In Celebration of Personalised Care week- Monday 23rd-Friday 27th September!!

In celebration of Personalised Care week -23^rd -27^th September, the SNEE ICB Personalised Care Team asked for local examples of best practice and improved health outcomes from staff delivering this vital role, with prizes for the best submission.

In response Social Prescribing Link Workers and Care Co-ordinators across Suffolk and north east Essex submitted an array of case stories, demonstrating the incredible impact of their roles and the amazing outcomes for patients in their care.

The judging panel comprised the ICB Personalised Care team, Dawn Taylor and Lillie Stone and IES Alliance SPLW manager, Shelley Hart. The judges expressed it was a very tough decision, as all cases were very heart warming and worthy of a win but that they only had a limited number of prizes to give away.

A massive congratulations to the three winning entries:

• Kelly Brown (Saxmundham Health Centre)
• Jackie Innes (Great Bentley Surgery)
• Paula Granfield (East Suffolk Council)/Rachel Sampson (the Shaw Trust Ltd)/Stephanie Lambert (Suffolk County Council)

An a huge thank you for all other submissions which demonstrated the impact of your SPLW role.  We can’t thank you enough for the difference you make to the lives of people.

Over the next few weeks, Buzz will be sharing photographs of the winners and their winning case stories alongside the highly commended examples from other applicants.

If you want to understand more about Personalised Care and its impact across SNEE contact the ICB Personalised Care Team [email protected], [email protected].

Or join the Personalised Care Institute who are delivering a four-day ‘roadshow’ of webinars, videos and educational activities showcasing best practice examples, lived experience and education on personalised care, as well as a free headline half day virtual conference during Personalised Care week.”

Kelly Brown, Care Co-ordinator, Saxmundham Surgery;

I was asked by our Practice Nurse to contact one of our service users with regards to carer’s allowance and offer a little support.

I made contact and discovered that this young man lived with his elderly mother. Unfortunately, 15 years ago he developed an illness that caused intracranial pressure resulting in several emergency admissions and surgeries. The result of this illness and the surgeries have left him completely blind, isolated, lacking in confidence and terribly scared as he can no longer see.

His wonderful mum cares for him full time but she is ageing and had become unwell herself and I soon realised that a phone call was not enough and arranged to meet them.

We soon developed a trusting relationship, and I liaised with the GP on their behalf to sort some of the ongoing health issues they both had. This trust and support enabled the young man to gain a little confidence, and we discussed what was important to him.

He wanted to start to gain some independence, he enjoyed going out for coffee but felt this was a constant pressure on his mum as he was unable to go alone. We discussed how him being able to pop out occasionally without Mum would be really good for them both.

After several unsuccessful discussions with lot’s of different organisations, I reached out to a local care agency and discussed this man’s needs. The care agency came to my next visit and we informally chatted about what mattered to son and mum and how we could come up with some kind of support package.

He now goes out weekly with a support worker (friend). They are going for coffee, tackling things like the bank, the pharmacy and the shops.

I tried to think of other ways to make life a little easier and spoke with the local pharmacy. We are now managing his repeat medication issues and the local pharmacy deliver to him weekly. I engaged with Sensing Change and Suffolk Sight who are supporting him with equipment and devices such as an Alexa that will remind him of the time to take medications and a coffee machine so he can perform the simple task of making his mum a coffee!

I received a call from them this week to say that are thinking about the future and wonder if I could support them with helping to find suitable accommodation for him to live independently. They are both very scared when they think about things that might happen in the future, but I am trying to support them in what could be a very daunting but truly exciting time for them both.

They have gone from managing quietly alone for 15 years and not believing there is any future to being out and about and facing challenges.

It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of their journey and it gives me great satisfaction to feel I have been a part of the transformation in both of their lives.