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Gloucestershire Village and Community Agents: Bridging the Gap for Older and Vulnerable People

Discover how the Gloucestershire Village and Community Agents scheme assists older and vulnerable individuals in accessing services and support within their communities. This initiative, managed by Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC), aims to address unmet needs and provide high-quality information to improve the well-being of residents.

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Gloucestershire Village and Community Agents: Bridging the Gap for Older and Vulnerable People

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  1. Gloucestershire Village and Community Agents 21st March 2011

  2. Facts about Gloucestershire • Three tier local authority structure • 1 Primary Care Trust and 6 district councils • Population of 565,000 • 22% of population is aged 60+ (higher than national average) • Largely rural with two principal main towns • Hidden pockets of deprivation and poor transport links

  3. What is a Village or Community Agent? A person recruited locally who will bridge the gap between community and statutory/voluntary organisations by: • acting as facilitator in the provision of high quality information to older (50+) and vulnerable people • promoting access to services • identifying unmet need within communities • Employed by GRCC part time, working 10 hours per week, equipped with laptops and mobile phones

  4. Village & Community Agents • The Gloucestershire Village Agents scheme was established in 2006, funded by LinkAge Plus • In 2008 the scheme was mainstreamed as a service & Community Agents for the BME communities was launched • Joint funded by NHS Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire County Council • Managed by Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC)

  5. Referrals Year 5: January to March 2011 Issues arising included: Referrals to the Gloucestershire Adult and Social Care Helpdesk for social care access and advice Referrals to Age UK for services including Clean Sweep, Advocacy, Benefits Advice Referrals to Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service for a free home safety check or smoke alarms Referrals to the Department for Work and Pensions for Benefit advice and assessments After each visit a Village or Community Agent makes, they are required to fill in an online referral, or ‘gateway’ form. The form collects demographic data, the nature of the problem, and other information relevant to any follow up visit. The gateway form is then submitted to the required agency by the Village or Community Agent for the query to be addressed. From January to March 2011 a total of 939 gateway forms were submitted by Village and Community Agents.

  6. “You are an amazing lady. Stair rail excellent. I’m running up and down like a goat on speed, how have I managed without it since 1970? Can’t thank you enough………..” “It’s like peeling back the layers of an onion You solve one problem only to uncover another…..” “…..as a Village Agent, it gives me all the job satisfaction I need and a feeling that with that help they can sleep better at night, it gives them peace of mind which in turn works towards improving their health, and as I have experienced, the confidence to get more out of life socially and an improved quality of life in general….” I would like to thank our Village Agent, who has been very supportive and helpful, my Wife found it a great help talking to her. “Everyone loved meeting you and were so impressed with the service you provide and the friendship you extended.  All your contacts and help with various enquiries are already much appreciated and several people are already getting problems solved. And I know the "network" factor will also mean you are reaching a much bigger catchment which is of course how these communities work….”

  7. Village Agents and Digital Switchover The northern part of Gloucestershire is switching to Digital in April with the Ridge Hill transmitter. Village Agents have been helping their clients and communities prepare for the switchover by providing information and giving talks. The Help Scheme is available to the over 75s and to disabled people. Run by the BBC, it will convert one television in a household from analogue to digital. Village Agents have helped clients eligible for the Help Scheme to register and get the assistance that they need.

  8. QUESTIONS?

  9. Contact Kate Darch, Village & CommunityAgents Scheme Manager, GRCC kated@grcc.org.uk

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