Information on NHS Kernow's annual general meeting meeting.

The St Austell Healthcare Group has today, 28 August 2020 been confirmed as the new provider of primary care medical services at Mevagissey Surgery.

The NHS in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is gearing up for what could be a busy bank holiday by asking everyone living in or visiting the county to think about the best place to seek medical help.

The results of engagement with the community regarding the future use of Edward Hain community hospital were presented to a virtual meeting of local representatives today.

The Citizen Advisory Panel (CAP) is seeking new members from across the county.

Have your say on GP and pharmacy services in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Information on NHS Kernow's August 2020 Governing Body meeting.

The Prince of Wales thanked NHS general practice and primary care staff for their heroic efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, during a visit to St Austell Healthcare.

A newly developed app being used by GPs in Cornwall is helping to connect socially isolated patients with online workshops and support groups.

Patient Participation Groups work to improve GP surgeries and local healthcare in a number of ways and many have gone the extra mile during the coronavirus pandemic to support their local practices and patients.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 16 July 2020, 10am to 12 noon.

Joan Heaton, member of Launceston Medical Centre Patient Participation Group/Citizen Advisory Panel, reflects on the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on her community.

There is a new way of accessing urgent care in Cornwall, to make sure everyone stays as safe as possible during the covid pandemic. Go online to 111.nhs.uk or call 111.

Have fun, stay safe and if you need health care, please use the most appropriate service as it gears up for a very busy ‘bank holiday-style’ weekend.

Find out more about how to identify the symptoms in children and how to get them tested.

The UK Government has set out a roadmap for the clinically extremely vulnerable on the future of the shielding programme.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 18 June 2020 – 10am to 12.30pm at NHS Kernow, Trevithick room, Sedgemoor, Priory Road, St Austell PL25 5AS.

Four free online parenting courses are being launched for families across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Release date:  Fri, 08/09/2017 (All day) Main image:  Summary:  On a recent Cornwall Wildlife Trust survey of marine life on their Looe Island Nature Reserve, marine experts were thrilled to discover a rare species lurking within the island’s rockpools.

The giant goby is the largest species of goby to be found in UK waters growing to a whopping 27cm maximum length. Few people have heard of this elusive species which dwarfs all other gobies, but its UK stronghold is in Cornwall and South Devon, with increasing numbers of records being made each year. This discovery, the first for Looe Island, further highlights the amazing marine life found in Cornwall’s only Marine Nature Reserve.

Giant gobies are warm water marine fish which range from the Mediterranean, along the Atlantic coasts of Spain and France and north as far as the South West of England. It is possible that we may witness an extension north of this species’ range due to climate change in coming years so it is particularly important to survey them.

Giant gobies are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside act 1981 so it is illegal to disturb them without a Natural England Licence. Matt Slater, Marine Awareness Officer for Cornwall Wildlife is the proud holder of a licence to humanely capture and study this species.

Matt Slater said,

“We have carried out surveys in lot of locations around Cornwall and I am starting to be pretty good at thinking like a goby and predicting where they are likely to be, but it is still a real thrill to discover a new population of them in a new site!”

Giant gobies have never been recorded before on Looe Island as far as we are aware. In one pool two small giant gobies were found and in another pool, one giant was discovered measuring 23cm (9 inches) in length.

Giant gobies are chunky, robust fish and are members of a large family of rockpool fishes all having distinctive, fat rubbery lips, tiny scales and two dorsal fins. Gobies are well adapted to life on the shore and the giant goby can be distinguished by its size and it's fleshy, lobed pelvic fin which is used as a suction pad.

The annual Looe Island survey, which is carried out in August, was well attended this year by a range of local naturalists, Cornwall Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers from Looe Marine Conservation Group. As well as carrying out a fish survey of rockpools other surveys were completed by Cornwall Seal Group. This included surveys of seals, birds, and butterflies as well as monitoring of the rocky shore. The records collected all help to understand, manage and protect the island’s wildlife.

Looe Island Nature Reserve is a truly special place home to an amazing array of wildlife, all thriving in this secluded and unspoiled corner of Cornwall.

To arrange a visit to the island please visit www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/looeisland
If you would like to get involved in helping out on shore surveys please email shoresearch@cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk
 

Release date:  Wed, 06/09/2017 (All day) Main image:  Summary:  An ambitious new sustainable holiday development business has joined Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Business Supporter Scheme. Hall Wood are planning unique new tree top level accommodation in a valley near Pelynt and have worked closely with the Trust from the start to ensure the scheme is as wildlife friendly as possible.

Hall Wood is the brain child of Alex King who studied mining at Camborne School of Mines and toured the world through his work as an exploration geologist before deciding to return to his roots in Cornwall. He searched for a special site surrounded by nature where he could incorporate a series of high-end self-catering lodges, without compromising on his strong beliefs that it should also be sustainable and not impact negatively on the local wildlife.

Finding the perfect site set in a beautiful wooded valley near the village of Pelynt, Alex turned to Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s consultancy arm, Cornwall Environmental Consultants (CEC) for advice. They carried out various wildlife surveys of the site confirming the presence of ancient woodland, otters, dormice, and deer. They were also able to advise on how best to manage the site for nature and mitigate against any negative impacts from its development. The site was formerly planted with conifers on its upper slopes whilst the valley bottom has patches of ancient woodland. Hall Wood plans to protect the ancient trees, and with a renowned local architect has designed timber framed units on stilts which will be sympathetically integrated into the landscape to give the impression of living in the tree canopy.

The woodland in which the lodges are set will be managed as a nature reserve, and the site has been designed to ensure these habitats are enhanced and preserved throughout its life. Hall Wood guests will be encouraged to support local businesses and producers whilst on site. Low-emission transport links into local places of interest will be provided as the owners are keen for the local communities to benefit from the income generated by guests staying at the site. They have estimated that this could amount to over £300,000 annually.

Hall Wood has recently joined Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Business Supporter scheme at the top level as a Wildlife Partner, which not only provides the charity with much needed funding it also creates a relationship whereby it can advise the owners and help towards their goal to build a site which is beneficial to the local ecosystem and environment. There are also has plans to create the Hall Wood Forest School, for guests and invited groups to take part in activities ranging from nature trails, animal spotting, shelter building, outdoor cooking courses and more.

Alex King, Director of Hall Wood said,

“We are an extremely proud supporter of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and their work in safeguarding Cornwall’s wildlife rich habitats. It became clear very early on that there was a strong ethical synergy between our two entities, so a working relationship was the logical next step. We are very excited to see where this partnership takes us, and we look forward to sharing the fruits of this with our guests in the future.”

Antonia Mullaly, Business Support Manager, Cornwall Wildlife Trust added,

“It is refreshing to see a developer take the lead and seek wildlife advice and support early on in the planning stages in order to enhance the site’s natural assets. Clearly, Hall Wood’s plans to improve the natural environment and support surrounding communities, whilst providing high quality accommodation will bring many positive benefits to this beautiful area of south east Cornwall.”