Issue 4 | April – June 2016
The Quarterly Newsletter
Aimed at GPs and Voluntary Organisations
Supporting people to become more involved, connected and active in their communities
Dudley’s Multi-Speciality Community Provider (MCP) An event for the voluntary and community sector in Dudley borough Thursday 23rd June 2016, 1pm – 4pm, held at a venue in Dudley All Together Better is a partnership between local NHS and care organisations, general practitioners and the voluntary sector in Dudley borough. Over the last twelve months they have been working together to develop a new model of care to improve the way health and care services work for Dudley people. With more people living longer and increasing numbers of people affected by ongoing health problems it has become necessary for organisations interested in health and wellbeing matters to start to think about how best to work so that they can continue to be there when people need their services. The model of care which the All Together Better partnership is working towards is based on the principles of shared ownership, responsibilities and benefits in thinking about people’s health care needs and possible healthcare outcomes. The shared vision is to put Dudley people at the heart of integrated doctor-led health and care services, with a focus on communities being more engaged in thinking about their health care needs and the design of services, achieving better health outcomes, and improvements in wellbeing. Going forward Dudley’s Multi-Speciality Community Provider (MCP) will be responsible for delivering Dudley’s New Models of Care against the following broad based themes:
Inside this issue: Page 1: MCP event Page 2 & 3 Success stories Page 4: About Integrated Plus
Improved access to care – which would result in improved patient experience and ultimately healthier lifestyles Continuity of care provision – which would support stable management of long term conditions, reducing variation in care and ultimately reducing health inequalities Coordination of care – which would enable people needing care and support to remain in their own homes, reducing social isolation and ultimately remaining connected to their community
Purpose of the event: To enable voluntary organisations, community groups and faith based groups to learn about progress to date with the MCP. To enable the voluntary, community and faith sector to explore its role within the New Models of Care and ideas for supporting and enabling the coproduction of wellbeing outcomes for people. Who can attend: Trustees, staff and volunteers from voluntary organisations, community groups, faith based groups and social enterprises. For more information contact Kate Green, Dudley CVS. Tel: 01384 573381. Email: buildingblocks@dudleycvs.org.uk To book a place visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dudleys-multispeciality-provider-voluntary-sector-event-tickets24990847297
Published By Integrated Plus Main Office: Dudley CVS, 7 Albion Street, Brierley Hill DY5 3EE Tel: 01384 573381 Website: www.dudleycvs.org.uk | Twitter: @intplusDudley | Blog: integratedplusblog.com Integrated Plus is delivered by Dudley CVS and funded by Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group Dudley CVS is a registered charity (number 517766) and a registered company limited by guarantee (number 1998105)
Success stories Mental Health Peer Support Dudley – encouraging and stimulating support networks Over the last few months, partner organisations including Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Trust, exboozehound, Dudley Mind, Rethink, Creative Support, Healthwatch Dudley and more recently Integrated Plus have been meeting to explore and develop opportunities for encouraging peer support and social networks for people with mental health issues. Three sessions have been held to date involving people who have mental health issues to explore with them how they would like the sessions to function. Work has also taken place on mapping what peer support groups and projects already exist in Dudley borough in order to make information accessible for local people. The sessions are now held every two weeks in Brierley Hill. The peer support sessions are designed to help facilitate exchange between people who share something in common based on lived experiences. Peer support offers many health and wellbeing benefits, often helping people to feel empowered in their own recovery, increasing confidence and self-esteem. Mutuality and reciprocity that occurs through peer support enables individuals to feel valued, help others and to be better connected in their communities. National research has shown that peer-run self-helps groups yield improvement in psychiatric symptoms resulting in decreased hospitalisation, larger social support networks and enhanced self-esteem and social functioning. “Without Peer support being taken seriously the same old patterns and vicious circles of mental health will continue. I bet every person reading this has at some point felt lifted, less alone from a simple 5/10 minute conversation with someone with similar issues. Peer support offers strength in numbers, as a group we can make things happen. Peer support hands the power back to the people who are fighting the fight. Recovery won't happen if we sit back expecting the meds and a 25 minute appointment with a psychiatrist every 4 months, we MUST own our illness and more importantly own our recovery”. (Jon, exboozehound) For more information about our involvement with Mental Health Peer Support Dudley or about the sessions themselves contact Terry Gee on 07866 020340.
For Men Monday Club receives award
Volunteer Andrew Jewks receives award on behalf of the For Men Monday Club. The For Men Monday Club received an award in March 2016 at a ‘Celebrating Wellbeing Together’ event organised by Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Trust. Awards were given out to community groups in the Dudley and Walsall area that had made an impact on people's mental health. The club was set up as a result of many men with mental health problems, particularly single men being referred to the Locality Link Officer, Nick Tromans, who covers the Stourbridge, Wollescote and Lye locality. Many were isolated and found it difficult to engage socially. Many had been recently divorced, had experienced bereavement or were unemployed. It was not uncommon for these men to feel low self-esteem and that they had limited economic and social usefulness. The club makes good use of existing connections with voluntary organisations, Christian faith groups and local mosques, and health professionals. It creates space where men can meet socially, have a hot drink and a light breakfast, read newspapers or play games such as chess, pool, etc. The Club meets at the community hall, located at Christ Church, Lye, which has good facilities, including a kitchen. For more information about the For Men Monday Club contact Nick Tromans on 07866 020436.
