Delegates signed up to one of three available discussion groups.

Group 1: Health & Wellbeing Hubs – next steps

Group 2: Partnership working to support homeless and vulnerable people

Group 3: Scams

Several topics for discussion were raised, including:

• Health & Wellbeing Hubs: How can partners support the work of the Health & Wellbeing Hubs?
  • Do people know about the new health hubs?
  • Could the Health & Wellbeing Hubs become night shelters?
  • What about rural areas? Lots of discussion on this topic.
  • Use of Rother ‘MyAlerts’ email service to get messages out, but then need to use word of mouth for those who do not access the internet.
  • Improved marketing and communication about the H&W Hubs to raise the profile locally.
  • It needs to be about mixed provision for activity and access to healthcare.
  • Need to build trust with local communities. Often see same people, but struggle to reach those who may need it most. What  about a ‘buddy’ system to get core groups through the doors of the hubs.
  • Transport issues can create barriers to access.
  • CCG monitoring that has to be submitted could be shared to identify gaps across wider issues and services.
  • Could the wellbeing hub in rural areas join forces with other agencies in order to encourage residents perhaps with more varied issues to discuss?
  • What about funding? Can the organisations that use the venues contribute to the ‘host’ to help develop these opportunities?
  • Q. What’s the difference about coming to the Pelham Hub for a coffee rather than a high street chain? A. some people may see it as a cafe, but most people are there because they want a safe place to discuss their issues. There’s a large volunteer team that are encouraged to get from behind the coffee bar and engage with the customers.
  • Signposting is great, but quite often the individual might not have the confidence to follow that up. Would be ideal to tackle issue at source and facilitate the service to come to the Hub and invite the person back for support over a coffee. Regular drop in surgeries for specific areas of support, e.g. housing. Response from group: let’s do this by working together following this event – delegates very happy to work with each other and commit resource.
  • Appointment booking service – could this be an efficient and effective way of helping people get to the right services?
  • Being professional, but also friendly, is key to engaging with people and ensuring those providing services are approachable.
• Homelessness & Vulnerable People
  • The issues are many and varied, so are the solutions.
  • What services exist in Rother?
  • What might the solutions be?
  • How can we harness emerging communities’ response?
  • Voluntary sector group ‘HUG’ is working to support rough sleepers in Bexhill – the ideas of a HUB is being discussed.
  • Complex issues – ‘getting to know’ people is important – the HUB model can facilitate this.
  • Identified gaps should be shared with the ESBT Locality Groups.
  • Duplication in voluntary sector – work is happening to bring voluntary sector groups together to work better together.
  • Discussion on the barriers to seeking services.
  • Important to ‘keep talking’ as organisations to bring forward solutions.
  • ‘Housing First’ plans discussed.
  • Gaps – focus on young people required.
  • Street pastors working with other organisations is a prime position.
  • More difficult for men to access accommodation.
• Scams
  • BT solutions – Call Protect.
  • Trading Standards have solutions which can be installed in victims’ homes.
  • Bogus calls from ‘police’ are worrying for victims.
  • Victims often isolated and lonely – need to prioritise this group for support and assistance.
  • Banking protocol discussed – Sussex Police has this in place.
  • Stats – 59% of scam victims living alone
  • Data on locality? Would enable targeting of areas using community messaging, e.g. Rother ‘MyAlerts’
  • Use of community volunteers to raise awareness.
  • Home visiting staff asked to pass on information if they have concerns
  • Sussex Police getting more calls from organisations raising their concerns – enables action to be taken.
  • GPs, Churches and Parish Councils – know who is vulnerable but data protection issues prevent action…but prevention of fraud is exempted from data regs.
  • Discussion on the potential of a register of vulnerable people.

All of the delegates came back together to provide feedback from each of the discussion groups.

Julie King, Vice-Chair of the Rother LSP provided some thoughts on what she has heard at the conference, and invited delegates to ‘vote’ on some key questions via ‘Sli.Do’, an app being used to pose questions and comments throughout the event.

Julie then invited the facilitators from each group to provide some feedback and key points, questions and potential solutions.

Julie thanked everyone for their contributions and handed over to Martin Fisher to discuss the next steps.