Community partnership opportunities in North England

Meet David Wood, Community Partnership Manager for North England
07785 456 269

As Community Partnership Manager for North England, David Wood supports care home managers across his region with activities and events that aim to engage both existing customers and surrounding communities, foster strong local relationships and tackle issues such as isolation and loneliness.

David is keen to hear from health and social care professionals as well as community groups across northern England who would be interested in working with us and building positive local partnerships.

We recognise that there is still a stigma attached to care homes and conditions such as dementia. David and his colleagues support on-going programmes of educational activities informing the public of the valuable services offered by care homes, and enable them to be a place of trust and a positive experience for both older people and their families.

Here are just a couple of examples of the positive partnerships established in North England:

Relieving pressure on hospital services during the winter

During the winter Wellington Lodge care home works with Manchester County Council to help relieve pressure on hospital services. Offering beds to the council at this crucial time of year enables more assessments to be done and helps people who were in hospital progress to the right place for them more quickly, be that permanent residential care or back to their own home safely with everything they need to avoid readmission to hospital. The partnership also provides huge cost saving for the NHS due to the efficiency of the costs of a care home bed verses a hospital bed.

Sporting Memories reminiscence project

Eight care homes in the North region are piloting reminiscence sessions in partnership with Sporting Memories, a charity that supports older people living with dementia, depression and loneliness by engaging them in social activities and helping them to recall memories of watching or playing sport. The sessions are structured in a way that ensures residents, their families and the local community can be involved in group discussions and activities on a weekly basis.