Indigenous medicine needs recognition – Professor Gibson

 

Windhoek

The effectiveness and importance of the use of traditional medicine around the world are overlooked and therefore such medicine lack recognition as being as useful as scientifically tested pharmaceutical modern medicine, a visiting South African professor told a public lecture.

Being unscientifically tested and approved, traditional medicine therefore remains unrecognized to have the right and consent to be used freely and to be widely available to those who need it.  This was stated at the public lecture held at a resort in Windhoek on Tuesday night, presented by Professor Daina Gibson from the University of the Western Cape in South Africa.

The lecture was about “Medicinal plants as players in the health system.”

“There have been controversies between professional medicinal doctors failing to recognize the use of traditional medicine, describing it as being unfit for use, as bio-scientific tests have not been conducted on them,” stated Gibson.

She added that traditional medicine should be given recognition to be used in cases when there is a lack and shortage of modern medicine but warned that traditional medicine should not be used simultaneously when using pharmaceutical medications.   

Those with the know-how should pass on the knowledge to others in order to preserve the ancestral knowledge, although it is very difficult to know those possessing indigenous knowledge as such individuals usually keep this knowledge to themselves.

Gibson gave the example of Chinese and Indian medicine as being useful, urging that they should be brought on board to share the knowledge on how they pursued their traditional medicines so that others could learn and follow the same route.

“There should be policies and regulations that will see that such things are preserved and given a platform where they can be practised freely. Traditional medicines don’t have side effects as they come natural, thus we should protect and preserve them through planting more of the species used instead of harvesting everything,” stated the Western Cape university professor.

The Directorate of Traditional Medicine, African Traditional Medicine Day, National Drug Policy of 1996 Medicines and Related Substances Amendment Act (No 72 of 2008), Traditional Health Practitioners Act (22 of 2007), Interim Traditional Health Practitioners Council in 2013 and Draft of National Policy on African Traditional Medicine were listed as some of the structures, policies and regulations followed in South Africa. Gibson said traditional medicine practices in the Western Cape are prevalent to such an extent that they harvest and trade in approximately 700 tons of traditional medicine around the world and 100 tons in South Africa.

Gibson is a trained anthropologist specializing in medical anthropology.

She has previously published national and international journals on hospital ethnography, transformation of the South African health care system, ex-combatants and trauma; gender sexuality and reproductive health; masculinity, gender based violence and tuberculosis.

https://www.newera.com.na/2015/06/04/indigenous-medicine-recognition-professor-gibson/

 

 

