May 2024
In May, we met the community connector for the Canal & River Trust and Active Black Country who leads canal walking groups every Tuesday (from The Dell Stadium) and Thursday (from Oakfield Community Centre) at 11am.
We attended one of their Tuesday walks to speak to them about their work and to hear from the attendees about how the group has impacted their health and wellbeing.
We heard that the walking routes are suitable for both serious walkers and beginners, and that the group has given those who wish to have a regular, positive change to their physical health an opportunity to do so in a free and welcoming environment. Many of the attendees spoke about the importance of weekly physical activity and the positive impact it has had on their physical and mental wellbeing.
Two of the attendees travel from Netherton and Stourbridge in order to participate in the walks, and one attendee shared that the group inspired him to quit smoking, as he struggled to find a smoking cessation group. He now attends both walking groups on a weekly basis, and it was positive to hear that the group has built such supportive relationships between the participants.
The community connector shared that, as there are only two walks per week, they need to become a more sustained and established group in order to be able to start more walking groups across Dudley. This will not only help in getting more people active, but it will also help to reduce the travel cost for those who have to travel further across Dudley in order to attend. They asked for more support in raising awareness of the groups and referring anyone who may be interested in getting involved.
Following this conversation, the community connector has been introduced to our contact for Dudley’s Place of Welcome network, so that they can support with raising awareness. They have also joined the Dudley Engagement Group after being referred by our involvement team.
Alzheimer’s Society is a national organisation that provides support to those affected by dementia. We met with the Wolverhampton team during their promotion of Dementia Awareness Week (13 – 19 May) to speak to the manager and the public about their experiences.
A member of the team shared his own personal experience of dementia in his family, which motivated him to work for the organisation. He said that, like those he usually speaks to, having the diagnosis is a huge shock and he didn’t know what would happen next, what to expect or who he could turn to. He added that dementia is an unpredictable illness that is exhausting for friends and family who take on the role as carer, as they inherit a lot of expectations that they are not qualified for or prepared to take on.
We also spoke to a member of the public about her experience, as her husband had dementia and sadly recently passed away. She shared that she is still grieving and feels lonely, as she lives alone and doesn’t usually socialise. She said that when she has gone to groups, talking to others does help, but she isn’t ready to speak about her own experiences yet. She also mentioned her struggles with having a lack motivation to go outside, get fresh air and make healthy life choices, as she finds it difficult to find the energy and stay positive.
Our involvement team has discussed the feedback received from this conversation with the lead on the ICB’s dementia strategy refresh, and Alzheimer's Society have asked to be kept updated on the progress of the strategy.
Compton Care is a local hospice that supports people and families following a palliative diagnosis. They work with people to create personal packages of care that’s right for them, as well as providing physical, practical, emotional and spiritual support.
It was Dying Matters Week from 6 – 12 May, and the Compton Care team had been out in the local community to promote the week and their services. We met the team while they were based at Asda in Wolverhampton to join in with the Dying Matters conversation and to talk to the public about their experiences.
When talking to people about Dying Matters, we noticed the variety of phrases and expressions that people use when they talk about death, which are often used to soften the language or to enable people to feel more comfortable when talking about it.
We heard that many people aren’t aware of the services Compton Care provides, who the services can be accessed by, or that the services are free. The hospice used this opportunity to talk to the public about what they do, and we also heard about the upcoming fundraising opportunities they have planned and how they would like to increase these in future.
While speaking to one member of the public, we learnt that they have a family member in the late stages of dementia. They shared that they have an admiral nurse supporting them currently, but they are now having serious conversations about the possibility of a hospice as caring for them is becoming more difficult.
We have shared the learnings and feedback from this conversation with Wolverhampton’s place transformation team who are working on End of Life.
The Good Shepherd is a community organisation based in Wolverhampton that supports people experiencing homelessness. Their work is centred around ending homelessness, supporting recovery and creating pathways out of poverty.
We met with the Good Shepherd’s chief executive officer and two of its key workers to learn more about the organisation, the people they help, the risks they face, and the experiences they have accessing health and care services.
