The GP chair of South Reading CCG, Dr Ishak Nadeem, will be our speaker at the next South Reading Patient Voice meeting at 6pm on Wednesday, 25th November at 94, London Street, Reading RG1 4SJ. Please prepare and send in your questions about health and healthcare in South Reading. We will also be hearing your news from local Patient Participation Groups and GP practices and hope to hear more about planned changes in local healthcare. There will also be elections for Chair, Vice-chair and Information Officer - our 3 offices - and a chance to give views on how our group is doing.srpv/si

Public Health England has published its evidence based review of measures to reduce sugar consumption. Dr Tedstone, Chief Nutritionist for Public Health England said that children are consuming triple the recommended amount of sugar per day with adults consuming double. As Reading has high levels of dental decay and obesity in children measures recommended in this review could give particular benefits to our town and its children.

Dr Jim Kennedy, Medical Director of the Thames Valley Local Medical Committee of the British Medical Association will talk on "Who will see you now? Prospects for Doctors in the NHS" at the South Reading Patient Voice meeting on Wednesday, 28th October 2015 at 6pm at 94, London Street, Reading RG1 4SJ. There will also be news from Patient Participation Groups and from the South Reading CCG.

South Reading Patient Voice meets on Wednesday, 23rd September 2015 for elections of officers, a review of the year's activities and planning ahead for future meetings and activities. There will also be a review of the "key messages" on the Berkshire West Primary Care Strategy and news from Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and the CCG.

A King's Fund blog says that NHS spending is being squeezed as never before. UK Health spending is falling as a proportion of GDP and has already reached 22nd place among nations.

The contract for South Reading and Shinfield Surgeries is to be relet. Patients views are requested. Patients at the surgeries please fill in this survey . The contract for the Broad Street Mall walk-in centre is also being relet.

There will be public events on 8th, 9th, 10th October 2015 at Reading and other places in Berkshire to mark World Mental Health Day, Saturday 10th October 2015. Click to find out more.

The Reading Health and Wellbeing Board will meet at 2pm on Friday, 9th October 2015, in the Council Chamber, Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading. The agenda includes reviews of end of life care, Reading's community armed services covenant, child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), joint working to support children and families, and Reading's Autism plan.

South Reading Patient Voice will meet on Wednesday, 28th October 2015 at 6pm at 94, London Street, RG1 4SJ The main speaker will be Dr Jim Kennedy, Medical Director of the Thames Valley Local Medical Committee of the British Medical Association, who will speak on prospects for doctors, especially GPs, in the NHS. We will also discuss local NHS issues, especially matters raised by local Patient Participation Groups. If not already a member, and wishing to attend, please contact us here.

South Reading NHS Clinical Commissioning Group specifies health services for its population of about 125,000 registered patients from healthcare and allied providers and passes NHS funds to them. It is federated with the Newbury/West-Berks, Wokingham and North-and-West-Reading CCGs in the Berkshire West CCG Federation using common central staff for most of its work, but has a few staff of its own to support its local activities. 20 GP practices in Tilehurst, Coley, South Reading, Central and East Reading, University area are its members and sit on its Council of Practices which selects the Governing Body chair and approves essential policies. It is run by a Governing Body, which holds a meeting in public once every 3 months, as well as a public AGM.