September 2024
Café Royal is an Autism Café based in Wolverhampton City Centre which allows people with autism to come together and share experiences in a friendly, safe environment.
The Café was set up six months ago by Bill, a volunteer from Healthwatch Wolverhampton, who runs several support groups for Autism West Midlands. As this is the only autism café in Wolverhampton, this has become a popular meeting with up to 40 people in attendance each time.
We were invited to the café to experience it with our own eyes and share the importance of creating safe spaces for autistic residents.
Having spoken to several attendees with autism, it’s clear to see the frustration when attending GP and hospital appointments and places not being ‘autism friendly’.
Several people expressed that they wish healthcare staff knew more about autism and called for more support and adjustments within healthcare settings, making the trips to appointments less overwhelming and feel “safer”.
When speaking one lady, we could feel her worry about having to attend a hospital appointment, she explained she finds it overwhelming and often doesn’t know where to go. When receiving her appointment, a physical letter is preferred with as much information about the appointment as possible, for example the name of the person she is being seen by and a map that shows her where to go.
Listening to the personal experiences of autistic people when attending healthcare appointments, it’s clear to see the need for all healthcare staff to have more knowledge around how to make the environment more comfortable and what other adjustments they can make to enable the experience to be less stressful.
There’s also a need for more autism support groups as this is not currently funded across the city and isn’t spoken about in organisations enough.
Our Involvement Team attended this forum as part of an ongoing conversation around primary care transformation, supporting people with completing important surveys, while most had an open conversation around primary care.
Over the last few months, the Black Country Cancer Bus has been out to locations across the borough to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer.
Organised by the local NHS organisations in partnership with the four local authorities in the Black Country, the bus tour was an opportunity for local people to meet and talk with a range of clinicians about how to check for symptoms of cancer, the support services available and what to do if they’re concerned.
More than 600 people attended the bus in one week with over 350 people also received health checks, including blood pressure and blood sugar tests. A number of people were signposted to their GP for further investigation following a health check-up.
Attendees were given information on the three main NHS cancer screening programmes which are breast, bowel and cervical. Details of when people will be invited and what's involved in the screening was also provided. Macmillan Cancer Support also attended and offered support for people living with and beyond cancer.
Although the bus mainly focuses on cancer screening, staff are also there to speak to people about healthcare services and for people to address any concerns they may have.
We recently spoke to a mother and her 10-year-old son who loved the look of the bus and wanted to come on and take a look. During the tour of the bus, she explained how her son had recently been diagnosed with autism and feels “let down” by the system as it took a considerable amount of time for her son to be assessed and diagnosed due to the back log in the system.
Speaking more about this, she shared her frustrations with not having access to more help or support groups locally to reach out to, as non-driver she finds it difficult to travel. As a single parent, she has also felt overwhelmed juggling her own mental health issues in addition to her son’s recent diagnosis and would find it helpful to be able to speak to people going through the same experience.
We signposted her to the details of the Me&U Youth Club in Lower Gornal, Dudley, which provides activities for young autistic people.
We have previously met with this group, and parents travel from all over the Midlands to attend as there is very limited support for autistic children in the area.
Although we had a great conversation with the mother, we also had the opportunity to talk to her son whilst she was talking to a colleague from Sandwell Council that also heard her concerns. The more we spoke, the more we found out that he loves buses (he loved the big red bus), trams and trains, which he spoke passionately about. We shared details of Train Time UK and the transport museum, which he felt excited about going to.
Due to her frustrations and concerns, we also shared details of our Time2Talk Team who will be able to look into her complaints regarding her sons after care support which gave her an extra piece of mind.
The outcome of the conversation was that there is a need for better support for children living with autism, such as community groups and further support after diagnosis. We also heard that families need respite support if they are homebound and unable to leave the house.
We recently met with Great Barr Foodbank, which is part of a nationwide network of food banks, supported by Trussell Trust.
The food banks are founded by local churches and community groups, working together to strike out hunger in their local area. St Bernard’s Church is the governing body for Great Barr Foodbank.
Since the food bank opened 12 years ago, it’s hosted by 25 volunteers supporting over 200 people in the local area. At the moment, they currently have a waiting list for their services.
They often get people visiting the food bank who are in great distress, and they endeavour to help everyone the best they can through the networks they have built over the last 12 years.
However, they are grateful that they are now able to have a working relationship with our Involvement Team at the ICB, who can signpost and navigate other services within Sandwell that their volunteers and local community should need.
