On 11th September the High Sheriff of Herefordshire, Helen Bowden welcomed a broad audience of people from across the county who gathered at NMiTE to hear about the value of community in preventing ill-health and contribute to making it more of a reality. A key part of the agenda was a ‘Fireside Chat’ featuring Dr Simon Lennane, author and GP in Ross on Wye and Prof. Richard Humphries, author and former fellow of The Kings Fund, which was guided by Frank Myers Acting CEO of Community First in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
The morning proved to be highly interactive with many questions being asked and comments and examples of good practice fed in from the audience, clearly demonstrating the high level of engagement and enthusiasm.
“Thank you so much for organising a fabulous day last week. I found it incredibly helpful and encouraging.”
Key questions from the day included: Is the NHS the right place to focus on prevention when 80% of what keeps us healthy is outside of health care services? How can we free up funding for prevention work at community level, (which everyone agrees is needed), when the funding in the NHS is increasingly stretched? And how do we ensure that there are enough of the right services available for people in roles such as social prescribers to refer into?
Steve Brewster, CEO and Lorea Sarobe, Director of Physical Activity and Wellbeing, Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire provided an overview of their organisation’s work and a case study from “Healthier Leominster.”
During breaks and following the presentations attendees were able to network and meet local service providers in the marketplace.
The next steps from Community First are now a series of community based roadshows in Village Halls. Watch this space for more information.
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