FW: LVSC health update - May 2015

Forward to a friend | Web version | May 2015 Dear colleague, Welcome to the May 2015 edition of our regular health ebulletin bringing you news from LVSC, Regional Voices (of which LVSC is a constituent member), the Department of Health, Public Health England, Care Quality Commission and NHS England. Where relevant, the ebulletins may include information from London's voluntary & community sector (VCS) as well as regional policy news - e.g. from the Greater London Authority, NHS England (London region), London CCGs,etc. We also intend to keep you up to date on the government's Five Year Forward View, including the transformation agenda in London (see LVSC section below to find out more about LVSC's work on this area in the coming year). If you wish to discuss any items to be included in future bulletins, please feel free to contact me. Kind regards Sandra Sandra van der Feen Policy Officer, LVSC sandra@lvsc.org.uk Mondays - Wednesdays only   LVSC news LVSC's health policy work 2015-2016 LVSC is a constituent member or Regional Voices, one of the strategic partners of the Department of Health, Public Health England and NHS England. LVSC has been funded for another year to take forward the strategic partners programme – Stronger Connections for Better Health. This programme is about building mechanisms for an effective flow of information, intelligence and evidence between voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations and the Department of Health, Public Health England and the NHS England. We have also been funded through our Regional Voices membership by NHS England to help take forward the Engaging Patients and Communities Programme of the Five year Forward View. This work will include improving local commissioning with small VCSE groups; support better involvement in primary care commissioning and other areas.   More information can be found on LVSC's health pages. You can also contact Sandra van der Feen, Health Policy Officer, LVSC: sandra@lvsc.org.uk (Mon-Wed only). Return to top Whole Systems Change: Co-producing models of health & care The report of the event which took place on April 16th is almost completed but we are still waiting for some information and comments before we can publish it. We do have some additional content regarding the workshops which is available online. They can be downloaded from LVSC's health policy page Return to top   London wide news London GP mental health scheme helps hundreds, skills up primary care staff and saves thousands According to NHS England, "more than 600 people now visit their GP instead of the hospital for regular physical and mental health checks thanks to a successful London scheme saving the NHS thousands". Across Newham CCG's 61 surgeries four teams Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPNs) are on stand-by to see patients with stable severe mental illnesses who have opted into the service. They no longer visit the psychiatrist in outpatients and can instead be seen at their local practice where they and their carers can get physical health checks Some of the money saved through this initiative has already been reinvested with East London NHS Foundation Trust to establish new services. The Clinical Commissioning Group is hoping to work alongside patients with mental health problems to support them getting back into the workplace. Return to top   National news Prime Minister on plans for a seven-day NHS David Cameron has given a speech setting out his plans for "a 7-day NHS, safe in our hands - for every generation to come. A press release can be viewed on the government website Return to top Mental health staff working with police and courts now cover half of England New Liaison and Diversion teams are now in place across half of the country to ensure that vulnerable people are supported in both police custody and the courts. The first wave began in April 2014 and this initiative has recently expanded to cover 28.5 million people as part of a two year trial. For more information, visit the NHS England website Return to top Innovation Test Beds search extended Health and social care innovators now have until 12 June to express an interest in being part of the Test Beds Programme. The programme, which opened on 26 March, is inviting expressions of interest from innovators from any sector in the UK and internationally who want to test their ideas to deliver health services in better ways at scale, and in a real clinical setting.   Through the programme, and with the support of the 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), innovators will partner up with NHS and social care sites to trial new technologies, digital services and other innovations in service delivery with the potential to bring big benefits to patients.  London has 3 AHSNs: University College London Partners (UCLP); King's Health Partners and the Imperial College Health Partners (ICHP) In practice, a test bed site could mean equipping patients with wearable technology, combined with a new working pattern for clinical and nursing staff, all with the aim of helping people manage long-term conditions, address issues early and reduce preventable trips to hospital. Over the summer, AHSNs will identify NHS and social care organisations as potential 'test bed sites' which will be matched to appropriate innovators. The partnerships will then receive national support to implement high potential innovations that respond to local clinical needs. There are also a number of opportunities to find out more about the programme and ask questions. More details are available on the NHS website. Return to top Help the NHS improve by providing them with feedback on your local NHS services All of us can help improve the NHS by giving feedback after visiting the dentist, a GP practice, or when we use local hospitals, community services and mental health services.  