Locala Health and Wellbeing’s work to support vulnerable people in Kirklees to access wound care treatment and advice in their communities has been shortlisted for a national award.
The programme targets vulnerable groups such as homeless people or those with substance misuse issues. After a successful pilot scheme it is now among the shortlisted projects for a Q Exchange Award, which goes with a funding pot of up to £40,000 of support for the work.
Over the past year members of Locala’s Tissue Viability Team have been visiting The Mission in Huddersfield, taking Locala’s Community Clinic in a Van, as well as providing some sessions at Change Grow Live (substance misuse support). These sessions provide treatment and support to people in a place they feel secure and safe in.
By bringing the care into the heart of the community rather than using a traditional healthcare space such as a clinic, more people have accessed treatment who would not usually have done so.
Tracy Conroy, Locala’s Tissue Viability Lead Nurse, said: “As a social enterprise healthcare provider we are able to look at innovative ways to help more people access our health services to try and reduce health inequalities and ease the pressure on Acute health services.
“By being out and about at places like The Mission and Change Grow Live we can talk to people in a more informal atmosphere about their health needs and then offer them support and treatment there are then. Stopping them from needing to attend another appointment which they might not be able to get to.”
This pilot project involved partnership working with our Community Clinic in a Van, provided by our partners EMS Healthcare; and The Mission and Change Grow Live.
The Q Exchange Award is run by The Q Community, a group collaborating to improve the safety and quality of health and care. It is delivered by the Health Foundation and supported and co-funded by partners across the UK and Ireland – Q Community | The Health Foundation.
Members of the Q Community across the UK and Ireland will have the chance to vote for the projects they think should receive the award and the voting runs from 29th May to 12th June 2024.
More details about the ‘Reducing Inequalities in Wound Care for Our Vulnerable Population’ project are available on the Q Community website.
