POPPs Neighbourhood Scheme

POPPs - What’s it all about?

click here for POPPs overview leaflet

click here for details of current POPPs activities

 

Calderdale Council working in partnership with older people and other statutory and voluntary bodies has been awarded POPPs (Partnerships for Older People’s Projects) funding - a Department of Health grant.  The Neighbourhood Scheme is part of this programme of projects to meet the needs older people in Calderdale which they have identified as important to them. 

 

There are 6 POPPs projects in Calderdale’s Programme including:

 

Neighbourhood Scheme:  Two pilots in Central Halifax and Todmorden designed to increase the involvement of Older People in their local communities.  Provided through Voluntary Action Calderdale.

 

Improving the Health & Well-being of Carers: A project aimed at supporting Carers in their role with Older People.  Work will include a ‘Looking After Me’ course, a carer caseworker and work around identifying needs of Carers to shape future provision.  Provided by Calderdale Carers Project.

 

Locality Integration: A project to increase integrated work between statutory agencies when providing health and social care to Older People.  Statutory Partner agencies led by CMBC and health partners.

 

Home From Hospital: The aim of this Project is to offer flexible, short-term person-centred practical assistance and support (not personal care) to Older People leaving hospital with an aim of reducing readmission to hospital in the longer term.  Provided by Age Concern.

 

Falls Prevention: This service aims to reduce falls and therefore in turn their consequences by providing specialist education, training and support to Older People, whilst raising awareness around this issue.  Provided by Calderdale PCT.

 

Handyperson Service: The service carries out small, routine jobs that Older People may be unable to do themselves.  This is a chargeable service and is restricted to jobs under four hours duration.  Major works will be signposted onto appropriate providers.  Provided by Anchor Staying Put – Calderdale.

 

All projects will be client centred and in some cases heavily client-led in order to shift the balance of power within health and social care service provision back to Older People and their carers.

 

The overall aim of all these projects is to enable Older People to remain in their own homes and local communities, thus reducing the numbers admitted to residential care or hospital on either a short or long term basis.  A local evaluation of the whole Programme and each Project within it will be undertaken by a management consultancy (Cordis Bright) over the two years of grant funding.

 

The Neighbourhood Scheme – What’s it all about?

 

The Scheme will work to two overarching aims:

 

  • To enable older people to take a full and active part in the local community.
  • To pay particular attention to those older people who are vulnerable or isolated.

 

The Neighbourhood Scheme will actually be TWO projects, one based in and covering Todmorden and the other based at VAC’s Resource Centre and covering a part of Central Halifax (the area located around Orange Street, St James Street). 

 

These two areas have been chosen as they are defined as Super Output Areas for Older People.  This means that these areas have a large number of Older People living in them with an associated high level of need in terms of increasing involvement and reducing isolation.

 

 

How will the Schemes be run?

 

Each Scheme will have a dedicated Steering Group to oversee, direct and review the day-to-day work of the staff.  The aim is to have at least 50% local Older People recruited to each Steering Group, alongside the staff and other professionals.

 

The team responsible for the delivery of each Scheme will be as follows:

 

One full-time Co-ordinator – responsible for the day-to-day running of the scheme including line management of the Support Worker, identifying resources (eg services, venues) for the scheme and monitoring and evaluation.

One Support Worker (30 hours per week) – responsible for engaging service deliverers, Older People and volunteers in the delivery of specific activities for each scheme.

 

We hope that the activities delivered will include the following: advice and information, social, recreational and learning opportunities, healthy living activities, practical help and support provided by volunteers and that through the development of the schemes other needs that arise are addressed through the development of specific activities (e.g. advocacy service).

 

The Scheme staff are not expected to undertake direct front-line delivery of services with Older People but to act as facilitators in this.

 

It is hoped that during the initial pilot schemes further funding is identified and secured to continue the Schemes after March 2009, with the potential of each project becoming independent of VAC.