Today we caught up with Nanette Gaskell who oversees our Home from Hospital scheme to gain an insight into her role and this amazing project of work.

Who are you and what is your role within Community360?

My name is Nanette Gaskell and I am an engagement manager within the My Social Prescription® (MSP) team, overseeing the Home from Hospital scheme of work, which is a service that is available to patients who have been discharged from hospital living in the Colchester area. There are two key elements to the service: The first is making welfare calls, which are made to individuals who are transported home from hospital, using community transport, to see how they are when they are back at home. We will enquire as to whether they need any non-medical community support, such as signposting to community partners for help with things like shopping, transport, obtaining home adaptations, meeting with GP care advisors, accessing clubs and activities, interest groups or Adult Social Care, amongst many other things. In doing so, we can find out how we can help them to avoid becoming socially isolated. The second element to the service is the Home from Hospital befriending services. Working closely with our volunteer centre, we match individuals in the Colchester area who are living alone or who feel they would benefit from social interaction at home. For example, some people who have operations may be struggling to get out and about, thus making them feel socially isolated. We then match them with a volunteer befriender, who will make an initial home visit with an MSP staff member to introduce them. The befrienders then make solo visits for an hour a week for 8-10 weeks. This means we are also able to help them in the comfort of their own home, with simple tasks such as making phone calls or providing peer support.

How has your role worked to positively shape the lives of people in the community?

I think first, it helps to build our services user’s confidence. Some of the people who use our service may face issues getting out the house, especially if they have health conditions or have just had an operation. They may not feel well enough to do so on their own or they may not know where to go to access some of the support we signpost them to. However through the Home from Hospital service we can help facilitate that person engage in community activities for their own mental and physical wellbeing. Our befrienders act as a link which our services users, whose lives would otherwise shrink, can use to begin to immerse themselves back into the community. Otherwise, theyusers may continue to struggle with social isolation affecting their mental and physical wellbeing. The signposting element also has a positive impact on people’s lives. By making wellbeing calls and discussing the needs of hospital discharges, we encourage people to make those difficult decisions about needing help at home through a supportive and respectful conversation – it is an easy way to begin to do this. We can then make onward referrals and act as the connecting link to partner organisations to ensure people get the support they need.

Where do you want to take the project going forward?

One challenge we have faced throughout the course of the project has been recruiting enough volunteers. Our befrienders only have so much capacity to volunteer on this project, meaning that we can only match so many people as a part of the service. Going forward, I would love to recruit more befriender volunteers so we can expand the service across a wider geographical area in Colchester and so it can reach more people to continue to reduce social isolation.

If you are interested in becoming a Home from Hospital Befriender Volunteer, then please email volunteer@community360.org.uk to register your interest. Or why not give us a call to chat about the role on 01206 505250

Or apply through this link https://www.volunteeressex.org/opportunities/home-from-hospital-befriender-9523/