Fareham & Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum Webinar, 24th March 2022

30/03/2022

Webinar focus: Adult Mental Health Support Update

The Fareham & Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum was held online on Thursday, 24th March 2022. Once attendees had been welcomed, Gosport Voluntary Action’s (GVA’s) CEO, Kay Hallsworth, provided a brief Fareham and Gosport area Community & Voluntary Sector update, covering: Community First’s new Digital Inclusion Support Service for Fareham & Gosport; Community First’s March ‘Cost of Living’ event and AGM; the March ‘Cost of Living’ event at Gosport Discovery Centre; the postponed Health & Wellbeing event (which will now be in early July); GVA’s representation at the Mental Health and Wellbeing Partnership, and GVA’s March Ukrainian Forum Meeting.

Janie Millerchip (Transformation Project Lead, working in Gosport, Hampshire, Southampton & IoW CCG), provided a CCG update. She began by explaining about Surgery Pods, which enable a patient to undertake simple health-checks themselves, and she underlined how the information updates your GP’s medical records (c16 across Fareham and Gosport). An initiative for supporting homeless people is being rolled out from the Fareham pilot in Gosport via CCG/Gosport Borough Council funding. A homeless health outreach drop-in service, called ‘The Big Red Chair’, will be available every Tuesday (from 2.30–4.30pm) at Two Saints, Fareham, for a range of health conditions, including numerous vaccinations and signposting, as needed.  Janie also mentioned her work with partners in support of homeless people in Gosport to provide health support to those living in Gosport via a weekly drop-in service for various health issues, vaccinations, etc. (similar to Two Saints in Fareham).

Janie updated on the Willow Community Garden (which is adjacent to Forton Medical Centre). It is being progressed in partnership with Gosport Central PCN/Dr Robin Harlow (and is part-funded by the National Gardens Initiative, the only grant funding award in Hampshire for this). Finally, Gosport Central PCN’s merger was updated upon.

Transformation Manager, Alan Horsburgh (Hampshire, Southampton & IoW CCG), explained about the ‘No Wrong Door’ Community Mental Health Transformation Programme Pathway, sharing some insightful data regarding progress across Fareham and Gosport, the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Grants, and the projects that are currently being funded.

Elizabeth Kerwood (Associate Director of Community Involvement) updated about the vaccine programme and vaccine booster programme. The next vaccination programme focus will be on the healthy 5-12 year olds, and more information will be shared in due course. The uptake countywide is good overall, but there are some stark inequalities regarding uptake, and these areas are being targeted, which is proving to be successful. This is via ‘Community Conversations’ through identified groups (there is Community Communications funding to develop their own communications programme, which will be upscaled system-wide for other purposes too).

Finally, Angela Huntington (Local Solutions Case Worker, Citizens Advice Fareham), described core service support and triage (such as finance, benefits, debt advice and budgeting). Some have no other support networks and don’t have capacity to act accordingly. The Local Solutions clients require a little extra support, and this service runs until November 2022. Referrals come from a range of sources, both external (such as Social Prescribers) and internal; and referrals are also made externally (such as to Adults Health and Care, for example). Clients’ needs are complex, and some six months of support and a wrap-around service is available (including with benefit applications, debt advice, housing for those with mental health support needs, food poverty, and vaccinations, for example).

The Fareham & Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum ended by confirming the next Health Forum online date and time: 1–2pm, Wednesday, 11th May 2022.

View the webinar (Passcode: .i2Cw!zE)

Download the Presentation (24th March 2022)

For more information, contact Jackie Hartless (Jackie.hartless@cfirst.org.uk)

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