Willow Bank CIC, Town

Health Sessions at Willow Bank, Stoke-on-Trent

Health Session with Willow Bank, Stoke-on-Trent

About us

Willow Bank CIC is a social enterprise owned by the staff currently working at Willow Bank Health Centre. It is a partnership between The whole practice team and Change Through Partnership.

Their purpose: Key points

  • Look outside our own boundaries and be able to make and nurture relationships with communities and other organisations
  • Have a culture which embraces change
  • Respect local people
  • Work in partnership with those who share our goals
  • Respect our partners

Background

Willow Bank first started to work with My Community Matters in September 2009 when they first launched in Meir. Numerous events were undertaken together to promote the new practice, which opened with a zero patient list.

What happened next?

My Health Matters, as it was then, attended Willow Bank’s promotional events, linked the community with the practice and encouraged residents to register with the practice. In some cases this was their first experience of registering with any health service.

The patient list has grown and to a staggering 5,688 today (9,518 across both sites of Longton and Meir).

What people said

Willow Bank are truly thankful for the help, support and encouragement of My Community Matters, their valued, established links in the local community, helped us to achieve many of our goals and early year targets.”

Without their local contacts, it is doubtful whether a GP practice would have been in a position to respectfully liaise with Imam’s and actually enter the Mosque’s as we did.  The project was a huge success for Willow Bank.”

Willow Bank are truly thankful for the help, support and encouragement of My Community Matters, their valued, established links in the local community, helped us to achieve many of our goals and early year targets.”

What we did

Since then, there have been many other projects that we have worked together on which include:

Q&A session

The MCM team have extremely good links with Rowan Village and asked Willow Bank to take part in a clinical Q&A session.

Q&A session

The MCM team have extremely good links with Rowan Village and asked Willow Bank to take part in a clinical Q&A session.  One of the lead GP’s took an hour out of his busy schedule to attend Rowan Village (Sheltered Accommodation) to deliver a presentation to residents about Diabetes. They held discussions over coffee and answered any questions. It was successful both to reassure the residents and helped them to feel relaxed and able to ask questions in the comfort of their own home.

Eastern European Families

Willow Bank were invited to meet with a local group of Eastern European people in the local school, to help them to understand the procedures at the surgery and to explain which clinicians they would need to see.

Eastern European Families

There was a misunderstanding of the services provided and families were attending the emergency department at the hospital for minor ailments.

Following this, Willow Bank sent two of their qualified nursing staff along with My Community Matters to residents home to discuss with a small group of ladies female procedures and screening procedures that they were entitled to. They also answered general questions about the health care system. Not only was this helpful it provided a familiar face and reassurance for when the families had to attend the practice.

Respect Day Walkabout

Willow Bank attended the walkabout in Normacot along with other services.

Respect Day Walkabout

Willow Bank attended the walkabout in Normacot along with other services. This day highlighted from a health perspective the inequalities this community suffer. When door knocking we came across a family who had been suffering in silence with a terminally ill family member. They would have benefited from more interventions that could have prevented some of the hardship that they had endured. Willow Bank was able to recognise the need and assisted on the day.

Events

Health and wellbeing checks

Events

The nurses have provided health and wellbeing checks at events.

Asian Ladies keep fit and health checks

My Community Matters and the team helped to establish Asian ladies keep fit class.

Asian Ladies keep fit and health checks

My Community Matters and the team helped to establish Asian ladies keep fit class, which has been running now for 2 years. Once a month after the session the nurses attended the session where they gave healthy eating, lifestyle advice and weight management monitoring. Not only were the ladies enjoying the exercise they were losing weight and becoming healthier.

Community Team Plus

Willow Bank attend preliminary meetings with this group alongside My Community matters, to discuss what input a local GP practice could have in this innovative group.

Community Team Plus

This is a group of vulnerable adults who have been through various health care plans but feel isolated within their community. Willow Bank attend preliminary meetings with this group alongside My Community Matters, to discuss what input a local GP practice could have in this innovative group.  It was deemed to be a great concept and Willow Bank donated £500 to help in their vision.  The funding helped to set up various fun activities and to provide resources. The staff also volunteered to help with the 2014 Christmas Party and donated the food.

Hepatitis C Screening

Hepatitis C Screening

Perhaps one of Willow Bank’s biggest external projects was when they won the tender to offer Hepatitis C screening to Asian people locally and with the help of My Community Matters and their brilliant community contacts, they visited numerous local events to deliver this valuable service.  MCM helped us to contact the local Mosque’s and we did many of our screening events within the Mosques, capturing over 800 people locally for screening.

What we achieved

Next steps

  • The practice have participated in a Skype for a Connecting Communities training session for junior registrars to share their experience of engaging communities.
  • Future plans to include sharing good practice with other GPs and health professionals.
  • Continue to do health screening in community locations.