Partner Update - Public Health
Argyll and Bute Council · 13 August 2024
Back to Bute and Cowal Area Community Planning Group — 13 August 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Argyll & Bute Community Planning Partnership Area Community Planning Group Partnership update Date: July 2024 Partner update – Public Health Community Link Workers Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership is pleased to publish the most recent evaluation of the Community Link Working service in Argyll and Bute, which shows positive outcomes from the service for patients, GP practices and our communities. The service started in December 2021 and is provided by Third Sector Partner ‘We Are With You’. Community Link Workers recognise that social issues such as debt, relationships, employment, and loneliness affect people’s health and wellbeing, and will connect people to sources of support or resources within their community. The service can currently be accessed through referral or self-referral from 12 GP practices across Argyll and Bute. The evaluation found that the service received 975 referrals since 2021, with the highest number of referrals for mental health and wellbeing; loneliness and isolation; financial advice; and stress management. Community Link Workers were able to work with people to connect them to support, teach self-management and reduce barriers to accessing appropriate services. 90% of people who received the service experienced a positive change in their health and wellbeing. The service has been developed in line with the modernisation and expansion of services delivered in GP practices, resulting in multidisciplinary teams working together to support people holistically and improve outcomes for patients. Work is currently underway to expand the service and look at how it can be provided in more remote and rural areas, in collaboration with GP practices and those living in those communities. The evaluation paper will be supplied for inclusion in the ACPG papers, it is also available at: Community Link Working (CLW)-4pgs-v3-FINAL (scot.nhs.uk) Suicide Prevention Activity In alignment with "Creating Hope Together: Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2022-2025," Argyll and Bute HSCP has a project aimed at providing the resources needed to understand and improve mental health, and understanding and preventing suicide. This will include: • Training provision: from September a number of courses/workshops will be available across Argyll and Bute including; Scottish Mental Health First Aid,
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2 Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, “Ask, Tell”, and First Aid for Youth Mental Health. • A communications plan has been developed to promote signposting to mental health services. We will distribute printed materials and downloadable resources from reliable sources to raise awareness about available support. • Collaboration with national partners including; Breathing Space, Penumbra, Samaritans, Change Mental Health, and others to disseminate reliable educational resources, training, and support options. • We will also collaborate with a range of partners in Argyll and Bute including health and social care staff, education staff, debt and money advice services, community justice, addiction services among others. We will also collaborate with private sector businesses to ensure widespread dissemination of mental health resources, suicide prevention training, and crisis support. World Suicide Prevention Day We are asking for partners support for World Suicide Prevention Day on 10th September. Let's light up our buildings in purple or teal to raise awareness and show our commitment to preventing suicide and promoting mental health. Why this matters: World Suicide Prevention Day, established by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and World Health Organisation (WHO), focuses on reducing stigma and spreading the message that suicides are preventable. The theme for WSPD 2024-2026, “Changing the Narrative on Suicide,” encourages us to shift from silence to openness and support. How you can help: By lighting up your buildings, you can help draw attention to this critical issue. The colours purple and teal symbolise support and awareness for suicide prevention efforts. Get Involved: If you would like to participate in this important initiative, please contact Olena Mishanina at olena.mishanina@nhs.scot to promote your involvement. Together, we can illuminate the importance of mental health and make a difference in our communities. Thank you for your support! Art of hosting at The Living Well Programme The Living Well Programme Board vision is people in Argyll and Bute living longer, healthier, independent lives. The board identified a need to bring together its wide range of partners to explore how we collectively address major issues affecting Scotland’s rural and island communities. They came together in early June at Barmolloch Farm and explored the key questions: • How can we work together to meet the wellbeing needs of our communities during these times of rising demands and fewer resources? • How can our shared knowledge and resourcefulness best support the most vulnerable across our rural and island areas? Using the World Cafe method from the Art of Hosting, appreciative inquiry, the circle- way method, and various other methods, participants discussed these pressing
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3 issues and shared their collective feedback. In collaboration with New Possibilities, a short film was created to showcase the event’s highlights and key findings. You can watch the video at: Art of Hosting at The Living Well Programme | Rural Social Enterprise Hub (ruralsehub.net) Alcohol and Drug Partnership Update Prevention and Early Intervention The ADP Support Team has been receiving 6 monthly progress reports on the grants issued in last financial year. 12 applications were successful in receiving grant funding to deliver prevention, early intervention and address stigma. The progress reports have demonstrated the wide range of fantastic work that has been carried out across Argyll and Bute. The ADP funding supported initiatives for children and young people, families affected by alcohol and drugs and people in recovery. Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD) have been carrying out phase one of the commissioned work in Argyll and Bute to support implementation of Whole Family Approach. The high level goal of this work is to grow a model of family support that is connected and effective, utilises community assets, sustains, strengthens and up skills communities to create a cohesive and effective Whole Family Approach. Phase one has involved sharing information about the work, building relationships and engaging stakeholders. As part of the initial phase of this project engagement events were held in Inveraray to facilitate conversations, identify opportunities to strengthen support for families, in ways that work for both the families themselves and the dedicated people in the services. The events looked at why families affected by alcohol/drug harm need support, who do we mean by ‘families affected', what does support look like and where stakeholders see opportunities to improve support. The engagement events, together with an audit of services available in Argyll and Bute will help shape the partnership plan and identify people and organisations that can be further involved in the Whole Families Approach. Medically Assisted Treatment Standards The National Benchmarking Report was published in July and provides an
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4 assessment of the progress on implementation of the MAT Standards 1 to 10 as of April 2024. National benchmarking report on the implementation of the medication assisted treatment (MAT) standards: Scotland 2023/24 revised 30 July 2024 - National benchmarking report on implementation of the medication assisted treatment (MAT) standards - Publications - Public Health Scotland Further resources that have been produced includes a short video that provides the perspectives of the MAT Standards by a person with lived experience of substance use, a family member and a member of staff working in a service and the map that shows the progress of ADPs in Scotland to meet the MAT standards. Access to these resources can be obtained using the link below: https://publichealthscotland.scot/our-areas-of-work/health-harming- commodities/substance-use/treatment/medication-assisted-treatment-mat- standards/resources/ MAT 8 Groups The Argyll and Bute MAT 8 Group, formed in 2023 has representation from Lomond and Argyll Advocacy Service (LAAS), Argyll and Bute Council Welfare Service, Argyll and Bute Council Housing, Carr Gomm, Argyll and Bute Drug and Alcohol Recovery Services (DARS), the Cowal Response Service and With You. The Group was established to implement MAT Standard 8, which is; all people have access to independent advocacy and support for housing, welfare and income needs. Priority Actions agreed include trauma informed practice, a service resource list, and strengthening networks to use the referral pathways. A leaflet explaining the services in Argyll and Bute in relation to MAT 8 and a pathways diagram has been produced and a “Meet the MAT 8 Team” Webinar was held in June to help raise awareness MAT standards. The MAT 8 leaflet can be viewed at this link: https://www.argyllandbuteadp.info/img/MAT8_leaflet_version_5_(3).pdf . Recovery Orientated Systems of Care (ROSC) Argyll and Bute Community Learning and Development colleagues are delivering work to support ROSC communities in Argyll and Bute. This newly developed program aims to provide a dedicated resource to strengthen ROSC communities and ensuring their input to ADP plans and priorities. REPORT AUTHOR AND CONTACT Author Names: Rory Munro, Health Improvement Lead & Laura Stephenson, Alcohol and Drug Partnership Coordinator. Email: nhsh.abhealthimprovement@nhs.scot