TMA 05
Discuss how local involvement helps to make care services more responsive to local needs and
This essay is about discussing and exploring the key issues and involving local people in running community/neighbourhood based health social care projects and how that benefits them and others that live in the area. I’ll also discuss the challenges that get in the way of making care services more responsive to local needs.
In the late 1990’s government policies have put more effort into developing community resources and addressing social problems. In 1999 Thornhill (a housing estate in the South-East England) was chosen to be one of the 39 places for priority health action, government funded. Thornhill was selected because of the state it was in at the time, 25% worklessness rate, drinking culture and low aspiration. This is where Thornhill Plus You was created; it is a community health project which encourages local residents to get involved. Community health projects takes into account of physical, social and mental well-being of people.
Local involvement helps to make care services more responsive to local needs in so many ways. When Thornhill Plus You set up they specifically asked the locals what kind of things the area needed, people mentioned dentists, midwives and healthy eating groups. Hearing from people that live in the area, TPY was able to choose what specific groups should be run. Having locals volunteer to run certain groups or help out within other areas of the programme brings the community back together, working side by side to make a better and healthier place. It also gives a chance for professionals and locals to work together and conjoin their views and opinions. An example of professionals and locals working together is Thornhill Health and Wellbeing Project which is an agency run by locally recruited workers and volunteers that base their work on what people want in the neighbourhood. People mentioned they needed to be able to get to the centre, and THAWP provides a perfect example and accessible setting in the middle of the town, in a shopping centre. It has wheelchair access and close to bus routes so it considers its users who need to get there. THAWP also visits people in the home and gives advice on saving money, safety, healthy eating etc. Since THAWP has been running locals have noticed a lot of improvement which shows they have listened to the people who live in the town, this is one of the main goals to achieve to help make the community grow closer again.
There are many advantages of local involvement, some already have been explained. When local people are encouraged to participate in community based health and social care projects they are also participating in making their own lives healthier. This is because the local people know what they do and don’t need in their area, all areas are different and subject to different needs and services. Getting people involved gives many opportunities, gain skills and boost their confidence. People who have been on long term benefits can feel low aspiration and may lead to