A Healthy Community

The Friends share the vision developed in discussions with with Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Buckinghamshire County Council Social Care Team, Oxford Mental Health Team  our Primary Care Network, Town and Parish Councillors and Community Groups. We hope Chalfonts and GX Centre for Health and Wellbeing will provide integrated, whole person care in or near people’s homes while supporting our healthy caring community.

Teams operating from the centre could include: Rapid Response Intermediate Care, Urgent Community Response, Frailty Support, Health Visiting, District Nursing, School Health and Start Well plus Mental Health and Social Care teams.

Clinics at the Centre could include: Start Well support for Children and Families, Audiology, and Ear Wax Removal, Podiatry and other services such as: Five Year Health Checks, Falls Risk Assessment, Mental Health Assessment, Social Care Clinics and Citizens Advice services. Patients needing complex diagnostics could book appointments and transport to Amersham Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre. All services and contacts with relevant community groups could be contactable by the Centre’s Reception and Direction Service or the Digital Hub.

A Digital Health and Care Hub could help people use online communications and monitoring devices. Patients could also access specialist eConsultations with medical specialists from BHT hospitals, Wexham Park and other specialist centres using computer links, with the assistance of a Nurse or Allied Health Professional when required. The Hub could also provide a monitoring capability to call out emergency services when required and take an active role on social media, advertising the Health and Wellbeing Centre and promoting healthy living and community support.

The Integrated Multi-Disciplinary Health and Social Care Team would report to the Buckinghamshire Integrated Care Partnership with a local lead professional and a Board representing local stakeholders including the Chalfonts and South Bucks PCNs, local town and village councillors, the Friends and local community groups. Integrated multidisciplinary working, focussed on whole person and whole community care would be facilitated by a shared Common Room providing space for refreshment and meeting.

Facilities for physiotherapy rehabilitation could be extended by opportunities for activities like gardening and an introduction to groups, such as those provided by Simply Walks Bucks and Sport in Mind. This increases self-confidence as well as physical ability for those with frailty..

But we also note the  contribution that community groups can make to health and wellbeing. Thus we see a crucial role for the Centre in providing a place for people to meet and share issues and concerns, making contact with one another as well as care professionals and joining in community activity. A list of local organisations supporting health and wellbeing is provided by the  Buckinghamshire Older Peoples Action Group   (BOPAG) at https://www.bopag.org.uk/index.php or click below for our list.

The Old Surgery could look out over a public square and provide a Talking Cafe for many different conversations for people with physical or mental health and social care issues. Events could be supported by community groups such as: Age Concern GX Plus, Bucks Mind, Citizen’s Advice, SSAFA. and Social Prescriber Link Workers.

The Friends are pleased to support this development and have offered funding to support the refurbishment of the site to meet the requirements of this new role.