During our conversation, we heard numerous stories about people suffering from ulcers. We were told that the only way to get an ulcer dressed is through a GP, but that the waiting times can be long when attending a walk-in centre or A&E department. The key workers shared that they have seen many ulcers undressed, infected, or that people have attempted to dress themselves. They explained that ulcers can also form from knife wounds, and they recalled the smell and size of some of the ones they had seen.
We were told that the homeless experience a lot of barriers when accessing health and care services, such as struggling with long waits due to being drug/alcohol dependent, not having access to a phone or not being able to stay on hold for long periods due to not having a phone charger, and struggling to remember appointment times. The key workers also explained that services tend to strike the homeless off as ‘Did Not Attends’ (DNAs) and that many pharmacies will ban them for bad behaviour. They said that there are ways to prevent or minimise these outbursts, adding that services need to be more understanding of their circumstances.
We also heard about some of the other risks of homelessness, including violence, sexual assaults, and the long-term impact of the drug “Black Mamba”, which has been an issue in the homeless community for the last six years.
The Good Shepherd told our involvement team that they would like to present at the Health Inequality Forum so that they can share the complexities and background of homelessness, and the experiences that people suffering from homelessness face. This has now been arranged, with four people from the Good Shepherd team due to attend the forum.
Top Church Training is a community charity that works to reduce isolation and build social connections for lonely and vulnerable people across Dudley. They hold a Women’s Discovery Group every Wednesday from 10.30am – 12.30pm at Harry’s Community Coffee Shop in Brierley Hill, which works as a drop-in session for women to socialise and take part in weekly craft activities. The group is self-funded and volunteer-led.
We attended the group to speak to Top Church Training about their work and the support they provide to the Dudley Borough.
We learnt that support groups are vital in creating environments that help reduce isolation, build confidence and improve health and wellbeing. The charity also shared that the groups provide an opportunity to bring different people from different backgrounds together to share their stories, which can help and inspire others.
The charity offers two training pathways for those who wish to volunteer or develop their skills. Pathway 1 is a volunteering route for those who wish to support Harry’s Community Coffee Shop or any of the support groups, and pathway 2 is for those who wish to develop their skills through the level 2 mandatory training they offer:
- Working safely for Top Church Training
- Confidentially and data protection
- Communication and customer service
- Safeguarding and equality and diversity
Once they’ve completed the training, volunteers then have the option to complete hospitality and kitchen skills training. The charity shared that, as the group is only once a week, their volunteer and training offers are important for the attendees, as they help them to build and sustain relationships and confidence.
As the group is not funded, the charity would like to be informed of any funding opportunities or trips that they could attend as some attendees have different mobility needs. They would also like someone to come out and speak to the group to help build their confidence and knowledge around first aid and what to do in an emergency.
Following the conversation, our involvement team have contacted ABL Health and Dudley Council who may be able to support the group with some first aid, living well and scam awareness training. Our contact at Top Church Training attended Dudley Council’s Living Well and Staying Safe Partnership meeting on 19 July, where they were able to introduce themselves, the charity, and the work that they have been undertaking.
June 2024
Connect Health are the largest independent provider of NHS musculoskeletal (MSK) and pain services in the UK. The people they support may experience consistent pain, have conditions that impact their wellbeing, or require emotional and mental health support after being in a traumatic incident. MSK services in Wolverhampton are currently being reviewed, so Connect Health invited us to come and have a conversation with their patients to better understand their views and experiences.
When speaking to the patients about the MSK service, everyone said that they were referred by their GP and that the process was easy. They explained that referrals can take three to four weeks, if not sooner, and that they were given information in advance to help prepare for their first appointment. There was a preference amongst patients for the community service over attending the hospital as it’s more convenient, and all of the patients who were attending following a previous appointment said that their conditions and/or symptoms had improved since accessing the service. There was also a lot of positive feedback for the staff, including that they are well prepared for the appointments, supportive and deliver a high-quality service.
