New volunteer support service for Norwich

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New volunteer support service for Norwich

Postby wendy » 04 Aug 2014, 09:27

We're launching a groundbreaking new service, to support older and frail people in Norwich.
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It’s the result of a unique partnership and joint investment being led by NHS Norwich Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Age UK Norwich – and an important part of the new YourNorwich programme to improve and join together services for patients, launched by the CCG last month.

NHS Norwich CCG has pledged to invest at least £100,000 into the service for three years. Age UK Norwich will pump a further £40,000 into the service, derived from a Big Lottery Fund grant.

The Age UK team will be available to work hand in hand with GPs, nurses and social workers in keeping patients with the greatest health needs safe and well at home.

It will be targeted at NHS patients in Norwich who GPs and nurses believe have the greatest health needs based on real, clinical evidence.

And other local organisations will be invited to get behind the scheme too, to harness their expertise for the benefit of patients.

Dr Chris Price from NHS Norwich CCG said: “Volunteers play a huge and vital part in our communities. All of us are grateful for the brilliant work they do. The CCG is proud to increase our support for the voluntary sector, create this new service and help make volunteers’ work even more effective.”

Phil Wells, Chief Executive of Age UK Norwich, said: “We are very pleased and excited to be working with NHS Norwich CCG as it will help us target the people in the greatest need, as well as greatly increasing the resources we can direct to their support.

“Our volunteers do a wonderful job and we know we can achieve more if we work together with health and care, family and the community to provide a circle of support around the most vulnerable people.”
How the new service will work

Those people who need intensive support to overcome or prevent a health ‘crisis’ are already being closely managed by a multidisciplinary team of GPs, nurses and social care staff.

But in the coming months, GP Practices will start to create registers of the most vulnerable 2% of patients in Norwich who have one or more serious health problems and who could otherwise have a serious health crisis.

2% of Norwich’s patients is about 4,000 people. Even if only half or one quarter of that number need volunteer support, that’s many more people being supported in Norwich than at present.

Some of those might have physical health needs. Others might be depressed, have other mental illnesses or be lonely. With a little support their lives can become happier and healthier.

So in addition to the close medical care the patients will continue to receive, health and care professionals will be able to call in the volunteer service.

A Personal Independence Co-Coordinator will offer the patient a ‘guided conversation’ and draw out the goals that the patient has. This could be something like “I don’t want to keep falling over and I want to get out more.”

Specially trained and experienced volunteers will offer the patients intensive support for about 12 weeks. And if they need ongoing befriending and support – to do simple tasks like taking some exercise and shopping or perhaps just a friendly face to chat to – then that could be arranged for them too.

The aim will be to help patients improve the way they live their lives or get over a health crisis.

Most importantly, the resources will be directly targeted at those who need support the most – keeping them safe and well at home rather than needing to go to hospital.

The new ‘model’ of volunteer support is still being developed by the CCG and Age UK to fit the needs of Norwich. Other potential partners are being spoken with and encouraged to take part.

There are various other volunteer support schemes run by various voluntary groups in Norwich which are equally valued.

The service will begin to roll out over four localities of the Norwch area from the autumn. It will roll out ‘locality by locality’ to ensure it embeds properly and has a gradual build-up across the city. The geography of the roll out has not been determined yet.
http://www.norwichccg.nhs.uk/news/198-n ... or-norwich
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