Harvest View Open to patients
A very recent and real example of how well this partnership approach can work has been the recent opening of Harvest View in Rowley Regis. This is Sandwell’s new flagship social care and health facility and the first of its kind in the West Midlands.
You can read more about it here: https://www.swbh.nhs.uk/media/harvest-view-is-now-open/
Integrated Discharge Hub
The Integrated Discharge Hub (IDH) is an early example of the extent at which care for local people can improve when organisations move beyond collaboration and fully integrate.
The hub, formed in 2021, unites nursing and therapy staff from the Trust, with colleagues working in adult social care and the Black Country Integrated Care Board.
The team are co-located and work as one to ensure the safe and timely discharge of patients from acute beds.
The service has adopted the national Discharge to Assess (D2A) model which focusses on identifying patients likely discharge needs on admission to reduce unnecessary delays. If people have care or therapy needs, people are discharged when medically appropriate and then assessed in their destination. This contrasts with the previous models where all assessments took place in the acute ward, causing further delays. The team utilise a ‘trusted assessor’ approach, where the assessment of a professional from one organisation is used by all others rather than having multiple, often duplicated assessments.
The partnership has now expanded the Integrated Discharge Hub by creating a Care Navigation Centre (CNC) which coordinates all health and care needs for people in Sandwell.
Town Teams Workshops – supported by Healthwatch Sandwell
The communications and engagement workstream for the Sandwell Health and Care Partnership has been working with one of the place partners, Healthwatch Sandwell, to host a series of citizen focussed workshops in each Sandwell town.
These have provided an opportunity to carry out localised information gathering and networking exercise that will be used to shape services within each town.
Tammy Davies, SWB NHS Trust Group Director for Primary Care, Community and Therapies and Town Teams Lead for the partnership said: “We held the first workshop in West Bromwich in November followed by Tipton, Wednesbury and Smethwick in early 2023.
“They were all really well attended with a great mix of residents, local business and voluntary organisations and have been an opportunity for local citizens to be open and honest about what is on their minds about health, care and social needs in their communities.
Each workshop captures themes and core topics for future development within the SHCP programme and will be shared more widely over coming months.
If you are interested in attending future workshops email paul.higgit@healthwatchsandwell.co.uk
Winter Supporting Sandwell Booklet and Sandwell Warm Spaces
Sandwell Council has created an excellent booklet for all residents to ensure that they get the information they need to support them through the winter and the cost-of-living crisis. It contains key pieces of information helping citizens to make the most of their money and find help. It has been sent to every home in Sandwell. An online version can also be accessed via the council website.
In Autumn last year the council also opened a total of 29 venues in Sandwell as ‘free’ Warm Spaces, including libraries and community centres to support residents – to find out where they are you can check out this link.
Supporting Sandwell Language Network
The partnership funds the 2022-23 Supporting Sandwell Language Network 2 (SLN2) programme along with Sandwell Public Health.
Offering community-based English language learning, the initiative has been hailed as a lifeline to the most vulnerable and excluded residents of Sandwell who without it would have little or no connection to the community. This helps the population to feel more socially empowered, improve their health, wellbeing, and employability.