The group expressed some feedback on resources being made available in other formats, as not everything they were provided with was accessible. The main example of this was the pre-appointment survey which is provided digitally, with the ask for it to be provided in easy read and large print.
Two patients who suffer from fibromyalgia (a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body) have asked to speak to us separately about their experiences.
Following this meeting, the involvement team have had more in-depth conversations with the patients who suffer from fibromyalgia, and a summary report has been written on the feedback we received on the service. The feedback has also been shared with the commissioning team to assist with the service review.
The Hope Project is run by the New Hope Methodist Church in Coseley, and works to support survivors of domestic abuse, serve the community with five distinct courses/programmes, and reduce isolation and identify those who need additional support.
We attended the church for one of the project’s support groups to speak to the attendees about their experiences of health and care. A number of topics were covered in the conversation, including weight loss, isolation/loneliness, primary care access, school nursing and A&E waiting times.
We spoke to a lot of the attendees about social isolation, how it affects the older generations and how important making connections is for staying well mentally and physically. One woman, who was attending the group for the first time, was advised to attend by her care home as she was struggling with loneliness and her mental health. She saw the volunteer nurse for a health check and advice on her blood pressure, which she explained must be monitored regularly. She told us that she enjoyed speaking to different people and making connections during the coffee morning.
When speaking to one of the volunteers, who was previously a school nurse, we heard about her and her husband’s experiences with primary care access. She shared that she finds it difficult to get a GP appointment, and she informed us of her husband’s long appointment and referral waits when he was having his heart problems diagnosed. They had to go to a local pharmacy with his symptoms, and it was the pharmacy who made a referral to the GP after they had failed to get an appointment. They eventually found that he had four blocked arteries and was at high risk of a heart attack. He had an operation at New Cross Hospital, which she said they couldn’t fault.
She also spoke to us about the current commissioning of school nursing, explaining that the use of private organisations to deliver health services and promotions in schools has created a lack of trust that needs to be regained.
We also heard from a woman in her 60s who is a carer and qualified hairdresser. She goes with a small team from Arise Church in Kingswinford to Bosnia once a year to help people who face extreme poverty. She told us that the team has had a huge impact on people’s lives and wellbeing in Bosnia, and she still keeps in touch with families they have supported.
Following this conversation, our involvement team has been invited to attend Arise Church’s next Bosnia trip fundraiser in September, and some of the attendees we spoke to have been added to Black Country Voices. We have shared the feedback received on school nursing commissioning arrangements with OneWolverhampton and Dudley Place Partnership.
Gordon Moody is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to providing residential treatment and support for people who have been severely affected by gambling addiction. It was first established in South London in 1971, working to help people reclaim and rebuild their lives following gambling addition in a safe and supported environment with therapies, intervention and counselling. In 2004, it also launched its international support service Gambling Therapy, which provides advice, signposting and support forums to thousands of people each year.
The charity is funded mainly through GambleAware, which receives funding from the industry itself. It also works in partnership with many other gambling treatment services and charities, such as GamCare.
The charity has a centre near Dudley Town Centre, which was established 32 years ago. We went to speak to the charity about the work that they do and to hear their and some of their previous residents’ experiences.
We learnt that they have 5 houses available in Dudley, and that each house accommodates three men for up to 98 days. The residents are assigned a support worker when they arrive to provide support with handling debt, court cases, housing, budgeting, nutrition and communication to relatives, and a therapist to provide one-to-one support for their addiction. In a typical week, the residents would have five group sessions and several one-to-one sessions.
The main topic of conversation was around gambling advertisements and messaging, particularly around football. One graduate from the programme shared his experience around this, as he is an Aston Villa fan. He gave up his season ticket for the remainder of the 2023/2024 season to help with his recovery, which was a big step for him as it was a big part of his and his family’s life.
We heard that gambling advertisements make everything so readily available, and that the messaging can be jovial instead of having increased awareness around responsible gambling. The advertising was compared to communications shared around smoking and driving while intoxicated, with the people we spoke to sharing that the consequences of gambling can be just as serious, so messaging should be illustrating the risks and damage it can cause better.
