9 minute read
Live Well Wakefield – Supporting healthy living for the people of Wakefield District
Supporting healthy living
for the people of Wakefield District
Advertisement
We understand that many factors can affect a person’s overall wellbeing, including physical and mental health. Therefore, we offer non-medical support to help you identify factors in your life that may be negatively impacting on you and offer support to help you address these.
We work with those who are: • 18+ years • Live in the Wakefield District (or have a
Wakefield GP) • and have a non-medical, social support need
We offer a range of services, including:
Social Prescribing
The social prescribing team will talk with you about your health, wellbeing & independence. You will be allocated to a Social Prescribing Advisor who will contact you to discuss your social needs (and referral information) in more depth, and on a one-to-one basis, usually over the telephone (face-to-face can also be requested). They will listen to what matters to you and help you prioritise what you would like support with. They will also help you identify a goal you would like to work towards. From there, they will help you to create a personalised action plan and discuss local support options, offering help to access these services, such as:• voluntary or community groups offering a range of support and activities, • or support from other services, including from the local council or NHS. The Social Prescribing Advisors can make referrals on your behalf or provide you with further information to enable you to access the services independently. After the initial assessment, we will contact you to follow up at around: • 6 weeks, • 6 months and • 12 months You can also get in touch at any point throughout the 12 months you are working with us should you need additional support. You can access the Social Prescribing service by: • contacting the Live Well Team on 01924 255363 • by completing the secure online referral form at www.livewellwakefield.nhs.uk/referrals/new • by asking a professional you are working with to submit a referral • or by asking your GP surgery for referral to their Live
Well Link Worker (if you are requesting support for somebody else, please ensure that you have their consent first).
Case Study
‘Julie’ was advised to contact Live Well Wakefield after speaking with her GP. Julie was off work at the time of referral and was experiencing stress and anxiety due to an assault that occurred whilst at work, and an increase in her hours and responsibility at work prior to being off work. Following our assessment, Julie said she felt ‘listened to and heard’. We had discussed her main priorities and explored local support options, including a referral to Victim Support for additional help regarding a
pending court case for the assault, we also provided information with local services to support her mental health, and improve her sleep. We encouraged her to continue an open dialogue with her employer regarding how she was feeling, a return to work, a phased return, and any reasonable adjustments that could be made. With this support, Julie felt as though she was able to communicate more honestly with her employer. Julie learnt new techniques to cope with the anxiety and stress whilst working together with Live Well Wakefield, and as a result was able to return to work on a phased return that suited her needs. Julie received ongoing support from us for 6 months and said, “I’m not the type of person to ask for help but I’m so glad I did.” She thanked her Social Prescribing Advisor for the “amazing support”.
“My Advisor was amazing at helping to guide me towards resources which I could benefit from. Even contacting some of them on my behalf to speed up the process. She went above and beyond in not only listening, understanding, helping but also in relating to my difficulties. She was wonderful.” “Good discussion with my advisor which prompted me to accept a volunteering position, and I was also signposted to organisations which are now helping me. All very motivating.” “The lady that assessed me has been utterly wonderful from the offset very informative, highly professional, sincere but above all empathetic, reassuring and calming…I actually felt relieved and optimistic for the first time in many, many months, I don’t feel as alone and isolated now totally restored my faith in human kindness! Thankyou I’m so profoundly grateful…”
Self-management Courses & Workshops
Live Well Wakefield also provides a range of peer led Self-Management courses and workshops, offering a range of self-help tools and techniques to help you to manage your wellbeing whilst living with any longterm physical or mental health conditions. This part of the service is led by a team of staff and volunteers who are living with long-term health conditions themselves. They have participated in the courses, completed training to deliver them, and practice the tools and techniques they teach to others, to support them to manage their conditions. We currently offer 3 different self-management courses to support those living with a long-term health condition:
General Self-Management
This course offers general tools and techniques to support any long-term health condition. It is also valuable for carers to attend to support their own health and wellbeing. The course runs for 6 weekly sessions of 2.5 hours per session with an additional introductory session for everyone, the week before the main course begins.
