After the successful opening of York’s first Talking Point in the Acomb area, residents are being invited to have their say on the next stage of the programme.
City of York Council is planning to open another hub to the north of the city and is asking residents to attend a community event at Oaken Grove Community centre on Tuesday 22nd May between 10am and 12pm.
The second Talking Point is due be situated in Haxby and Wigginton, with the catchment area encompassing Huntington and New Earswick and Rawcliffe and Clifton Without.
York’s first Talking Point opened its doors at Lidgett Grove Methodist Church in late March with a focus on giving residents earlier access to face to face conversations with adult social care staff closer to where they live.
Mr and Mrs S were the among the first visitors to the Talking Point. They contacted adult social care at City of York Council asking about respite and care at home. Mr S has Parkinsons disease and is living with dementia. They were offered a Talking Point appointment at Lidgett Grove. Both Mr and Mrs S attended the appointment. A follow up phone call was made after this to find out how things had been. Feedback from Mrs S was that the “whole system has been great” she is a “more than happy customer”. Mrs S said ‘many people with dementia have a fear of hospitals and official places and can be a lot calmer at a community venue’. She added that ‘Mr S was perfectly happy to go to a community centre and thought that this was a real positive.’
At the Talking Point residents can access information, advice and support from adult social care staff as well as find out more about local activities, support and resources. Feedback so far has been extremely positive from both staff and individuals who have accessed the talking point.
The initiative is part of the council’s future focus programme which looks to change the way that adult social care works in York. The changes will mean that residents who want to access adult social care support get face to face advice quicker than before. This approach has proven to be successful across the country with areas including Derby, Leeds, Doncaster, Shropshire and Somerset resulting in a better experience and better outcomes for residents.
Cllr Carol Runiciman, Executive Member for health and adult social care said: “As the programme moves forward we want to have more Talking Points across the city to allow our residents to have quicker and easier access to adult social care staff. Following the success of the first Talking Point in Acomb and its surrounding areas we have identified Haxby and Wigginton as a potential next location.
“Before we open our latest Talking Point we want to hear from residents about the support that would help them most and how they want it to work. All are welcome to attend our event, anyone unable to attend but would like to know more or comment on our plans can email future.focus@york.gov.uk or phone 01904 555751.”
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