During our visit, we spoke with a number of volunteers who gave us a detailed breakdown of the history of the church and foodbank, explaining it as a ‘welcoming and friendly’ church where people feel peace when entering the building and their troubles go away.
Two of the 25 volunteers are retired mental health nurses who can offer the most appropriate support for residents in the area.
Every Friday at 12.30pm the church hosts a ‘Place of Welcome’ where people can unload their worries and have their voice heard in a warm and safe space. During this point, the volunteers also signpost to local offers and information in which may help the residents.
The What? Centre provides holistic mental health and well-being support to all young people in the Dudley Borough between 9 to 25 years old. They have a range of support available for different ages and can be accessed via self-referral or through a referral by a professional/parent etc.
Their counselling service is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). The service therefore works to the Ethical Framework.
The common challenge faced by employees of The What? Centre is the ever-changing funding landscape and being able to support and continue the support groups.
During our visit to the centre, members of the group identified that there is not much for them around Dudley and Sandwell to access additional support, and if there are any groups/activities available they are not advertised.
One example given to us during the conversation was that one of the attendee’s lives in Worcester and travels to this group, as there is nothing around Worcester for them to access. If this group was removed from Dudley, there would be nothing for them to access.
Towards the end of the conversation, the group shared that this “group is like a big family and they value being in the group and the friendships/connections they’ve made”.
However, the group identified that they want to have more guest speakers to present and educate on a wide range of topics that would enrich their lives in developing their knowledge, skills, and behaviours to help improve their health, well-being, and happiness.
The centre has connected to the Dudley Engagement Group and the Dudley Healthy Communities Team to attend their meetings, receive email newsletters, and funding opportunities etc.
Following our conversations, our Involvement Team has also reached out to Dudley Public Health and Active Black Country to see what support they can offer regarding increasing the number of opportunities to access sports, physical activity, and movement.
Dudley Stroke Association (DSA) is a local independent charity established in 1987 providing advice, support and information to people who have suffered a stroke and their families and friends through:
- the provision of information packs – free of charge
- people to visit – many of our volunteers are people who have themselves suffered a stroke or have experience of some-one who is affected by a stroke support groups
- listening to peoples worries and concerns, being a sympathetic ear.
The DSA aims to make more people aware of strokes, their effects and prevention by providing high-quality advice and guidance. With the darker nights approaching, DSA recognises that staying in touch is so important and they are there to support people to be the best version of themselves. They can help people connect with others who have also had or been affected by a stroke.
Having connections with others who have similar experiences it vital to improve confidence and wellbeing. The service hosts wellbeing talks, exercise classes, lunch clubs and online activities for those who cannot attend.
The activity we visited was the Chatty Crew which started around 14 years ago. These sessions are designed to build confidence and help people connect with others who have been affected by stroke and encourage open conversation, build confidence and meet new friends.
There is a small charge of £2 per session to attend this group (the first session is free), which includes a hot drink and biscuits.
In conversation with the group, they shared that having an illness or a lack of digital knowledge can prevent some people from using digital methods to book appointments, and getting up at 8am to call to get an appointment is not always possible. When people do get through often, they are told that all the appointments have gone.
The group felt that anyone who has experienced a stroke should have something on their file to allow them to use other methods of communication. Ill health has no age range, and all the group agreed that more needs to be done to make it easier for them to book appointments.
It was suggested for practices to add a reasonable adjustments flag to a patient's record, the patient or their representative would need to make the practice aware of their communication preference so they can add this to the patient record.
NHS app and practice websites now allow patients to submit forms for medical and admin enquiries if the patient is able to do so. Someone could submit a form on the patients’ behalf. A clinical then triages the request and the patient will be contacted via their preferred contract method, once the practice is made aware of what this is available.
Face-to-face is preferred as one gentleman advised that having a stroke took his speech so he could not call to speak to surgery. Several people advised that they don't get to see the same doctor twice and you keep repeating their symptoms to different GPs on each visit.
Patient requests are triaged by a clinician and directed to the most appropriate service/member of the practice team, if patients prefer to see a particular GP, they can request this but may need to wait longer for an available appointment with their preferred GP – rather than accepting the next available appointment
Lastly, if patients are unsure if the above has happened, they or their representative can go and make their GP aware of the communication methods they would prefer and if it’s been raised and the preferred methods are not still being used, they can raise their concerns via our Time2Talk team which is listed below.
- Telephone: 0300 0120 281 and select Option 4
- Email: bcicb.time2talk@nhs.net
- Address: Time2Talk, NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) Civic Centre, St Peter’s Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SH.
