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Northwards Housing Impact Report

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Table of Contents Introduction ...... 3

Open Minds but Silent Sounds ...... 4

Manchester Cares…………………………...……………………………………………. 5

Greater Academy Trust ...... 7

North Manchester Community Partnership ...... 8

Tangled Dance Company ...... 9

Teenage Kicks ...... 11

Dimobi Children Disability Trust ...... 13

Victoria Square Cook & Taste Session ...... 14

North Manchester Fitness ...... 15

Collyhurst & Moston Boxing Club ...... 16

Community Engagement Events ...... 17

NHS CCG report on Partnership working with Northwards Housing ...... 20

Hate Crime Awareness Event ...... 23

LGBT Forum Fit 4 Life Event ...... 24

Radequal Network Event ...... 25

Retirement Housing Events to tackle Isolation & Loneliness ...... 27

Conclusion ...... 30

Impact Report: April 2018 Compiled & produced by Northwards Housing Resident Involvement Team: Louise Roberts & Ian Gillett

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Introduction

NHS Manchester Clinical Commissioning group provided funding for Northwards Housing to work together to encourage and support residents in north Manchester to lead a healthier life by considering the following aims:- • To improve the mental health and well-being of people living with mental health problems

• To reduce social isolation amongst communities living in north Manchester

• To engage with communities across north Manchester and listen to their experiences of using health and care services

The funding was available for use in 2017/2018 and to be utilised by community groups and organisations in the following localities: • and Cheetham Hill • Higher , and Charlestown • , , Moston and City- Centre • , Clayton and Bradford

The funding was divided proportionately in agreement with North Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group to meet the specific aims listed above.

£1,000.00 BME Hate Crime Awareness Event

£5,000.00 £1,000.00 LGBT Fit 4 Life Event Retirement Services Projects

NHS £20,000.00 Funding

£,6000.00 £2,000.00 Networking Community Event Engagement & Cohesion Events

£5,000.00 Local Community Group Projects

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The following report contains a short narrative for each area of spending; outlining how each activity/event met the aims and objectives of the funding including testaments and feedback from residents. Open Minds but Silent Sounds

Open minds but Silent Sounds is a creative writing project for young people from Moston and Harpurhey aged 12-16 who are experiencing mental health difficulties.

The project aims to offer young people a tool for expression and to raise awareness of mental health. The young people collaborate with professional poets and mental health professionals as well as meditation specialist to develop a flexible process that responds to their needs. Through the practice of meditation before and after the sessions, the project will help members manage their emotions and improve mindfulness.

They piloted the project which was initially developed and supported by The Agency & ContactMCR. The pilot project consisted of an 8 week workshop process meeting once a week which culminated in an intimate sharing of the work created in the sessions. Over the course of the process they engaged 20 young people who had all experienced different forms of mental health and created some insightful pieces of poetry. They then developed this further with the goal of creating an anthology to be released in the future, with the hope that this anthology will work as a resource for people suffering similar issues.

They were honoured to be joined by the Lord Mayor of Manchester for their final sharing, who handed out certificates of achievement to all participants, as well as sharing some of his own experiences with mental health.

Following this pilot process Open Minds but Silent Sounds were commissioned by HOMEMCR as part of their Project X programme to deliver a bespoke workshop for an invited group from 42nd Street, a charity in Manchester that supports young people with Mental Health issues.

Due to the success of the project they are now fundraising to continue their work and run the workshops on a regular basis. They have formulated strong partnerships with; CAMHS.42nd ST, OddArts, Rathbone and educational institutions in the local community. They will utilise these partnerships during the recruitment process of the project to ensure they are engaging young people who are most in need of a service such as this.

They aim to provide a creative outlet for young people to express their emotions and improve their mental state in the long run. Through research they have discovered that services for young sufferers are limited in North Manchester and generally reserved for young people at high risk. They want to provide a service for everyone, no matter the level of their issue and are hoping young people as well as their families and carers will benefit from this in the long run.

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Manchester Cares

Manchester Cares is a brand new community network of young professionals and older neighbours hanging out and helping one another in our rapidly changing city. Manchester is a wonderful place, with innovation and influence, history and heart at its core. There's always so much going on, from new music to new businesses to new people arriving all the time.

The city is growing and changing at double speed and that leaves some people feeling anonymous, isolated and left behind. For our older neighbours in particular, many of whom have spent a lifetime in their home neighbourhoods, the rush and pace of the city can often now feel too much. Getting around can be difficult, and trends including globalisation, gentrification, migration and digitisation are transforming communities faster than ever before.

The multiplying effect of those pressures is that many older people have deep roots but few connections. Meanwhile, young professionals often graduate from across the country and around the world can have hundreds of connections in the social media age, but often no roots in their communities.

The separation of those parallel worlds wastes human potential, entrenches loneliness and isolation, perpetuates social division and is ultimately corrosive for our society. Manchester Cares seeks to address this modern blight of disconnection by harnessing the people and places around us for the benefit of all.

