Pioneering community support service at North Mid praised at prestigious HSJ Awards
North Mid’s Community Advice Hub has received well-deserved plaudits after being ‘Highly Commended’ in the Place-based Partnership Award at last night’s HSJ Awards.
This prestigious acknowledgment emphasises the incredible hard work and importance of the advice hub which aims to reduce health inequalities within the local community.
The Community Hub, run by North Mid and local partners, improves access to council and voluntary support groups and services which enables North Mid patients, local residents, as well as staff across the Trust, access to a number of different services which they may be able to benefit from. This includes early help and preventative support on issues such as finance, housing, and employment.
From January 2021 to November 2022, the Hub has seen an increase in the number of patients being referred to the Hub with 568 introductions being made from 21 departments across the Trust.
The programme is partnered with local community organisations including Connected Communities (Haringey Council), Engage Enfield, Enfield Council, Age UK Enfield, Enfield Carer’s Centre and Enfield Connections.
The Hub was created as around 20% of local residents’ health is determined by the clinical care they receive at North Mid. The rest is associated with socio-economic factors, health behaviours, and the environment they live in.
These external factors are what Hub partners assist and help with which allows North Mid – as a Trust – and its partners, to provide all-round outstanding service for the local community.
Helen Saunders, head of partnerships and planning at North Mid, said: “It is fantastic to be recognised at the prestigious HSJ Awards alongside our local community partners who run the Community Advice Hub. Being ‘Highly Commended’ has further concreted the importance of place-based partnership working in order to better support our patients and staff.
“Since the start of last year, the number of patients accessing the Hub has increased which reflects the greater awareness of the importance of the initiative but sadly also the struggles many are experiencing in society at the moment. Being ‘Highly Commended’ for this award is well-deserved recognition for our community partners, and I would also like to thank the staff at North Mid for recognising and acting on the wider needs of patients and families by introducing them to the Hub for support.”
The HSJ Awards is the largest annual benchmarking and recognition programme for the health sector. Over the last 42 years the awards have been celebrating healthcare excellence through huge political, technological and financial challenges within the sector. Through a rigorous, fair and transparent two-step judging process (including a Live presentation) the Awards produce a roll call of the best organisations, teams and people in the NHS and the wider health sector.
The winners and those highly commended were announced across 25 categories during the HSJ Awards ceremony held at Evolution London on November 17.