Everybody needs good neighbours

The clinical lead of Mansfield and Ashfield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has called upon local residents to sign up to the Winter Friends pledge to: take time out this winter to look in on an elderly friend or neighbour to make sure they are warm and coping well.

Those who sign the pledge will get free cold weather alerts and email tips throughout the winter to help them do their bit. To sign up, please visit www.nhs.uk/winterfriends.

Dr Judy Jones, Clinical Lead for NHS Mansfield & Ashfield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: “ The simplest of gestures can make a huge difference to someone’s day. Just by looking in on an elderly friend or neighbour can help prevent a sense of loneliness and isolation but can also help you to identify if people need specific help”.

There are five ways in which people signing the Winter Friends pledge can help:

Drop in on an older neighbour or friend, make sure living rooms are heated, ask if you can collect any prescriptions or take the person to the GP for any appointments, if it snows, clear their path or door for them.

Around 31,000 people died in England last winter because of cold weather, most of these people were over 75, and many of their deaths could have been avoided.

With many thousands of older people spending much of the winter alone, a helping hand is always welcome.