Seaton Area Health Matters reports on its activities to date
Jack Rowland, chair of Seaton Area Health Matters, has sent me this report:
So, what have we been doing recently?
From conversations earlier this year when we invited representatives from the statutory and voluntary health sectors the following 10 priorities emerged:
- To take an area approach for the Axe Valley, not just Seaton.
- Improving communication and co-ordination between voluntary organisations.
- Maintaining and extending NHS services in GP practices and at Seaton Hospital.
- The challenges in older age groups (chronic diseases, loneliness and isolation).
- The challenges in younger age groups (drug and alcohol addiction, housing, poverty).
- Mental health support.
- Transport difficulties to access services.
- Promoting health and wellbeing
- Communication on what is available.
- Co-ordination and ownership to tackle the challenges.
In order to look at these challenges a Steering Group was established and the membership is:
Jack Rowland (Chair) Seaton Town Councillor
Geoff Pook (Vice Chair) East Devon District Councillor
Marcus Hartnell East Devon District Councillor / Seaton Town Councillor
Victoria Parry Food & Wellbeing Charity / Clinical Commissioning Group Community Representative
Martin Shaw Devon County Councillor / Seaton Town Councillor
Roger Trapani Clinical Commissioning Group Community Representative
Tina Trapani Devon Senior Voice Representative
Dr Mark Welland Seaton G.P. & Chair of Seaton Hospital League of Friends
From this steering group 2 working parties have been looking at these priorities as many of the challenges are inter-connected.
One working party is producing a report to put forward a case for maintaining and extending NHS services as part of a health hub. A meeting has been arranged for 5 November at Seaton Hospital with senior representatives from the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital.
The other working party has been collating information to establish the details of the voluntary organisations in our area that are involved in some way in health and well-being. The intention is to show the information, with the permission of the organisation, on this website and to also have a dedicated phone line available for people to use who may not have access to the internet. When the phone line is available we will publicise this on this website and by issuing a press release and using advertising posters around the town as well as social media.
We are also considering carrying out a Seaton Area survey to give everyone the opportunity to tell us their views on what they want to see in the area for health care and wellbeing provision – this would be in the form of both a paper format and online.
Seaton & Colyton MATTERS 