The Friends and Family Test  enables patients to make their voices heard and is a quick way for all patients to give NHS staff a "thank you" or say how things could be better. Patients have already given more than 7 million responses in two years and the Friends and Family Test is now operating across most parts of the NHS. Return to top Find out how patients rate their quality of life after planned operations People who receive one of four surgical procedures (hip and knee replacement, groin hernia surgery and varicose vein treatment) can feed back on their quality of life before and after their treatment. This information is known as Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS), that can be used by patients, medical staff, carers and commissioners to understand where some hospitals perform better or worse than one would expect. PROMS are an important source of patient feedback and can help inform people's choice for where they have their surgery or treatment. The results are published on the 'myNHS' website Return to top Information and resources about integrated pioneers on the NHS website The NHS website now holds information about the sites in an easily accessible way. It contains About Pioneers News & events (published article by Greenwich) Pioneer Community Resource Centre National workstreams  For example the Resource Centre contains integrated care value case toolkits for the different pioneer sits. In London these are: NW London Greenwich WELC (Waltham Forest, East London & City) Return to top Excess winter deaths and morbidity and the health risks associated with cold homes The guideline is for commissioners, managers and health, social care and voluntary & community sector practitioners who deal with vulnerable people who may have health problems caused, or exacerbated, by living in a cold home. It will also be of interest to clinicians and others involved with at-risk groups, housing and energy suppliers. This guideline makes recommendations on how to reduce the risk of death and ill health associated with living in a cold home. The aim is to help: Reduce preventable excess winter death rates. Improve health and wellbeing among vulnerable groups. Reduce pressure on health and social care services. Reduce 'fuel poverty' and the risk of fuel debt or being disconnected from gas and electricity supplies Improve the energy efficiency of homes. Overview Recommendations Return to top   Events & training   Writing that winning tender 18th June 2015 9:30 AM   to   4:30 PM – at Voluntary Action Islington Further information and registration With the move away from traditional grant funding, many organisations find themselves having to compete for funding through the commissioning process. This may be to continue existing services or to start new projects. Organisations need to understand the commissioning and tendering process to be able to present a viable case. This course will cover the different types of tendering process, putting a proposal together, preparing a realistic budget, being able to present your case and understanding the nature of contracts to ensure it knows what is being agreed. The London for All course looks at the essential skills involved, including identifying potential contracts, deciding whether to bid, writing an initial response, costing, demonstrating value for money and making your tender stand out Return to top Taking a deep breath: Cleaning up London's air Tuesday 7th July 2015 16:30pm - 21:00pm at St Bride Foundation, Bridge Lane, London, EC4Y 8EQ London continues to suffer the effects of poor air quality leading to around 4,300 early deaths per year. You'll be getting to the bottom of how to develop an action plan and put it into action, working with councils, planners, politicians and other communities. Event aims: Exploring robust solutions for tackling air pollution through law, policy, technology, behaviour change, sustainable transport, data sharing and community empowerment Discussing how citizen science can help you and your community Developing new ideas and solid actions to improve air quality Meeting people who share your ambitions and who you can make lasting connections with, including policy makers, local planners and other community groups Please confirm your attendance here Contact Sam Jelliman s.jelliman@lsx.org.uk 02072349400 for more information Return to top   United Nations – International Yoga Day – Sunday 21 June DSYM UK in  association with S-VYASA 21 June was declared as the International Yoga Day by the United Nations General Assembly on 11 December 2014. Yoga, a 5,000-year-old physical, mental and spiritual practice having its origin in India, aims to transform body and mind. The aim of the event is to create holistic awareness of yoga and its health benefits. The event, supported by the High Commission of India, is scheduled for 21st June 2015 at the Archbishop Lanfranc School. Event information Link to leaflet There will be a yoga exhibition in the main hall, yoga workshops in the classrooms and marquee & tents pitched on the playing fields where yoga related organisations would be able to promote their activities or style of yoga. Workshops & Lectures will be held on: Ayurveda, Pranayam, Mantrachanting, Guided meditation, Chair Yoga, Yoga for children Yoga Therapy for common ailments – Diabetes, Blood pressure, Asthma, Arthritis, Back Pain etc by Dr Robin Monoro Bookings details will become available soon but you can book the workshops here   Return to top       ABOUT REGIONAL VOICES This e bulletin is published monthly by LVSC as the London region member of Regional Voices. Regional Voices champions the work of voluntary and community organisations to improve health, well-being and care, across England. Regional Voices is a partnership of nine regional networks. Together, we directly connect to over 25,000 voluntary and community organisations. Our coverage is broad, deep and well-established. Our vision is for a society where voluntary and community organisations are connected with decision-makers at all levels, able to influence policy and improve community health, care and well-being through better services. Regional Voices partnership is hosted by Involve Yorkshire and Humber,Registered charity number 1127119   |   Company registration number 6752034 London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) Registered charity number 276886   |   Company registration number 1395546 We try to check all the information in this bulletin and the web sites it links to, but we cannot accept responsibility for the contents of the websites and articles or guarantee their validity. Links should not be taken as an endorsement of any kind. Telephone: 020 7832 5830   |   Email: info@lvsc.org.uk   |

