Monthly Archives: November 2019

Community Update – December 2019

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Issue content:

Care navigator update
Christmas calendar
South London Cares Winter Wellbeing Project
Food bank

 

Care navigator update

  • Thank you for all the navigator work that you’ve done over the past year! We hope you’ve found it rewarding. Please share any good news stories with us and your fellow Navigator team!
  • As it snow happens, a further 16 care navigators were trained on Thursday 21 November. These include team members from Bermondsey Spa Medical Centre, Penrose Surgery, Borough Medical Centre, Nexus Health Group, Silverlock Medical Centre, Villa Street Medical Centre, Age UK and Time & Talents! We’ll be producing a bulletin with learning from this session and sharing our aims for 2020!

 

AnchorChristmas calendar

Please see THIS CALENDAR for an overview of a number of the events, carol concerts and fairs going on across Southwark this December! We’ve broken it down by day to showcase how much is happening in our borough. But wait, there’s myrrh… leaflets and posters are embedded, just click the event!Could you print this in A3 to display in your waiting room? 

 

AnchorSouth London Cares – Winter Wellbeing Project

South London Cares are running their Winter Wellbeing Project from October 2019 to March 2020. They can provide free warm items, advice on how to keep your home warm, connect you to your community and provide assistance with finances.Please see this poster for further information. You can also call 0207 118 0404 or email Matt. 

 

Food bank

For patients in food crisis you may want to consider signposting them to a referral agent. Patients on benefits can go to their local job centre. All other patients can contact their local Citizen Advice BureauIf your practice would like to become a registered voucher holder for the food bank, please contact Rose.

Working with Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)

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We recently began a project with DWP to offer additional support to patients in north Southwark. Our GP practices are now able to refer patients to one of two DWP advisors, who offer a range of advice and support, including the following:

  • benefit entitlement
  • benefit claims
  • training opportunities
  • CV development
  • employment skills
  • work experience
  • volunteering
  • empowering users to support themselves through motivational discussions.

We are already seeing great outcomes for our patients in the first couple of weeks of this project!

A patient story

One of our local patients was referred by their GP practice to a DWP advisor. The patient informed the GP practice that their employer had sent their earnings late to HMRC . This then impacted on the patients childcare costs resulting in financial hardship and stress. The GP practice supported the patient with a fit note for work related stress and referred them to the Patient Advice Service to meet with a DWP advisor.

The DWP advisor provided the following support:

  • made contact with the patients work coach
  • supported the patient with contacting Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and ACAS for employment advice for additional support
  • Explored child care options

The DWP advisor is continuing to offer support based on the patients personal circumstance.