Community and Seldom Heard Groups Project – 2013-14

  1. What has been achieved so far: Three grants from Wandsworth NHS totalling £86,000 were distributed by Link and then by Wandsworth Care Alliance over a three year period to around 30 community and health condition groups in the borough. The aim of the funding was to help them bring their health concerns to the attention of healthcare providers. With the grants, the groups canvassed their members and the public, and carried out a number of events focussing on health care. When Link was wound up in 2012, responsibility for administering the Seldom Heard Groups project was taken over by Wandsworth Care Alliance. The number of groups receiving funding has grown steadily over the period – 7 in the first year, 11 in the second and 20 in year three. Of this latest group of 20 the great majority were new to the scheme. As a result of this project, the voice of community and service user groups is being heard in the NHS, and many GPs have taken part in meeting these groups. More than 40 meetings have taken place, and the feedback from both GPs and service users has been overwhelmingly positive.
  1. Communication and access: The major issues that emerged from the consultations were difficulties in communication between patients and health care providers, and problems experienced by patients in accessing health care or appropriate prevention strategies. This process of consultation and exchange of views was in itself a great step forward, and has been followed up by positive action like the current programme of GP visits to seldom heard groups. Over the three year period the voice of these groups has become louder, as they have become represented at PPI events and meetings, and the commissioners and the health trusts have learned to listen. Hopefully this will improve health outcomes in the borough, particularly for marginalised groups.
  1. Issues arising from this year’s scheme:

* In addition to the familiar problems of access and communication, several of the groups also complained of a lack of GP referrals of appropriate patients to their organisations. This could be an issue for the CCG to explore, particularly with the health condition groups. It might go hand in hand with the current proposals to award quality marks for voluntary groups. If the groups are up to standard then they could work closer with healthcare providers, undertaking co-production of projects where appropriate.

* The health concerns of the Somali community were also highlighted, where social stigma is attached to a number of major health issues.

* Finally the expansion of the number of groups involved in the scheme revealed a great unevenness between the groups. While some flourish, many struggle to survive with limited resources and capacity.

  1. Training and capacity building: To sustain and develop the groups some of this year’s NHS funding was used to help them build their capacity. We offered two half-day training sessions to help develop the confidence of service users, with the aim of helping them to sustain their organisations. 10 people attended a session for mental health service users in September, and a further 24 people attended a general training session in October. Feedback from those who attended was very positive. Thanks to Jenny Weinstein who organised the sessions and to trainer PremilaTrevidi, Dan Barrett from the Mental Health Trust, and Dr Sian Job who led the sessions. If funding allows, this activity should be developed further.
  1. How the Groups Used the Grants:

Please see the attached table for a summary of individual group projects and their outcomes.

David Peers

Community and Seldom Heard Groups Project

February 2014

Group & contact details / Purpose of Grant / Outcomes
1. Previous grant given
Wandsworth Asian Womens Association
Telephone 020 8875 9465

/ Develop and complete current survey on Asian women’s experiences of health services / Group gets 30-40 members to weekly lunch club and is undertaking health survey of 50 or so women. Main finding is that although Asian women are generally satisfied with treatment from hospitals and GPs, they feel lack of time allocated to GP consultation makes it difficult for them to raise more than one health issue. They would also like to see more GPs referring people to their group. They attend Thinking Partners (TP).
Balham Autumn Rose
(BME Elderly)
Joan Robinson
/ Mental Health and Well Being Seminars
Community Health Fair / Successful Healthy Living Roadshow attracted 150 people, group holds regular health workshops. Attend TP and training sessions
Neurological Conditions Group
Alison Tomlin