LVSC health update - January 2015

Forward to a friend | Web version | Unsubscribe February 2015 Dear colleague, Welcome to the January / February 2015 edition of our monthly health e bulletin bringing you news from LVSC, Regional Voices (of which LVSC is a constituent member), the Department of Health, Public Health England and NHS England. Ebulletins regularly include information from the voluntary & community sector (VCS) in London. Where relevant, ebulletins also contain policy related news about London - e.g. from the Greater London Authority, NHS England (London region), Health Academic Science Networks, etc. If you wish to discuss any items to be included in future bulletins, please feel free to contact me. Kind regards Sandra Sandra van der Feen Policy Officer, LVSC sandra@lvsc.org.uk   LVSC news   At your fingertips: datasets and indicators training by Public Health England Public Health England has developed a number of tools which display suites of indicators for different aspects of health and wellbeing using software called fingertips. These profiles are a rich source of indicators across a range of health and wellbeing themes and have been designed to support JSNA and commissioning to improve health and wellbeing, and reduce inequalities. Date: 2nd March from 9.30am to 12.30pm (registration from 9am) – organised by London for All Venue: Voluntary Action Islington More information and registration For the 2nd March training, you can also contact Deirdre McGrath at LVSC for further information Deirdre@lvsc.org.uk ALTERNATIVE DATE: 27th March from 10am – 1pm (registration from 9.30am) Venue: Voluntary Action Islington. Please note that this date is reserved for voluntary & community sector (VCS) and  Healthwatch reps on the Health & Wellbeing Boards (HWBs) even though the wider VCS sector that would like to influence and /or is working with HWBs  the Boards can also register. For the 27th March training, please contact Sandra van der Feen, LVSC for more information:Sandra@lvsc.org.uk More information and registration for 27th March Objectives of the training: To develop an understanding of the broad range of indicators and datasets available within the fingertips tools To be able to use the tools to understand how local authorities compare with others and what has happened over time. To be able to export the dataset behind the tools and use locally Return to top The Social Value Act – Are we there yet? London for All The Public Services (Social Value) Act became law in April 2012. The Act places a requirement on commissioners to consider economic, environmental and social benefits of their approaches to procurement before the process starts. But what is meant by 'social value' and what are the implications for VCS and the people they work with? Date: 25th February 2015 9.00am  to 1pm Location: Voluntary Action Islington, 200a Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JP More information and registration This half day event will look at: The requirements place by the Act on commissioners of public services What is social value and how can it be measured? What impact has it had on service delivery and on public and VCS organisations? What are the opportunities for VCS organisations to improve services for the people they work with? Due to high demand for places on our training courses, we can only offer one place per organisation.    Return to top   Directory of health and wellbeing forums in London LVSC has produced a short health and wellbeing forum directory. This document is not intended as a comprehensive directory of health, wellbeing, care and related forums in London. However, pending capacity, we aim to add other specialist interest forums where they exist, including carers, learning disabilities, drugs & alcohol, women & men's health, Deaf and disabled People, homeless people and others. At the present time, the page for older people only includes the Greater London Forum for Older People. The directory currently comprises Health & wellbeing, Equality, faith/interfaith, mental health, BME and LGBT forums. This directory is aimed at: VCS organisations that want to find out what is happening around health and care in different boroughs. VCS organisations which seek to find out how forums can help influence and inform health policy & commissioning including Health & Wellbeing Boards and Clinical Commissioning Groups. National and regional organisations that deliver services in local areas and wish to be better informed about the health and care needs of local communities, patients and service users. Organisations that aspire to inform general and special interest groups about national, regional and /or local policies and strategies. Commissioners, including local authorities that intend to actively inform their policy and /or commissioning intentions through co-production and collaboration with local VCS forums. Academic institutions, health science and clinical networks that seek to co-produce with VCS organisations and /or collect evidence and VCS qualitative data to inform their research.. If you have any suggestions on how to improve on and add to the current sections, please let us know by contacting Sandra van der Feen, Policy Officer at LVSC  Return to top   London news Team Up volunteering programme Team Up is an exciting, innovative volunteering programme sponsored by London's Local Education and Training Boards, which identifies health and well-being projects within voluntary & community sector organisations  and matches doctors and dentists in training and healthcare students to these projects. The projects are supported by public health registrars who act as 'buddies' to the teams, providing advice and support. The aim of Team Up is to broaden educational experiences for trainees and students, promote closer working between the NHS and community organisations and, ultimately, help to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged Londoners. Team Up 2014 was a great success: ninety trainees and students took part, working with 16 community organisations to complete 20 health development/improvement projects. The majority