This December the BBP is shining a spotlight on some incredible projects that have been delivered across the partnership this year.
In September the London borough of Hounslow was awarded Dementia Friendly Community status by The Alzheimer’s Society.
The award citation stated Hounslow Council and partners are working to: “Empower people with dementia to have high aspirations, confident in the knowledge that they can contribute and participate in activities that are meaningful to them.”
Kate Sergeant, Service Manager, The Alzheimer’s Society, added: “Creating a Dementia Friendly Community requires dedication and collaboration from all the partners. By raising awareness, providing education and services that are tailored to people’s needs, we are creating a inclusive environment for those living with dementia and their carers.”
In October the BBP was pleased to announce the launch of Befriend, a service designed to help reduce social isolation and increase mental and physical wellbeing for groups most impacted by health inequalities across Hounslow.
This incredible service is underpinned by an extensive range of dedicated volunteers and since launching, 32 have been recruited.
Eight residents are now matched with a volunteer and are progressing well; six are receiving the core Befriending service and two for the assertive mental health Linked Minds (LM) service.
Jaskaran (pictured), a local BeFriend Volunteer believes that this experience is,
"One of the most enriching and brilliant (be)friendships".
The service is always seeking new volunteers to support resident referrals.
The BBP was thrilled to congratulate Thewodros Leka- Lead Pharmacist, Population Health Management Clinic at West Middlesex University Hospital (WMUH) Pre-Assessment Unit, for his award nomination at the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) annual EAHP Congress in November.
It was a huge achievement for the his project ‘Establishing Population Health Management Clinic (PHMC) in surgical pre-assessment unit at WMUH’ with the Scientific Committee receiving submissions across Europe and all over the world.
Theo will present his project at the 28th EAHP Congress, March 2024, in France. Where he will highlight how the hospitals new clinic is,
“Embracing a Population Health Management Framework to help transform care delivery, and empower communities by fostering proactive, personalised interventions, ultimately steering them towards healthier populations and improved outcomes.”
During December the BBP wishes to celebrate Link Workers, who connect residents to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support, as this helps to:
- Improve communities experience, help residents to live independent, healthy lives.
- Focus on targeted early help and intervention, tackle inequalities and support the prevention agenda.
- Connect residents to localised offers.
Recently Cheryl Chin, Social Prescriber Team Leader and Health Inequalities Lead for Feltham and Bedfont PCN was awarded for her work in reducing health inequalities at the recent North West London Health Equity Awards
Cheryl Chin was nominated for her dedication as a health inequalities lead / champion for Feltham and Bedfont PCN. Amongst her many successes, Cheryl led her team to undertake proactive work with individuals where English was not their first language, and this increased residents completing full NHS health checks by 34%.
Cheryl Chin shared her journey with us,
“As Social Prescribers we work alongside Dieticians, GP support, First Contact Physiotherapists and Pharmacists on many health inequalities projects to make positive difference within our local population. Also, by working with Hounslow based VCSE partners, and council colleagues we have been able to develop more collaborative projects within NHS Primary care to the benefit the local community.”
There are three different teams of ‘Link Worker’ roles across Hounslow. Most work within localities. Some of these teams include:
- Social Prescribers – aligned to the five Primary Care Network
- Community Solutions – work in localities (East, Central, West)
- Mental Health Link Workers – align to MINT teams (East, Central, West)
To help support these colleagues the BBP created the ‘Link Worker Integration Project’ to help improve colleague knowledge and confidence by creating processes where information, guidance and expertise can be easily shared across link worker teams, so that residents receive the right support at the right time, which ultimately will help lead to better outcomes for residents.
Partners have delivered an extensive range of outstanding projects during 2023, the BBP would like to thank all colleagues for their dedication and support, and wish you all good health for 2024.