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Success stories Mr. P helped with improving his confidence to access local services Mr. P has a learning disability and was having little contact with others, only seeing his brother occasionally. Mr. P lost his job a few years ago which significantly knocked his confidence and he struggled to build routine into everyday life, feeling frustrated and isolated as a result. Mr. P was referred to Integrated Plus via a Care Coordinator in the north of Dudley. He was referred to the service as he frequently attended the practice and the Care Co-ordinator and GP felt he would benefit from accessing social opportunities and support. Jason Griffiths, the Link Officer for Sedgely, Coseley and Gornal met with Mr. P at the practice and discussed his circumstances at length. It was clear that he was frustrated with his current situation. Mr. P wanted to meet new people who he felt would understand him and offer him an opportunity to get out of the house more. Several services were identified which were of interest and Jason accompanied Mr. P to Dudley Voices for Choice (DVfC). DVfC are a user led charitable organisation that supports people with learning disabilities and autism to speak up for themselves. They have been supporting people across the borough for over ten years. They offered him an opportunity to volunteer and access their social day on a Friday where he could meet people, gain new skills and hone his existing pool playing talents. To enable Mr. P to access the social events we applied for a Network West Midlands concessionary travel pass, accompanied with a supporting letter from his GP, this came through successfully in under two weeks. Further conversations with Mr. P identified that his long term goal was to gain employment but he did not feel ready due to low confidence and because of a previous poor employment experience. We discussed Employment Plus, a Local authority service who support people with a learning disability and/or autism into paid employment. They work in a person centered way at a pace that suits the individual and ensure employers offer suitable support for people with learning disabilities. They were able to help Mr. P settle into a mandatory DWP Work Programme delivered by the Salvation Army. There he has been able to gain employability skills and has been accessing numeracy, literacy and IT courses.
Mr. P enjoys a quiet moment and puts his IT skills to practice
Since initially engaging with Integrated Plus and DVfC, Mr. P has also accessed further support through Dudley Advocacy and has volunteered at a local Gap Club These are social clubs for adults with a learning disability and learning difficulties delivered by Langstone Society at community venues across the borough. This has given him the confidence to take on other volunteering roles including one at a bike shop where he enjoyed meeting new people and gaining customer service skills. Having had conversations with Mr. P, his Care Co-ordinator and the voluntary sector supporting organisations, we felt that it was important to have a number of services for Mr. P to draw upon. This meant that he was clear of when and where he could access specific support. DVfC are continuing to work with Mr. P and to help him get the right balance when managing his busy schedule. He is keen to move into employment and is currently gaining new skills and enjoying socialising in environments he feels comfortable in. “Jason (Link Officer) has helped me a lot, he has given me my confidence back. He is a very kind person. I am getting on well with people and beating everyone at pool. My life is getting better and I feel I will get back into work.” Mr. P “Mr. P’s coming in to the practice a lot a less, I’m here but I haven’t seen him. He used to come in a lot. Mr. P is a social person, it’s great that suitable services have been identified.” Care Coordinator “Since we first met Mr. P we have witnessed his confidence grow and willingness to engage in new activities increase. He is now an integral part of our team and makes invaluable contributions to our service. We look forward to continuing to be a part of his journey.’ Sarah DVfC For more information about this case study please contact Jason Griffiths on 07866 020431.
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About Integrated Plus Integrated Plus is delivered by Dudley CVS as part of the integrated care model, being implemented by Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group and Adult Social Care. Integrated Plus has been established to:
Take client referrals (from GPs, other health clinicians and at MDTs) to support them to become more involved, connected and active in their communities.
The difference we aim to make
Represent the voluntary, community and faith sector in the integration model. Raise awareness about what voluntary and community organisations can offer in the delivery of locality based services and activities. Identify local service needs and broker solutions with the voluntary sector, health and social care practitioners, local commissioners and citizens.
Integrated Plus works with people aged 16 and over who frequently present at their GP practice or other medical service and people at high risk of hospital admission.
Help people become more active and involved in their own communities
Improve quality of life
Support people to make a difference to their own communities e.g. through volunteering
Enable the voluntary and community sector to play an active role in integrated care
Reduce pressure on health services by supporting people to become less reliant on medical practices
Ensure social inclusion of clients is taken into consideration at Multi-disciplinary team meetings
Integrated Plus is funded by Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group. The patients in the case studies included within this publication have given permission to share their stories. Every attempt has been made to accurately reflect their story.
Meet the team Kate Green Manager for Integrated Plus Dudley CVS, 7 Albion Street, Brierley Hill, DY5 3EE Tel: 01384 573381 buildingblocks@dudleycvs.org.uk
Wendy Bains | Locality Link Officer Kingswinford, Amblecote and Brierley Hill wendy@dudleycvs.org.uk 07866 020509 wendy.bains@nhs.net
Terry Gee | Locality Link Officer Dudley and Netherton terry@dudleycvs.org.uk 07866 020340 terry.gee@nhs.net
Jason Griffiths | Locality Link Officer Sedgley, Coseley and Gornal jason@dudleycvs.org.uk 07866 020431 Jason.griffiths1@nhs.net
Sue Bloomer | Locality Link Officer Halesowen and Quarry Bank sue@dudleycvs.org.uk 07989 478567 sue.bloomer@nhs.net
Nick Tromans | Locality Link Officer Stourbridge, Wollescote and Lye nick@dudleycvs.org.uk 07866 020436 nick.tromans@nhs.net