of projects involved the design and delivery of health education sessions for a wide range of vulnerable target groups. Team Up are looking for new opportunities for Team Up 2015, as they would like to have wide spread of projects across all the boroughs of London. If you have an idea for a health and wellbeing project that you feel would be suitable, Team Up would love to hear from you. The projects can focus on any area of health and wellbeing. Previous projects have included creating a signposting database for the elderly, self-care workshops for the homeless and nutrition and health sessions for children from asylum seeing and refugee families. The projects need to be sustainable; therefore, it would be worthwhile considering how you could embed the project into your organisation. It would be for your organisation to decide how many volunteers would be appropriate for the project. Team Up envisage the projects starting around the end of August/beginning of September and lasting for a period of 3-6 months. If you feel that your organisation could benefit from having a Team Up project team, or would like to discuss Team Up further, please get in touch by emailing teamup@southlondon.hee.nhs.uk or phoning 0207 862 8639.  Return to top   London Healthy Workplace Charter Awards In November, the Greater London Authority Healthy Workplace Charter celebrated the achievements of 21 organisations who were accredited in 2014. There are now 44 accredited organisations, covering 139,000 employees. Watch these videos and find out how the charter has helped workplaces. LVSC is a member of the London Healthy Workplace Charter Advisory Group. If you are a voluntary & community sector in London and are interested in finding about more, contact sandra@lvsc.org.uk, LVSC in the first instance. Return to top   Shape better community and social care services in London Can you help NHS England (NHS E) London, to shape better community and social care services across the capital? NHS E London are asking service user groups, volunteer groups and local authority leaders to take part in an online conversation. NHS E (London) is trying to improve the way health and care services in the community work.  This is the health services that are based outside of hospital settings, in clinics and who provide care in people's homes.    If your groups have experience of these services, they would really like to hear what you think. Sign up and join the conversation The online conversation opens on the 21st January 2015 and closes on the 12th February 2015. To join a focus group or for any other enquiries please contact: viccie.nelson1@nhs.net   Return to top   Recruiting patients for a new diabetic user panel   NHS England (London) are currently re-designing the way diabetic eye screening services are delivered across the capital.  They are now looking for people interested in this area to be part of a new user panel which will meet up to 4 times to help shape redesigning the service. According to NHS E, this is is an exciting opportunity to influence the way services across London are delivered. If you would like to help shape diabetic eye provision across London or want to request a role description please telephone: Matthew Cruice on 0113 8070 401 or email him at: matthew.cruice@nhs.net Return to top   National news NHS Improving Quality (NHSIQ) has launched the NHS Change Day 2015 NHS Improving Quality (NHSIQ) has launched the NHS Change Day 2015 and they are asking as many individuals, teams and organisation to get involved. NHS Change Day is a grassroots movement of hundreds of thousands of health and care workers, patients, carers, volunteers and members of the public. NHS Change Day records and encourages the great changes that are being made within health and care.   NHSIQ says that if each of us makes one small change, together we can change how the world works! Anyone can make a change for the better and can make a change to improve health and care. NHS Change Day supports these people by celebrating and sharing their actions, so that they can then inspire others. Change Day supports innovative campaigns and ideas by building connections and communities of support. On Wednesday 11 March they will celebrate these changes for the better on NHS Change Day! NHS Change Day presentation More information about Change Day Return to top   Kings Fund – election tracker As we enter election year, let the Kings Fund tracker keep you up to date with the health debate. The resource aims to make sense of how health and social care issues are shaping the political landscape in the run-up to the election. The King's Fund general election home page has a timeline of different political announcements around health and social care, giving an independent assessment of the issues raised. For instance they've just added a commentary on Labour's 10 year plan for health and care  - which includes a large role for health and wellbeing boards as a "single commissioner" and a continuing focus on integrated care. Return to top   Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development (IESD) Fund The Department of Health's 'Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development (IESD) Fund' is now open. The IESD Fund provides funding from one to three years to support proposals in the health and care field. The available funding is limited and to be successful, organisations will need to have a clear focus in their applications on how their proposals would support and drive forward new ideas, disseminate and replicate excellence or undertake strategic developments in voluntary sector capacity and/or capability in health and care. The Fund is open for applications for projects to start in September 2015 or later; the Department of Health cannot accept applications after the closing date, which is at Noon on 27th March 2015 (PLEASE NOTE that an initial registration and eligibility process must be completed by Noon on 13th March 2015). Return to top New funds to kickstart joint working with NHS and councils this winter The government has found new funds to encourage more joint working between councils