Tendring Community Assets Full Final Report

36 9.9 Websites do not always show detailed information such as cost or joining details and some are out of date and/or difficult to navigate. Often there is no venue address, it seems to be assumed that the reader will have local knowledge and know where the building is. Telephone numbers and email details are sometimes out of date or no longer available. 9.10 Most services provided in community settings can be considered universal in so much as there are no restrictions on who can attend, unless they are externally run, formal groups which require membership, but this is not always clear to potential new users. Costs are rarely set out. 9.11 Stakeholders shared an interest in having known, easily identifiable information points, located where people go as a matter of routine, staffed by volunteers who are trained on what is available within that specific area and elsewhere in the district. When not staffed, it could hold a range of literature, so that people can pick them up and follow up where interested. It could also provide information of how to find a ‘buddy’ if self confidence in approaching services is low or the enquirer is new to the area. 9.12 Social prescribing 9.12.1 Social prescribing is about aligning the services that are available to a person in different sectors and identifying the need for new services. 34 The aims of social prescribing are:  To link people to sources of opportunities and support in their community  To enable people and health and social care and voluntary sector providers to collaborate to find the right social prescription  To decrease prescribing medication and follow-up consultations  To empower people and encourage a sense of purpose 9.12.1 CVS Tendring has been enabling and supporting people to help them reach their potential for many years, mainly via their Community Information Centre in Rosemary Road Clacton and more recently at the Dovercourt and Harwich Hub. In addition, through funding support from North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (NEECCG), a CVST Community Development Officer has been successfully engaging with patients in 9 surgeries based in Clacton on Sea and at Caradoc surgery in Frinton on Sea and as a result, a huge difference has been made on many patients lives. The aim of Managing My Health is to gently engage with patients and surgery staff and connect people with the many opportunities, activities and help available. 9.12.3 In April 2019, a new joint collaboration between ECC, NEECCG, Provide, RCCE Community Agents and CVS Tendring began, with the aim of rolling out Social Prescribing to the wider community and to provide wellbeing support for non-medical matters such as; loneliness, anxiety, mental health issues, unemployment, housing, long term health conditions and debt. The service connects patients, residents and service providers with appropriate support and guidance help them make positive changes to their personal health and wellbeing; identify and link them into appropriate support in the community; assist them in developing personal goals focused on what matters. Outcomes for individuals include: • Healthy living and wellbeing • Taking up volunteering • Lifestyle advice and weight management 34 Making Sense of Social Prescribing, University of Westminster, 2017