New Beginnings for Your Mental Health
This course provides specific techniques to support mental health and wellbeing when living with depression and/or anxiety. There are 7 weekly sessions of 2.5 hours. There is also a short introductory session for everyone before the full course begins, the following week.
Cancer - Thriving and Surviving
A course specifically designed for those living with or beyond a cancer diagnosis and treatment. There are 6 weekly sessions of 2.5 hours which offer tools and techniques to support those living with the effects of a cancer diagnosis. The course is also valuable for anyone who is caring for a loved one, relative or close friend who is living with cancer. The focus is on sharing supportive tools and techniques together with others affected by cancer to learn effective ways to deal with some of the common issues and difficulties people experience.
Self-Management Workshops
We offer a variety of self-management workshops which include: • Feeling Positive, Busting Stress • Coping with Chronic Pain • Boosting Self Confidence • Coping with Life through Relaxation
Post Covid Courses & Workshops
Long Covid, we are offering courses and workshops to support those living with Post-Covid symptoms to improve and maintain their health and wellbeing whilst they work towards recovery. Our current Post Covid offer includes: - • Self-Management support after Covid Course • Managing Breathlessness after Covid Workshop • Managing Fatigue After Covid Workshop All our courses and workshops are free and confidential and are currently delivered online via Microsoft Teams, and support is available to help anyone not used to Microsoft Teams to access our sessions. We are also starting to bring back face to face sessions across the Wakefield District.
Feedback from Service Users of our SelfManagement Service:
Many people comment on the added value and uniqueness of the courses and workshops because they are delivered by people with lived experience of long-term health conditions. Here are a few things people say about our service: What was good about your experience with the SelfManagement Service? “Speaking to others about the same shared experiences” “Listening to other people’s experiences has been helpful, as you can start to feel like your symptoms are not real” “Useful to know I’m not alone and the tips are very helpful” “As well as the advice and tips given just putting a face to others who are experiencing the same problems” General feedback regarding the Self-Management Service: “The workshops were very supportive, there was no judgement and it felt like a safe space where I could be honest. It was also reassuring to share a space with others who have similar experiences” “Helpful advice, and guidance about managing pain more effectively. Great interaction encouraged within the group by the Tutor. Lots of useful tips” “The tutor was very supportive, understanding, and knowledgeable. She had lots of great, supportive advice to help with managing fatigue. It was good to be able to see other people who were experiencing the same symptoms as me.” For more information on courses & workshops including places, dates and times, please visit www.livewellwakefield.nhs.uk or contact the team on 01924 255363.
Social Prescribing Hubs
We have two Social Prescribing Hub’s within Primary Care venues where we are working closely with partners across the district to bring you local events, activities, and services within the community. We have a larger room in Crofton, and a smaller room in the Ossett. If you have any ideas regarding activities that could be run from these rooms for local people, please let us know by emailing livewellwakefield@swyt.nhs.uk
Volunteering
All our courses, workshops and groups are facilitated by dedicated volunteers, alongside our staff. Each volunteer has received training and decided to share their skills to help others. We are always looking for volunteers to help us deliver our course and workshops across the district, and we have other volunteering roles available, such as our social support volunteers, who help people to build confidence in accessing community services & social activities. Volunteering has lots to offer, it could help you to: • Build self-confidence • Gain skills and experience • Improve career prospects • Share your experiences with other people • Meet new people • Gain a sense of satisfaction • Become a part of something that makes a difference If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering with Live Well Wakefield, contact us on 01924 255363 or email us at livewellwakefield@swyt.nhs.uk For further information on volunteering within the Wakefield District and to view other current volunteering opportunities please visit www.volunteerwakefield.org
Whether you are struggling to maintain your independence within the home; are living with, or supporting somebody with a long term health condition; are feeling isolated or lonely; would like to meet new people or become involved more in your local community; contact the Live Well Wakefield service & we can help you to access the support that you need.
How to contact us:
Website – www.livewellwakefield@nhs.uk Phone – 01924 255363 Facebook – @LiveWellWakefield Twitter – @LiveWellWakey
