Type of service: Outreach

Website: http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/living-well-north-yorkshire

As part of its wider prevention programme, North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) has invested in a new Living Well team. The Living Well Coordinators work with individuals (and their carers) who are on the cusp of becoming regular users of health and social care services by helping them access their local community and supporting them find their own solutions to their health and wellbeing goals. The role aims to help to reduce loneliness and isolation and help to prevent or resolve issues for people before they become a crisis.

As well as working with many teams within the council (such as public health and Stronger Communities), the living well team also works in partnership with National Health Service (NHS) clinical commissioning groups, district councils and voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSE). What do they do: Living Well in North Yorkshire aims to improve the health; wellbeing and independence of adults and in doing so reduce their use of formal support services, including emergency admissions to hospital.

The core principles of the service are: To provide free, time limited, targeted, support for appropriate people, not a default for all; To promote independence and facilitate self-help; To work with individuals, not do for; To facilitate self-assessments and make referrals where appropriate; To complement existing services, not to replicate voluntary services already in existence; and To provide practical advice, information and support. Living Well Coordinators will spend time with individuals on a one-to-one basis to: Identify what is important to them, what potential networks of support they have and what their priorities are.

They will work with individuals to achieve the outcomes that are important to them; Help them make simple changes to their lifestyle and their home environment. This may, for example, include providing basic advice to help people be more active, improve their mobility and therefore increase their independence and reduce the risk of falling; and Identify barriers and challenges to maintaining or improving their wellbeing and independence, and help to remove those barriers. For example, finding ways for a person to attend a local community group. As well as supporting people to maximise their own health, wellbeing and independence, Living Well Coordinators have knowledge of local services and initiatives and where necessary they aim to support people to access those services. This might range from access to home adaptations, such as a grab rail to prevent someone having a fall in their own home, support to access a local friendship club to stop someone feeling isolated, to providing advice on healthy living and sign posting to lifestyle services.

In addition to working with individuals, Living Well Coordinators are extra eyes and ears in the community. They provide feedback on the quality and availability of low level support in the community to health and care commissioners. They also support the work of the stronger communities team to identify gaps, needs and community assets, providing information for the community directory. They are visible in their local area; developing networks and links with other important services, such as community support officers, general practitioners (GPs), pharmacies, and community leaders.

Who can help: Living Well can support adults who are currently not eligible for on-going social care support and who are: Individuals who are lonely and / or socially isolated; Individuals who have had a recent loss of a support network, including bereavement; Individuals who have had a loss of confidence due to a recent change / event; and Individuals requiring face to face information, advice and guidance. This may be older people or people with physical, learning disabilities, sensory impairment or mental health needs.

Aimed at: Adolescent , Adult , Child , Young person

Gender: All genders

Level: NAS Autism Accreditation - Accredited

Year: 2020