Their objectives are to:

Reduce isolation and loneliness amongst older people and young professionals.

Improve the connection, confidence, skills, resilience and power of all participants so neighbours can feel part of our changing city rather than left behind by it.

Bring people together to reduce the gaps across social, generational, digital, cultural and attitudinal divides.

Thanks to funding Manchester Cares Social Clubs have gone from strength to strength, both in Duncan Edwards Court and Victoria Square where the monthly film nights and Desert Island Discs night have brought younger and older Mancunians together. The donation of £500 has helped to fund 7 social clubs at Northwards sites in the last 3 months, with an average of 14 neighbours attending each club. This means younger and older neighbours have been able to share friendship and laughter, get to know each other and reconnect with their local area.

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The monthly pub quiz at The Koffee Pot in Ancoats is one of the most popular events on the calendar. Carol (77) from Victoria Square says “I've had a fabulous time, I'm so glad I came! I used to go to the old Koffee Pot years ago for a breakfast, then go next door to buy a record for seven and six!”

The donation has also helped to grow the Love Your Neighbour programme and now Northwards resident Jim (89), is part of the first one-to-one friendship. Manchester Cares met Jim back in December, when he had recently lost his wife and in the aftermath realised that he no longer knew many people in his building, which meant he often felt he didn’t have anyone to talk to day to day. They invited Jim to their inaugural Desert Island Discs night and by the end of the night he had everyone singing along. Since then, Jim’s been on a business visit to The Sharp Project where he braved the bus for the first time in six years so that he could hang out with his new friends. He shared some ‘Light Painting’ photographs that he took 60 years ago and told us “Lots of the friends I had are gone now, I’ve enjoyed braving new things with (Manchester Cares). I didn’t expect everyone to be so interested in my work and career.” Jim will be hanging out with younger neighbour Becky (23), who he met at a social club. Becky is excited to spend more time with Jim and says “My life is so much richer for meeting people of different ages, ethnicities and backgrounds to my own.” Thanks to funding, friendships like Jim and Becky will continue to flourish across the city, and neighbours like Carol will enjoy visiting old haunts with new friends.

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Greater Manchester Academy Trust Adult Education programme

Greater Manchester Academy Trust’s adult education and enrichment programme welcomes parent and adults into their school, to access a variety of adult learning courses. This includes accredited and non-unaccredited courses in subjects such as literacy, numeracy, child care and cookery. They do this with an aim to engage those who may be isolated, wanting to progress further or look for employment to improve their quality of life. The aim is to help adults to improve their skills, socialise with others within the local community and to create progression routes.

With this funding, they were able to enrich the ‘Feel Good Friday’ (FGF) offer, which mostly attracts older members of the community. They have a social session and a community choir as part of FGF offer, and can now offer Arm Chair exercises and craft session, which was requested on a number of occasions. Prior to this funding being made available, they weren’t able to offer this. These sessions are held at the community facilities at Manchester Communication Academy in Harpurhey.

Giving adults in the community these opportunities will empower them to make a difference to their lives and the lives of their children. Having access to learning courses will help to build social and communication skills, help to improve confidence, increase the number of parents achieving qualifications and improve progression to any other learning or employment. Ensuring that there are opportunities to socialise and network in a safe environment is a vital part of their offer and this funding has contributed to this. Some of the enrichment courses/activities are aimed at reducing social isolation and fostering a stronger sense of community for older or more vulnerable members.

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North Manchester Community Partnership Digital Skills Project

Formerly known as North Manchester Work clubs which transitioned into North Manchester Community Partnerships a registered Charity No: 1173945 and also at the same time we achieved Accreditation status with Open Awards No:61539 with effect July 2017

They seek to improve the capacity and skills of socially and disadvantaged communities by providing Information and advice & guidance to North Manchester residents seeking employment, training or voluntary work experience.

They deliver 10 outreach sessions offering work club activities, Benefits advice service and Digital Skills Training. Accredited Online and classroom training, support for jobseekers, volunteering opportunities and access to community led activities i.e. Crafts, befriending, gardening, music groups, ancestry and self-help to name just a few.

The values that guide the work are to provide services that meet immediate needs where possible, from this they can offer help and support needed to fill the skills deficits, confidence building, raising self-esteem and social engagement. Over the last year they have worked with over 700 people, provided Entry Level 3 digital skills to 200 learners, helped over 50 people into work, of which 6 set up micro business, placed 30 people into volunteering, delivered 30 Money Management skills, 100 Level Food Hygiene courses, ESOL classes to 40 women, Gardening skills to 10 adults with difficulties also Benefits and Housing Advice to 300 + people.

They work with Job Centre Plus (Cheetham in house Digital skills support every Tuesday), YES Project, Citizen Advice Manchester, Northwards Housing, Motiv8, Wai Yin Society, People Plus, Age Friendly Network, Get Ready For Work, Lab Project, Shaw Trust and Mustard Tree.