October 2024
Young Health Champions working with the City of Wolverhampton Council are working to support schools across Wolverhampton with their health programmes, including sharing messages in schools to help improve the health and wellbeing of children in the city.
Following the latest People Panel we met with them to hear their views on the topics discussed.
Pathways into education and training
The common theme through conversations with the Young Health Champions is that many would love to do an apprenticeship but aren’t sure on how to find one as in the final year of school, teachers mainly share information on university pathways.
None of the participants were aware of the National Apprenticeship Service or National Careers Service. One young man explained that their Grandad offered him an apprenticeship but is unsure how to access the apprenticeship levy so is unlikely to be able to take him up on his offer.
Therefore, not only do we need to educate school children on apprenticeship opportunities, but also local businesses my need more information or advice on apprenticeship offers.
Safeguarding young people and the homeless
When we discussed the subject of homelessness, the Young Health Champions advised that schools need to raise more awareness of homelessness and what we can do to help those in need. They feel as though it’s such a “taboo” subject and some young people are not aware of what it is and how it can affect people.
Some participants understood some of the dangers. They suggested training or awareness sessions could teach them skills on how to make sure they are safe outside and what to do in an emergency, in case someone should become homeless, for example, how to use a bleed kit.
They commented that, where people experiencing homelessness don’t “meet the criteria” and the wider system needs to be less rigid and more inclusive to ensure that the support is available to the people who need it most.
Obesity in children
The Champions voiced their thoughts on obesity and thought this often leads to bullying and causes a lack of confidence and a lower self-esteem.
They advised that obesity is not spoken about enough and there should be a call for schools to raise awareness of healthy balanced diets through PSHE and the outcomes and effects that bullying can cause.
Teen pregnancy
Although schools across the country introduce sex education at a younger age, during our conversations the champions spoke about teachers needing to talk more about sex in school and normalise the conversation.
We also heard that young people would feel comfortable going to a school nurse, student lead or student services about a teen pregnancy, but they would like prefects to be trained, as peers could offer confidential advice. Suggestions were made for school offices to have morning after pills for emergency situations, which were discussed in detail.
Participants acknowledged the blame culture placed on girls, with a concern that other factors are not considered, such as peer pressure and circumstances. They felt there would be less judgement if pregnancy was spoken about more in PSHE and lessons, so they could understand. We concluded that the group felt that more open conversations would help them make safer choices.
Digital support for children and young people, for their mental wellbeing
The Young Health Champions suggested creating an app for children to use when they didn’t feel safe or needed someone to talk to, offering more help than through the app, whereby young people can schedule meetings at a suitable time. A further suggestion was to include positive videos to support with emotional wellbeing and to highlight that, “not everything on the internet is true”.
There was a discussion around how children replicate unhealthy behaviours, for example of celebrities and influencers on social media, who may make and share questionable health choices, for example people who are sponsored to endorse energy drinks, fast food or weight loss injections. There were suggestions the app could tackle some of these issues.
They valued face-to-face support more than using an app and would prefer more support in person, rather than being online, reducing screen time.
Participants spoke about having a wider mindset and advised young people shouldn’t rely solely on digital support from CAHMS, they were intrigued as to what is out there to support their wellbeing and suggested groups, clubs, classes and support networks.
All of these discussions have been included in the people panel record, which has been shared widely across Wolverhampton to share insights and shape services.
The Good Shepherd is a community organisation supporting people experiencing homelessness in and around Wolverhampton.
We attended their open event where health information was shared with people experiencing homelessness. This included health checks, advice from providers on mental health, drug and alcohol recovery and cancer.
Whilst speaking to people who attended the event, we found that people experiencing homelessness were aware of the free health checks available to them from speaking to people in the community, however one person commented, “I don’t even bother trying to see a doctor”, and went on to share some of the barriers they face being homeless, such as having a mobile phone that is usually out of battery, so not having an awareness of time and being able to contact a practice.
During our conversation they explained that they would appreciate more health services coming to them in the community, such as The Good Shepherd. Many situations make it difficult for people experiencing homelessness to make and attend healthcare appointments, this way they would be more inclined to have their vaccinations and other health checks to prevent illness and for earlier detection.
We were also informed of the unhealthy drinking habits and how people experiencing homeless aren’t always aware of the weekly intake. One older gentleman from Recovery Near You spoke about the bottle tops initiative to stop people having their drinks spiked – which also lead him onto saying how common this is in Wolverhampton and having a night out can sometimes be very dangerous.
We are working with local organisations including the Good Shepherd around homelessness in the Black Country.