and the NHS. In a bid to ease the pressure on the NHS during the current cold snap, the Department for Communities and Local Government and Department of Health have released an extra £37 million for councils to get people home from hospital more quickly and stop them from being admitted in the first place. The Department for Communities and Local Government has this week provided £12 million to help join up health and social care services so that there aren't delays for people who can be safely discharged and to avoid people needing to go to hospital in the first place (perhaps because of falls or flu). Return to top   Integrated health and social care programme expanded The programme to promote innovative ways of joining up health and social care has been extended to eleven new areas. The aim is to make health and social care services work together to provide better support at home and earlier treatment in the community to prevent people needing emergency care in hospital or care homes. In London, Camden has been added to the programme as a new integrated care pioneer area To read more, visit the government website. Return to top   'Be Clear on Cancer' campaign highlights links between heartburn and cancer A national 'Be Clear on Cancer' campaign has been launched this week urging people to visit their doctor if they have heartburn most days for 3 weeks or more, as this can be a sign of oesophageal or stomach cancer. The campaign launch coincides with results of a new survey commissioned by Public Health England, which reveals only 1 in 2 people (55%) would visit their doctor if they had heartburn most days for 3 weeks or more. According to the survey findings, 59% of respondents did not know that heartburn could be a sign of cancer with just 15% saying they were certain that it is a symptom. Another symptom highlighted by the campaign is that of difficulty swallowing food. Here the survey found that 70% did not know food sticking in the throat could be a sign of cancer, and just 13% of those surveyed said they were sure it is a symptom. See the rest on the government website  Return to top   Resources & information How to talk about Human Rights HEAR member and partner Equally Ours have undertaken extensive research into what works and what doesn't when trying to communicate positive messages about human rights in your work and to the public. As a result they have produced a really useful guide 'How to Talk about Human Rights'- the full guide and a handy one page summary are available here. Return to top Practical guide to healthy ageing published NHS England in partnership with Age UK have published a new Practical Guide to Healthy Ageing, to help people improve their health and general fitness, particularly those aged 70 or over with 'mild frailty'. The guide covers the main risk factors for older people living at home, which if proactively managed, can help people stay well for longer and improve their quality of life. Return to top   Events Working Together for Health Equalities Date: 25 March 2015, 10am-4pm Venue: Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, EC1A 3EA How does the intersection of different characteristics impact on health inequalities? What are equalities groups and organisations in London doing to help lessen these inequalities? How are they working with the public sector and how can all sectors work better together? An exciting and stimulating programme showcasing innovative and creative ways in which the London voluntary sector is working with peers and with the public sector to tackle inequalities in health and why it matters. Speakers include Professor Tracy Reynolds, University of Greenwich; programme includes storytelling, film and more! Please email hear@reap.org.uk for a free place, including your name, organisation name, postcode and any access or dietary needs This event follows on from the LVSC and London for All highly successful health equalities event last October, and aims to take further some of the recommendations and themes from the event. Return to top ACEVO Spring Health and Social Care Conference 2015 Tuesday 3 March 2015 - 09:00 — 17:00 Venue: 30 Euston Square, London, NW1 2FB With less than two months before the General Election, the three main political parties come together at the ACEVO Health and Social Care Conference 2015 to discuss their plans for the sector and respective visions for health and social care in the UK. This is a unique opportunity to hear from high profile speakers and network with delegates from across the sector and Westminster. Speakers include: Jeremy Hunt - Secretary of State for Health The Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP - Shadow Secretary of State for Health The Rt Hon Paul Burstow MP Simon Stevens, Chief Executive, NHS England More informatin and booking details or contact the events team on events@acevo.org.uk     Return to top   ABOUT REGIONAL VOICES This e bulletin is published monthly by LVSC as the London region member of Regional Voices. Regional Voices champions the work of voluntary and community organisations to improve health, well-being and care, across England. Regional Voices is a partnership of nine regional networks. Together, we directly connect to over 25,000 voluntary and community organisations. Our coverage is broad, deep and well-established. Our vision is for a society where voluntary and community organisations are connected with decision-makers at all levels, able to influence policy and improve community health, care and well-being through better services. Regional Voices partnership is hosted by Involve Yorkshire and Humber,Registered charity number 1127119   |   Company registration number 6752034 London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) Registered charity number 276886   |   Company registration number 1395546 We try to check all the information in this bulletin and the web sites it links to, but we cannot accept responsibility for the contents of the websites and articles or guarantee their validity. Links should not be taken as an endorsement of any kind. Telephone: 020 7832 5830   |   Email: info@lvsc.org.uk