Connected Care in Suffolk
Background
The market town of Brandon is located in the northwest corner of Suffolk, close to the border with Norfolk. It has a population of 8,700 people. The overall picture for Brandon is relatively complex.
The town is characterised by rural isolation, low income and low educational achievement. Other issues include: an aging population, affordable housing for first time buyers and community cohesion issues as neighbourhoods become increasingly diverse with a high number of migrant workers moving to the area from Eastern European areas.
The Suffolk project is the first time the Connected Care model has been used in a rural area and as a result the learning from this project will be shared as part of the findings.
The Funders
Suffolk County Council www.suffolk.gov.uk (opens in new window)
NHS Suffolk www.suffolk.nhs.u(opens in new window)
Social Care and Partnerships Team, Department of Health in the East of England.
The Joint Improvement Partnership Team in the East of England.
Outcomes
The community researchers spoke to just under 10% of the population of Brandon about their perceptions of health and social care services. The key findings from the research are:
- There is a lack of social capital in Brandon which is associated with the limited number of activities, a feeling of powerlessness to influence decision making, and an underdeveloped voluntary sector.
- People in Brandon face difficulties accessing services due to the town's rural location and poor public transport provision.
- People in Brandon want to have clearer information about the services available in the local area as well as information on healthy living made easily available. There is also some confusion over social care provision in the area due to a lack of clear information.
- The community would like to see services and staff work more closely with one another. There is great support for bringing more services to Brandon and for them to be conveniently located under one roof.
Steering Group
Chair - Marion Fairman-Smith, Chair of Suffolk LINks
NHS Suffolk
Andrew Macdonald, Deputy Director of Commissioning and Development, NHS Suffolk
Suffolk County Council
Graham Gatehouse, Director of Adult and Community Services, Suffolk County Council
Peter Tempest, Strategic Commissioner for Independence and Well Being, Adult and Community Services, Suffolk County Council
Richard Catherall, Suffolk Strategic Partnership, Corporate Strategy and Partnership Team at Suffolk County Council
David Evans, Head of Service Development: Service Access and Partnerships, Adult and Community Services. Suffolk County Council
Alan Reynolds, Area Manager, Suffolk County Council
Social Care and partnerships Team, Department of Health in the East of England
Luke Ward, Programme Lead Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, Social Care Team, Department of Health
Forest Heath District Council
Simon Phelan, Head of Community Services, Forest Heath District Council
Suffolk ACRE
Wil Gibson, Director, Suffolk ACRE
Richard Kramer, Director, Turning Point
Gemma Bruce, Research Manager, Turning Point
Community researchers have taken it in turns to attend the steering group meetings
Project Manager
Kate Jones, Senior Research Advisor, Turning Point