It was good to hear some positive experiences of how the centre has supported addicts back into steady jobs, living arrangements and relationships. We learnt that there is a centre dedicated for women in Wolverhampton, and we would like to find out more about the support it offers. Following the conversation, our involvement team has introduced the charity to their contact at Dudley Healthwatch, who has spoken to staff about making connections with other organisations. They will also be supporting them in finding work placements and activities in the local community, and they have invited them to Dudley Healthwatch’s upcoming Welcome to the Sector event.
The Dorothy Parkes Centre is an award-winning community-led centre based in Smethwick that provides a safe space for the Sandwell community seven days a week. The centre has been running for almost 25 years and it provides a selection of activities and services, including youth clubs, social groups, creative arts sessions, health and fitness classes, weight management, dance lessons, bereavement support, litter picks, afternoon teas and community cinema/theatre.
We attended the centre’s Chatty Café to speak to the lead volunteer to find out more about the centre and the work that it does for the local community. The Chatty Café Scheme is the UK’s leading non-profit organisation tackling loneliness and social isolation. The centre has been running a Chatty Café for two years, and it takes place every Wednesday from 10.30am – 12.30pm.
We learnt that the centre attracts around 750 people per week, and that it aims to tackle a number of local issues, including physical and mental health, obesity, social isolation, low educational attainment, poverty and unemployment. As the centre is community-led, they regularly consult and engage with the local community through open days, steering groups and social media.
The centre also uses its space to host a number of events and services, such as community and fundraising events, local police and council surgeries, food voucher distribution and private functions. It also supports the promotion of other events and programs happening throughout the borough, to help increase engagement and encourage the improvement of residents’ health, wellbeing and happiness.
Following our visit, and to help raise awareness of the centre’s facilities and the creation of a LGBTQ+ group, we have reached out to our contacts at Sandwell Council (Public Health) and Healthwatch Sandwell for support. We are arranging a further meeting with the centre’s project manager to discuss this work in more detail.
Wolverhampton Voluntary and Community Action (WVCA) works to provide dedicated support services to the voluntary and community sector across Wolverhampton. They deliver a number of projects and programmes, including Wolverhampton Volunteers, WV Social Prescribing, Social User Involvement Team (SUIT) and Wolverhampton Community Lottery, and they believe in a person-centred approach to supporting communities and overcoming barriers.
As part of Volunteers’ Week (3-9 June 2024), WVCA coordinated and funded an event led by Wolverhampton Volunteers at Wolverhampton Civic Centre. The event gave Wolverhampton Volunteers the opportunity to raise their profile and promote volunteering for local organisations, as well as giving other community and voluntary sector organisations a platform to network. These other organisations included Aspiring Futures, SUIT, No Limits to Health, Read Easy, Healthwatch Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Narrowboat Company.
We attended the event to talk to the organisations about their work and experiences in the community.
When speaking to the volunteers from Read Easy (a Charitable Incorporated Organisation that supports adults with reading skills), we heard that not being able to read can cause difficulties for people when it comes to certain aspects of healthcare, such as using medications, booking/managing appointments and reading letters. They shared that, for around half of their learners, English is their first language, but many of them left school early. They now have four people in Wolverhampton who have completed all of Easy Read’s five courses, with two of them going on to do college courses and planning to go into employment.
We also spoke to a new employee and expert by experience at SUIT. Having been dependent on alcohol for many years himself, he shared that there is an unmet need to support alcohol addiction within the South Asian community, adding that, in 2022, the British Medical Journal found that for every 100 white men dying from alcohol-related causes, there are 160 Asian men dying. He is now sober and has been volunteering at SUIT for the last 12 months to support others to beat their addictions and overcome barriers.
Following this conversation, our involvement team have made contact with a number of the organisations they met to arrange future community conversations, including No Limits to Health’s cycle group and Excell Church in Bilston. The volunteers we spoke to also asked to be involved in future Wolverhampton People Panels, so they have now been added to Black Country Voices to ensure they receive updates on these.