The Real Mama Tribe is a not-for-profit community group in Dudley which strives to combat social isolation in motherhood by offering peer support through their weekly events which run throughout the week such as yoga, crafts, walks, coffee mornings, and chat and play.
Their groups are both online and in-person and are set in place to help mamas meet people and make friends. The tribe acknowledges that motherhood can be a tough journey, which can be made worse by not having a support network around you, which is increasingly common today.
Their closed Facebook group is for mamas to chat, meet, and support each other, which is moderated by some of their volunteers to make sure new members are screened to ensure everyone who attends is a genuine local mama, as the group is for mamas and not people who want to promote unsuitable services, those who want to share wrong health messages, as well as using the platform to share training, volunteer, and development opportunities etc.
Below is the criteria to join the group:
- Female-only group
- Mamas of children up to teenage years MAX, most suitable for mamas of young children
- Dudley and surrounding areas
- We also have strict group rules which all members must abide by.
Their online Facebook community has over 1,700 people and this community is quite active in supporting people with whatever their needs are in improving their health, well-being, and happiness.
A member of our Involvement Team met with the founder of the group, who after returning from maternity leave struggled with work, being a mom and having a family life – therefore she decided to learn working within general practice.
The founder felt isolated and recognised that thousands of other mothers would be in a similar position, that’s when she founded The Real Mama Tribe in 2021 and is now currently in the process of receiving funding from Dudley Community Voluntary Service (DCVS) to project manage the group for 10 hours per week.
She is hoping for the DCVS to start the correct governance process to set up a charity for The Real Mama Tribe. The main challenge the group is facing is obtaining funding to grow, develop, and sustain their funding. As their current funding pot finishes next March, the tribe is keen to continue raising funds to help them continue providing essential peer support and combat social isolation in early motherhood.
Our Involvement Colleague spoke with a mother who is currently experiencing post-natal depression due to the trauma from her pregnancy, labour, delivery and bonding with her baby, as well as her ongoing anxiety prior to pregnancy. She had a high-risk pregnancy due to her mental health and having been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which required regular scans, blood tests and hospital visits. Due to being new to the Dudley area, she had to have several blood tests done when she was 30 weeks pregnant and unfortunately the results come back as having HIV – which came as a huge shock. Since then, she has spoken negatively about the care she and her baby has received from Russell’s Hall Hospital, which has now been raised as a complaint and has been given further per-natal care, infant feeding and emotional support.
Although this group is based in Dudley, the founder welcomes members from family hubs from all around the Black Country and would like to build further relationships. We heard that other mama’s travel to attend these sessions, where one mama said, “I really need this group, as without this group my daughter and I would stay at home.”
Following on from our community conversation, we have signposted the founder to first aid courses, ante-natal and post-natal care classes and other key training programmes to support mamas in Dudley.
Following on from a recent local event in Dudley, our Involvement Team hosted a community conversation at a local Church in Dudley to hear from members of the group on how they serve the community.
Cornerstone is a lunch club which runs every Wednesday for residents local to Lye.
The church offers a range of groups that meet throughout the week, such as:
- BIBO (Breathe in Breathe Out) is a group of ladies who all have some form of breathing difficulty
- Toddler groups
- Feel good Friday
- Youth group meetings
- Cancer peer support groups.
The residents of the church are very well connected with the local and wider community, having good connections with Dudley Council’s Healthy Ageing Champions, Dudley Community Development Works and the Life in Lye project. However, they welcome other connections with services and professionals across the Black Country.
During the groups they regularly share health information and key messages, especially for those who don’t have digital access within the community – the church is a safe place to gain vital health information.
Our involvement colleague spoke to several volunteers who support Cornerstone, some of which are 80-90 years old. We also heard that one volunteer had only one week off during her 19 years of working there – sheer dedication!
These volunteers help prepare the meals, cook, lay tables, clean up and more importantly – interact with members. The volunteers say that it’s “Hard work but rewarding” and they always “try to meet everyone’s needs.”
One member we spoke with asked kindly if we could help to increase her heating allowance as her husband is disabled and requires her home to be warm. Although we are unable to help her with her bills, we have signposted her to financial support and any other information we receive will be passed onto the group. We have also spoken to the Dudley Council Public Health Team to offer support to this individual.
To help develop and increase their volunteers, we have connected individuals from the church with other support workers across Dudley. The group will be going along to Dudley Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) development meeting to learn how to grow their volunteers and provides advice and guidance.
For further information on this meeting, visit the Dudley CVS website.
