Spotlight: The Hangleton and Knoll Project community health drop-in

Is there a particular reason these drop-ins focus on MSK (muscle, bone, and joint) health?

"The Community Health Drop-in is part of a project called Rethinking Our Health which is a partnership with Portslade Health Centre and Here, a social enterprise which delivers Sussex MSK Health along with other local providers. Together, we wanted to look at multiple long-term conditions, and national data shows that Osteo-Arthritis, Cardio-Vascular Disease and Diabetes commonly cluster together. 
 

"Rethinking Our Health is a codesign-and-test project, so we started by talking to the community about barriers to living healthy or healthier lives with multiple long term conditions. People most commonly mentioned Pain and access to the right information and advice as barriers. We held a codesign event at HKP to bring together ideas about how we could work together to respond to what the community said, and we decided to start with Pain, as a 'way in' to supporting people with broader health. 

"The Community Health Drop-in is one element of the Rethinking Our Health project and is aimed at 'early pain' - a new issue or a flare up that has been experienced in the last 12 weeks. 

"We also heard from the community that people living with persistent or chronic pain were also looking for more support, so as the second part of the project, Here are working with HKP and residents to develop a learning offer and peer support around Living Well with Pain, drawing on their experience doing similar in East Brighton, and from elsewhere. 

"The third element of the project is to support the community-facing workforce - both paid staff and volunteers - who may be in contact with people with pain as a part of their work. This short training will provide an introduction to a modern understanding of pain, and practice strength-based techniques such as motivational interviewing. This is being developed by experts at Here, and will be tested out with interested workforce in West Hove. "

What kind of feedback have you received about the need for these kinds of events?

“We regularly hold meetings and community events that encourage open, honest conversations about the issues people face. One of the most consistent themes raised is the difficulty many experience when trying to access healthcare. This is why we are committed to offering events like this drop in session, which bring support directly into the community and help reduce barriers to care.

"Feedback so far has been very positive. Attendees particularly value the holistic nature of the support and the opportunity to speak to someone face to face. Community engagement is central to our approach, and listening to people’s views is essential in shaping the services we provide. 

"The insights we gather from these events help ensure that what we offer remains relevant, accessible, and genuinely responsive to local needs."

Do you feel there is a difference for people accessing healthcare in a community setting, rather than visiting their GP or similar?

"In the engagement phase of the project people told us that they wanted trusted advice, earlier, and more accessible. The Community Health Drop-in is testing out a new way of offering that. 

"There are obvious differences in that it's a non-medical environment and for some people, a community setting feels more comfortable and familiar. We have a range of experts available to help, and there's a chance to have a cup of tea and to chat and connect with others - so it serves a social connection purpose as well. 

"Another difference is that these are not clinical appointments - it is an opportunity to have a conversation about what people need and what they can do themselves to get better sooner, and to speak to Social Prescribing and mental health services such as UOK, about the non-medical things that may be barriers to better health. 

"For others, the drop-in element makes it more accessible, for example, we've had people attend on an afternoon when they have a sudden chance to come around work."

What do you hope people will gain by attending a community health drop-in?

“A few things!

"We hope they will feel more confident in self-management - it's sometimes hard to know what the right advice is, but simple things like 'it's usually best to keep moving' rather than the old fashioned advice of bed rest can make a real difference to people. It's small numbers, but so far 67% people coming to the drop-in have gone away with a plan to self-manage. 

"We hope that people will access support for the wider factors affecting health - even validation that these are very real, and awareness that there are lots of fantastic services out there to support them. A good example is Carers - so far 40% of people coming through the drop-in have told us they are Carers. 

"We hope also that it will be an opportunity to think about wider health - we want to use the opportunity to make every contact count, for example by offering Blood Pressure self-check. 

"And maybe most importantly, we hope that people will have a positive, connecting experience and know that there are people and activities out there for them.”

Is there anything else people should know about this event, or HKP going forward?

“This is a pilot that is running January until end of June, every Wednesday from 1-4pm, at St Richards Community Centre, Egmont Road, Hove, BN3 7FP. There is a second test site in West Sussex, in Wick, Littlehampton. 

"HERE are working in partnership with The King's Fund to evaluate the impact of the project. We are adding in new elements to the Community Health Drop-in in February:

• Self-check blood pressure machines and what to do next if your reading is high;
• Working with Community Pharmacy to have trainee Pharmacists as part of the drop-in team to talk to people about medication, Pharmacy First;
• There are also often nurturing things such as A Touch of Gentleness hand massage available;
• Inviting other organisations to promote their services - e.g. Macmillan Horizon Centre will be attending on the 4th February."

Jo's experience

Our Project Support Officer, Jo attended a community drop-in session to talk to a clinician and meet the team. She shared the following experience.

"I took the train from Brighton and got off at Portslade, and from there the walk to St Richard’s Community Centre was only a few minutes. I was greeted inside by a lovely volunteer who gave me some printed information about the session and local services, plus a quick form to fill out about why I was coming in that day. 

"I sat down with a cuppa in hand to chat with Karen - a healthcare professional who was taking her ‘medical hat' off to listen to my experiences. She was very kind and let me talk about not just my physical problem, but also how it was making me feel emotionally, and how it affected other areas of my life. 

"I think having the space to talk freely was really helpful as Karen could then suggest certain ideas I hadn’t thought of and make connections between one pain and another. She took care to let me speak openly and without a time limit which can be trickier in more traditional healthcare settings, for example, at an appointment with a GP where time can be more scheduled.

"Karen also showed me the NHS app, getUBetter, which I hadn’t previously used. It’s an evidence-based, digital self-management support platform for all common musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries and conditions, as well as women’s pelvic health. It recommends stretches and exercises and I’ve now been doing a series regularly at home, even while I brush my teeth!

"After speaking with Karen, I handed in my feedback form to a member of the HKP team and then was invited to enjoy a hand massage with volunteers from A Touch of Gentleness. I found it very calming and a nice way to sit quietly in a group setting. Finally, I was given the option to chat with a Social Prescriber – Amelia - from Together Co who offer support with social, practical and emotional issues. I didn’t have anything specific to talk about that day, but I was still glad to speak with Amelia and learn a little bit more about what was available locally.  

"Everything was free, welcoming, and easy. I valued the fact that I could just turn up rather than needing to book an appointment, and was told I could return whenever I felt the need. Thanks to the team for their brilliant support."