North Yorkshire's Living Well scheme turns six years-old
It's supported around 14,000 residents in need since its launch in 2015
A scheme that helps people in need across North Yorkshire is turning six years old.
The County Council's Living Well was launched in 2015, soon after local authorities took on extended responsibilities for public health, and used an untried system of using locally based co-ordinators – recruited from a diverse range of backgrounds – to work with those needing assistance and help to steer them towards the organisations and services which could help.
Its aim is to improve people's health and wellbeing as well as tackling loneliness and social isolation.
Cath Simms, North Yorkshire’s Head of Prevention Services, said:
“Living Well was set up to work with people early – to help improve their health, well-being and independence and help them to be as resilient as possible. The aim was to work with them as individuals and focus on what was important to them.
“One of the major problems Living Well was intended to tackle was loneliness and social isolation, so we help connect people to activities and groups in their communities, from small ‘knit and natter’ groups to larger and more formal social organisations. It has been found that long-term loneliness is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
“We know that people have become at risk of greater isolation due to the pandemic and we will continue helping even more people to connect with their families and social groups, using digital technology.”
North Yorkshire County Councillor Andrew Lee, Executive Member for Public Health, said:
“Living Well was a new way of helping people when it was introduced in 2015 and it has fulfilled all the expectations the council had of it.
“From the beginning, the service has grown in size and evolved in some areas, with its value being proved countless times over the years.
“A crucial part of that success is the team of co-ordinators, who bring a wide range of skills and experience to their role, as well as the personal commitment which has helped make Living Well provide such an effective service.”
Living Well helps Scarborough student who struggled with isolation
Scarborough student Hannah Mitchell is making the most of her education as she enters the final year of a fine arts degree course at York University and credits the Living Well service with helping her through some difficult times in recent years.
Hannah, 25, has called on Living Well several times as she has come to terms with mental health issues and her most recent contact was during the pandemic, though as a result of contact with co-ordinator Chrissy Douglas she has found support elsewhere in the community.
That has allowed her to move away from the support Living Well offered, establishing a new network of friends and contacts to help her live an independent and fulfilling life – exactly what the service was intended to achieve.
Chrissy was able to help Hannah link into the Scarborough Mates group, which was set up by craftsmen with skills including metal and woodworking.
Although the group involved mainly retired men, Hannah found herself among people with a shared outlook and her involvement has meant the group’s focus has also shifted towards involving younger people.
That support has allowed Hannah to develop and she is now looking forwards to getting back to face-to-face education, as well as her endeavours with the Scarborough craft group.
She was referred to Living Well by MIND, the mental health charity, and despite the difficulties caused by pandemic restrictions, she was able to have socially distanced meetings outdoors, providing the support and guidance she needed. Chrissy was also able to maintain contact by telephone, offering the support and encouragement which helped Hannah take the positive steps she needed.
“Living Well have always been good at setting a goal and we have always reached it,” she said.
“When I needed support Chrissy knew where the gap was, needing to be integrated into the community.
“At first we just talked about what I was doing at university and how I felt isolated because I was living in Scarborough and commuting to York.”
The connection worked so well because Hannah felt she ‘clicked’ immediately with Chrissy, providing the confidence to move forwards. That experience has even influenced her project work at university, where she is currently exploring photography and graffiti art.