THE BOROUGH council is encouraging people to continue going to the GP throughout lockdown.
At the recent executive meeting, resident Mike Smith asked whether there were any groups of the population proving hard to reach when it comes to public messaging about visiting the GP, having check-ups and tests done.
He pushed to find out whether any additional action could be taken to reach out to vulnerable groups.
Cllr Margetts said that it is important all residents of Wokingham continue to access their routine healthcare and screening appointments as well as seek medical care for new, concerning symptoms.
“GPs are open, and I encourage people to use them,” he said.
“To promote this message the Public Health team at Wokingham Borough Council have been working on a health promotion campaign with healthcare as usual as a core message.
“This campaign focuses on four main areas; childhood vaccinations, routine screening for breast, cervical, bowel, pregnancy and newborn baby, seeking help for concerning symptoms and asking for help with mental health issues.
“These public health messages will be disseminated over the coming weeks through a variety of channels including social media, email newsletters to residents and WBC housing magazine.
“In addition there is an active involvement of WBC Public Health Team in both regional and local work around health and well-being in the recovery phase of the Covid pandemic.
“This work will provide early insight into groups that have been particularly disadvantaged with regard to accessing routine healthcare during the pandemic and allow us to work effectively to address these issues.”
Mr Smith said he was “slightly dismayed” that a lot of the messaging is “aimed at the digital approach” and he cited his elderly mother as an example of someone hard to reach.
Cllr Margetts said the council’s housing magazine arrives in the post, adding that the council has been ringing around 4,700 people who may be considered vulnerable.
