- Do Gloucester's pensioners know as much as they should about all the healthcare services available locally
- Do they know how to access them?
- Are local health and social services aware of the particular needs of elderly people from the city's black and minority communities?
Sharing the answers to these and other questions is the aim of a community information day on health issues with special focus on services for elderly people. The event - with the theme 'How can we work better by working together?'- takes place at GL1, Gloucester Leisure Centre, between 1 and 6 pm on Thursday October 7. It is a 'grass roots' initiative organised by Bren McInerney at the Barton and Tredworth Trust in partnership with patients' representatives, health services, and the local pensioners forum - with the needs and views of the local community the driving force.  | | How easy is it to find health information? |
Bren says: "It will offer an opportunity for Gloucester's older residents to air their concerns about local health issues." Organisers hope that as a result statutory bodies may learn lessons on how to communicate better with the public they serve. Issues covered will range from recent changes in Gloucestershire's health services to the future, from major strategic decisions right down to minor but key planning details such as whether halal food will be available for Muslim residents in city nursing homes. Careers information Everyone is welcome to the free event which will focus on: - Opportunities for organisations to engage better with the public
- Information on health and care services and how they are provided
- Services linked to older people and how they can be accessed
The event is also open to young people interested in working in healthcare to find out more about the career and training opportunities available locally.
 | | Information on careers in healthcare will be available |
Mahmoud Patel, chair of the Barton and Tredworth Trust said: "This event cannot answer all the questions but we hope it will be an opportunity for debate on these important issues to begin. "There are too many meetings where there is a lot of talk but no one goes back to the community, the people directly affected, to explain what has been agreed, or changed, or needs changing." Don Espie, of the Gloucestershire Hospitals Patient and Public Involvement in Health Forum, said: "We are required to liaise with all community groups to provide clear information on health matters and a voice in the provision of health and health services. "This event is the first step in bringing a number of patient and public forums together to discuss their functions to as wide an audience as possible." If this event proves a success similar events could follow in other parts of the county like the Forest of Dean and the Cotswolds. For more information call Bren McInerney at the Barton and Tredworth Trust Centre on 01452 544933. More details will also be available at the BBC Learning Centre in Eastgate Street. 
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How can we improve healthcare services by working together? That's the question a special community event in Gloucester in October hopes to answer. 
