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Agenda item

Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group

·         Presentation by Norman Edwards from Care Home Volunteers.

 

·         Presentation by Julian Pugsley from Carer Support Wiltshire.

 

·         Update from David Hemery and Jill Turner on Health and Wellbeing Projects.

 

·         Presentation from the Restoration Trust on their Human Henge project.

 

 

 

Minutes:

Cllr Jane Davies and Andrew Jack, Community Engagement Manager (CEM) introduced the item. Cllr Davies explained that the Area Board had money allocated to health and wellbeing. There was some very positive health and wellbeing work being undertaken in Devizes, so Cllr Davies had been to look at the work being undertaken. It was found to be a very positive model, so it was decided to bring the model back to Marlborough.

 

Andrew Jack (CEM) stated that each Area Board has just under £7,000 for health and wellbeing, to spend on projects that support older and vulnerable people. The definition of vulnerability could be fairly broad and cover a wide range of situations. The aim was to map services available in Marlborough and identify gaps, with a long term aim of filling the gaps. The Board wanted to promote the new group and therefore had invited several speakers from local health and wellbeing services. Unfortunately two of the speakers detailed in the agenda had been unable to attend the meeting - Julian Pugsley from Carer Support Wiltshire and The Restoration Trust on their Human Henge project. However there was written material from these groups available at the meeting.

 

The meeting then received a presentation by Norman Edwards of Care Home Volunteers. Mr Edwards thanked the Board for the invitation to speak. It was stated that Care Home Volunteers was a young and innovative charity whose aim was to help care home residents. They do not duplicate the good work of care home staff, who look after the residents physical and medical needs. The Care Home Volunteers instead focused on socially isolated residents who spent the majority of time in their rooms.

 

The idea of Care Home Volunteers came about in 2012. The four founders whose parents had been in care homes had seen the loneliness and isolation that residents could experience. After undertaking research it was discovered that there were challenges for care homes in recruiting, vetting, training and management of  volunteers and challenges for volunteers themselves including the lack of culture of volunteers working in care homes; a reluctance to engage with old people and end of life issues; and the loneliness of the work.

 

Further research had shown that there were 40,000 people in care homes who had no external contact or support and the rates of depression could double upon entering a care home. Dementia care could be improved by just 1 hour per week of social interaction.

 

So, Care Home Volunteers started in Salisbury in 2014 with a pilot study, which was professionally evaluated and the Salisbury service is still running today. In 2016 the service started in Chippenham and in 2018 expanded to Swindon. The CHV would like to expand its service across Wiltshire in 2019 with a view to the service being national by 2024.

 

The CHV currently has 60 volunteers working on care homes in Wiltshire and Swindon who will undertake approximately 2000 visits this year. There had been some excellent feedback from Age UK and Care England and CHV had been shortlisted for Caring UK 2018 awards.

 

In response to questions from the audience it was stated that in order to access the service families can contact Care Home Volunteers direct. If the service do not have a presence in the area, but there is a demonstrable need then they will try to make contact with care homes to further develop the service.

 

The Chairman thanked Mr Edwards for his presentation and for the excellent work that Care Home Volunteers undertakes.

 

The Board then received a presentation from David Hemery CBE and Jill Turner of 21st Century Legacy regarding their ‘Be the Best you can Be’ programme.

 

It was stated that 21st Century Legacy was a national charity based in Marlborough. It was founded by David Hemery in 2007 after Britain won the right to hold the 2012 Olympics and Lord Sebastian Coe requested a lasting legacy. The charity aims to bring coaching into education, challenging young people to follow their dreams, set goals in every area of their lives and to have a Plan ‘B’. Health and wellbeing are prioritised and a holistic approach followed. Currently over 1000 schools are involved in the ‘Be the Best you can Be’ programme, with school take up increasing during austerity. The approach had been tailored to young people however the programme could be developed to different audiences or age groups.

 

The programme fosters a positive approach to  health and wellbeing: physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. The aim was to generate real thought in young people, to raise their awareness of key issues and encourage the development of personal responsibility and self-determination.

 

21st Century Legacy supported other local initiatives such as encouraging U3A Groups to increase the focus on health and wellbeing for older people and they collaborated with the County Sports Partnership (Wiltshire And Swindon  Sports Partnership ( WASP) to explore the development of web platform for health and wellbeing in Wiltshire. The U3A group was launched in Kennet in 1992 and had over 600 members across 60 groups. They aim to increase social contact and physical exercise as well as to encourage people to keep learning and to share knowledge.

 

The Chairman thanked 21st Century Legacy for their presentation and their good work.

 

Andrew Jack (CEM) introduced Andrew Muse from the Marlborough Leisure Centre who encouraged the meeting to use services at the local leisure centre.

 

The Community Engagement Manager explained that they are looking for recruits to attend the Health and Wellbeing Group. The first meeting of which was provisionally planned for 7 January 2019. The meeting was encouraged to sign up to the group and advised that members of the public were welcome along with representatives of services and charities.