07803 577893 / To expand membership and publicise activities / The group have been promoting awareness DVD on neurological conditions to GPs. They are considering future of group as health condition of key members makes it difficult to run group.
Connect UK -Wandsworth Hub
(People with Aphasia)
Nathalie Trepel
/ Leaflets about Connect to be widely circulated to GP surgeries and stroke units / Sent out publicity material about group together with video to GP surgeries and pharmacies in Wandsworth. No measurable response so far. Attend TP.
Storm Empowerment
(Domestic violence victims)
Marie Hanson
/ Continue previous year’s art therapy course which improves mental health and self esteem / The group held another successful art therapy course involving 10 women, they have good relationship with local GP practice who refer patients to them.
Sound Minds
(Mental Health Service Users)
Paul Brewer
/ 2 Have Your Say events
Healthy Eating promotion at drop in café / 25 service users attended Have Your Say with theatre show. Q & A raised concern over impact of personal budgets and difficulty of maintaining healthy lifestyles. Healthy Eating Café attracted average of 11 service users per week. Regular attenders at Thinking Partners and training sessions.
Word Up
(Online publication for people with learning disabilities)
Jason Samuels, Director, Wandsworth Care Alliancemob: 07930311126 email: / Increase membership of group, widen activities and develop website / Group is preparing to launch new website – in March. Group meets fortnightly and is commissioning contributions and publicity for the website. It will be called wordupnews.co.uk
2. Newly Funded Groups
The Contact Club
(Elderly)
Sarah Rackham
/ Enabling older people to seek improvements to local health services by involvement and making voices heard. / 25 attended health project launch, 17 went on coach trip, and 30 one-to-one questionnaire & discussions completed. Want to work closely with GPs to get them to do more ‘social prescribing’.
General satisfaction with GP services, but want to see improvements in telephone appointments and waiting times.
Overall satisfaction as well with hospital services, particularly with end of life care services. Would like to see better discharge and after care services, and more respect from admin and contract staff. Hospital transport costly and long waiting times, and lots of problems with hearing aid services.
DORCAS
(BME community)
Jo Anderson
Garfield Community Centre
64 Garfield Road Battersea London SW11 5PN
Mobile 07984 777 681 Email: / Health and well being seminars
Training in NHS changes / 5 health workshops held with average of 14 attending, covering issues like stroke and heart disease, and the new NHS structures
ESOL Health Consultation
(mainly Somali women)
Sarah Rackham
/ Improve knowledge of and information about local health services
Enable involvement in consultations on health services / 2 health workshops held. 18 Questionnaires completed by group on families coach trip to seaside, and 2 workshop lunches held for older Somali women. Survey showed satisfaction with appointment and translating facilities of GPs,
But great concern over accessing and awareness of mental health services, tuberculosis treatment, diabetes, and vitamin deficiencies for Somali community. – social stigma in community a big factor. Difficulties also on how to handle issue of FGM.
Frustration over delays in accessing hospital appointments, but overall satisfaction with treatment
Kings Court
(RCCG – African church community group)
Pastor Femi Adebajo, Email: ; Mobile:07845811300 / Promotion of mental health
Outreach in Tooting
2 awareness workshops
(**same proposal as House of Hope & Beautiful Gate – see below) / Attended training workshop, and held mental health awareness meeting in February with other RCCG church members. 15 attended. Plan to hold further workshops in other parts of borough. Next one in Battersea at end of March
Graveney Day Centre
(BME elderly)
Nathalie Gibson-Wilson
/ Chair-based exercise
Outings
Survey of members’ experience of local health services / Average of 8 attending weekly exercise classes. Part of grant spent on transport and outing for 20 members. Four health workshops held with 18 to 25 attending. Attend TP and training sessions
Tooting Neighbourhood Centre
(NTA project – BME mental health service users)
Anthonia Allen, Acting Interim Project Manager - c/o Hope Project 020 8767 1619 / email: / Survey on members’ experience of recovery from mental illness / Group has had organisational problems, and is still working to get survey of mental health service users completed. Aim to deliver June/July. Attended training session.
Roehampton Activity Centre
(Mental Health Service users)
John Molyneux
Vicarage Court, 6 Alton Road
LondonSW15 4LG
/ Interviews with members to enable them to express their experience of services they receive and enable them to express what helps and what does not. / Group stopped meeting for a time – organisation and morale problems. Now agreed that they would organise a couple of events to try and attract members back and that at those events Jenny would help them to do an informal interview with people who attend about their experience of services and what they find helpful and not so helpful.
Womens Empowerment Project
(BME women’s group)
The Women’s Empowerment Project
Office address : Vestry Hall, 338 London Road, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 3UD
Email
Tel: 0203 441 4188 / Set up BME women’s network in Wandsworth
Run a Community health champions course / Attended training session. Organising workshop for late March.
Cedar House Support Group:
(Post-natal depression)
Zoe Cassidy, Trustee and Liz Wise, Director of Counselling
Email:
tel 07764 612 861 / Expand and possibly run additional group for mums suffering from post natal depression / Up to 12 women attend weekly sessions. Used funding to recruit and train volunteers, to help with counselling costs and to produce publicity material.
Beautiful Gate
(RCCG – African church community group)
Culvert House, Culvert Rd
SW11 5AP
Pastor Samson A. Odubanjo

tel; 0207 498 0697
07956 457705 / Promote mental health outreach in Battersea – two community awareness workshops / Attended training workshop, and held mental health awareness meeting in February with other RCCG church members. 15 attended. Plan to hold further workshops in other parts of borough. Next one in Battersea at end of March.
House of Hope
(RCCG – African church community group)
96 Innes Gdns, London SW15 3AE
Pastor Noble Onyeka
/ Promote mental health outreach in Battersea – two community workshops / Attended training workshop, and held mental health awareness meeting in February with other RCCG church members. 15 attended. Plan to hold further workshops in other parts of borough. Next one in Battersea at end of March
Roehampton Limb User Group
(prosthetic limb users)
c/o Queen Mary’s Hospital Trust
Roehampton Lane SW15 5PN
Christopher Harwood
07971 653928
/ Fund transport to enable group to attract patients from other parts of Wandsworth / Worked with QMH to send mailshots to 170 amputee patients in rest of Wandsworth. Will offer transport to those who respond. Further plan to publicise group in GP surgeries and libraries. Regular TP attenders
DASCAS
(disability advice)
64 Altenburg Gdns, SW11 1JL
Ron Percival 020 3177 4082
/ Fund upgrade of telephone response capacity to support more clients / Are drafting specification for proposed outreach service for GPs. Appointed temporary person and set up our pilot project at St John's Hill Therapy centre. The pilot is working well.
The other capacity building work has not yet started. Looking to appoint someone to advise on the introduction of an electronic case management system. Have postponed this work until the end of March in the new year until new manager is in post.
Also looking for help to secure an appropriate quality mark and will use some of funding to help with initial work. Group feel an increasing number of potential funders now require some sort of quality mark. Regular TP attenders
Separation and Reunion Forum
(bereavement and relationship breakdown support)
250 York Rd, SW11 3SJ
0207 801 0135
/ Set up support group for women suffering grief and broken attachments / Counselling individuals but unable to attract enough support for formation of group. Trying to get GP referrals. Attended training session.
3. Training and development input / Organise two training sessions for service users / Two half day training sessions on building self confidence and how to get your voice heard in NHS organised Sept/Oct by Jenny. 10 people came to mental health service users session and 22 attended general group training session. Very good feedback from attenders.