Aims & Objectives

The aims of the group include:

• helping to create the Health and Wellbeing section of the Energy Descent Plan for Totnes
• to carry out a Health Impact Assessment, taking account of local sustainability issues 
• To create a Community Health and Wellbeing Garden, for therapeutic gardening, connection with nature, peace and contemplation and most of all fresh air and sunlight! 
• including the voices of all those who contribute
• helping to ensure the continuance of proper medical care for all
• exploring the practicalities of the more localised provision of medicines, equipment and other necessities of good healthcare
• acting as a forum to encourage co-operation across the diversity of healthcare professionals
• involving patients and encouraging preventative practice throughout the community
• ensuring the highest standards of research into evidence-based medicine (see note) which does not rely on fossil fuels for its creation or delivery

Note: by evidence-based medicine, I do not mean only medicines which have undergone double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trials (a new drug is given to half a group of patients, while the other half receives an identical-looking dummy pill; even the doctors don't know who gets what). I mean remedies that have proved effective for many patients in clinical practice.

If you think the group should add other aims to this list, please email us (click here) stating these aims and the reasons you think they are important.

Our specific objectives for the next 1-2 years are:

1. To compile and publish (online and in hard copy) a Resource directory of complementary health practitioners of bodywork/physical therapies, including those that keep us well, in the Totnes area.
2. To compile and publish collections of illness-to-wellness stories, recording the health experiences of Totnes people.
3. To improve local peoples' access to all kinds of health information, including online information on peak oil and health, complementary medicine and local NHS mainstream medicine
4. To encourage group discussion on NHS issues and questions, and create a dialogue with local NHS providers on the subjects of peak oil and climate change.

Please get in touch with us if you want more information about the group, or wish to contribute information, your health stories or anything else. You will be very welcome. Please visit our website often to see all the latest news & updates from our group.

You can also subscribe to the bulletin for a monthly update about all TTT activities.

We have begun to create a vision of how health and wellbeing will look in Totnes in 2020, when the transition process has helped bring about the changes the community will need to stay well. If you have any information or ideas to add to this section please email them to us.

Contact

click here to email us

Meetings

For details of our next (or most recent) health and wellbeing group meeting click here.

Details of all our meetings will be available on our group's meetings & events page and on the main TTT calendar. Write-ups and minutes are available for previous meetings and as of April 1st 2008, can be found in the relevant event item on the calendar.

On 19th March 08 we held an international meeting, based in Plymouth and webcast to participants as far as New Zealand and Canada. We then followed up by inviting local healthcare professionals to the local setting of Dartington, with the same speakers and lots of discussion. Speakers included Dr Robin Stott, Dr Lindley Owen and Dr Andy Nicholls. Click here to read report.