CCG is supporting Jane Brooks - a PhD student working on Public and Patient Involvement by helping her get responses to her questionnaire for Long Term Condition sufferers and their carers. If you, or the person you care for, suffers from diabetes, stroke, TIA, heart disease or respiratory disease please fill in Jane's questionnaire. Start by clicking here. Please complete the questionnaire by 27th September 2013.

The South Reading NHS CCG summarises changes it is making to services and processes for Children and Young People here . There will be more Heath Visitors, the Family Nurse Partnership working with teenage mums, a single point of entry to CAMHS, expansion of the Talking Therapies programme and other changes. These changes are in response to points made at the Childrens' and Voluntary Youth Services AGM this summer.

The board of the NHS South Reading Clinical Commissioning Group meets in public at 12:30-4:00pm, Wednesday, 18th September 2013 at the Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road, Reading RG1 5EX. This is an occasion to hear about the quality and performance achievements and concerns of the health care commissioned by the CCG and to ask questions of the board. The agenda and papers will be available from 11 September at www.southreadingccg.nhs.uk. If you intend to attend please let the arrangers know by email to ppiteam.berkshire@nhs.net by noon on 16th September. Advance questions to the board should also be emailed to ppiteam.berkshire@nhs.net by noon on 16th September.

If you have a health care complaint that has not led to a satisfactory outcome you can drop in on the Independent Complaint Advocacy Service from 11am - 1pm on Friday, 11th October. The Advocacy service is provided by SEAP Reading under contract from Reading Borough Council. Their next drop-in session is at 11am-1pm, Friday, 11th October at THE WAREHOUSE 1a Cumberland Road, Cemetary Junction, Reading, RG1 3LB This is close to the bus stops at Cemetery Junction used by routes 13, 14, 17 and 190. This is a free advocacy service required by government, which can help you take your complaint through to a satisfactory outcome.

The local area team of NHS England is directly responsible for our primary and dental care, for some screening services, for specialist health services and for some co-responsibility and supervision of the Clinical Commissioning Groups in our area that purchase our hospital and community nursing care. The local area team for the Thames Valley is based in Oxford. This Oxford-based organisation is organising a one-day event for charities and voluntary organisations to discuss and develop means of patient engagement. The event will be located (surprise, surprise!) in Oxford at the Kassam Stadium on Thursday, 26th September. Please see the announcement for further details and booking. The location is accesible by public transport as there is a roughly hourly bus service (Thames Travel T3 from the centre of Oxford (not rail station)).

The West Berkshire Neurological Alliance has published its August Newsletter with much detail including the funding of two specialist nurse positions for epilepsy and for ME/CFS.

Reading Borough Council has published the Summer 2013 edition of its Social Care newsletter Care Junction.

South Reading CCG covering Reading from Tilehurst through Central Reading, Whitley, University and East Reading, is supporting World Breastfeeding Week from 1st to 7th August. There are events for pregnant women at the Whitley Sure Start Childrens' Centre - click here for details.