The funding provided was for a Digital Project to help people living in north Manchester to improve their functional skills (IT, Maths, English). From November 2017, this area became a Universal Credit Full Service area. Due to Universal Credit people now have to claim benefits online as well as completing regular updates online about job searches and any work undertaken. Functional skills helps with numeracy, IT and English skills and by doing this we hope that these people will improve their chances of gaining employment thus having a positive knock on effect on their immediate families and community.

15 Residents in total benefited from the funding provided, 4 of these completed English Courses and 11 completed ICT Entry level 3 City & Guilds in Digital Literacy.

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Tangled Dance Company

Tangled Dance Company is a Manchester based not-for- profit organisation committed to making contemporary dance accessible to the public. They aim to create work that engages with diverse audiences allowing people of all ages and backgrounds to indulge in contemporary art. They are passionate about working site specifically, particularly drawn to performing in outdoor natural surroundings and pride themselves on their ability to adapt to challenging and ever changing locations.

The project was to create a new site specific Christmas production to be presented in Heaton Hall () during December 2017 entitled ‘Frosted by Magic’.

They involved students from two north Manchester colleges and three community groups in the project; Blackley Band, Crumpsall Concert Band and SHE Choir Manchester. The project provided support to these groups to enable them to participate in the production.

The project benefited all participants from the groups involved. There were approximately 30-40 members in each band and the choir. There are also 20 dance and Musical Theatre students from the Manchester area; as a collective this is approximately 140 participants who participated in the project. The experience working on the project included working with dancers and live musicians, gaining important on site work experience (helping students progress as they go on to further training) and being able to perform in a grade 1 listed building, encouraging interest from those of all ages in our local historic buildings.

This project also brings these groups together, encouraging a strong sense of community through the project and connecting those from different areas and of different ages. The age range for participants on this project is 16-91; it is important to encourage this interaction, appreciation and support for each other’s skills as well as instilling a stronger sense of community and pride in where they live. The project encouraged social interaction; for some of the older members of the groups particularly who at this time of year might not leave the house as much and maybe feeling isolated.

The production itself was for the Manchester people and was heavily promoted in the Northwards areas; Blackley, Crumpsall, , Cheetham Hill, Central Manchester 10 | Page etc. The ticket prices were kept as low as possible to ensure the event was accessible for everyone and didn’t exclude families who may struggle financially; Adult ticket = £8 & Child ticket = £6.

Not all Manchester families can afford to attend art and performance events at the theatre but this production was brought to the people at a reasonable price close to home.

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Teenage Kicks

Northwards team up with the MCA and local youths to tackle ASB in Collyhurst. After its refurbishment in 2016, Collyhurst Village Park became a stomping ground for bored youths with nothing to do. The equipment was vandalised and small children couldn’t play there safely. By engaging with the youths directly, we were able to find out what the main issues were. It turned out, they were bored. With nothing for young people to do in the area, hanging around the local park was the only option for them.

Northwards Housing teamed up with the Manchester Communication Academy to launch Teenage Kicks – a project designed to teach youths new skills and get them off the streets. With match funding from , North Manchester Sports Activities Forum and the Big Local we brought in Skills Set – who provide qualified sporting coaches to work with young people. Pretty soon the group were playing football, learning to cook, boxing and mountain biking using the fantastic facilities at the Manchester Communication Academy. Teenage Kicks continues to thrive - the park is now a safe place for kids to play and there has been significant reductions in anti-social behaviour as the youths focus their energy on learning new skills and keeping fit.

The outcomes from the project have been significant, with higher than 95% attendance from all young people and no reported incidents of ASB during the project time period.

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Other outputs from the project include:

• Educating the young people on their local environment and the impact their behaviour has on others. • Encouraging them to work together as a team. • It was identified that the young people needed a meal; teatime is something they all look forward to. • Building relationships with parents. • Positive feedback from local businesses, even receiving 50% off at local take- away.

Long Term Project Outcomes;

• Sustained participation in positive activities from the young people at risk of criminal activity. • To reduce the incidents of ASB (reported to Northwards and/or Police). • Young people take ownership over Collyhurst park and are engaged with the Friends of the Park group • To identify young people who can mentor others and provide them with the opportunity to achieve an accredited qualification. • Have identified pathways for all young people to join sustainable clubs/activities.

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Dimobi Children Disability Trust

The Dimobi Trust was founded in 2016 upon the realisation of a general lack of awareness surrounding the needs of children with learning disabilities and/or autism, specifically within different backgrounds and beliefs in the .

At Dimobi they aim to fill the skill gaps that exist among agencies and staff working with all children and their parents, through the provision of a range of specialised services for statutory and non-statutory agencies in the region. They seek to tackle the prevailing issue of denial within some of their communities, and the reluctance of some parents to seek intervention for their children.

Funding was provided, to purchase an Overhead Light Projector to a group of women in the Newton Heath area of Manchester, called Dimobi Parents Meeting for Change. They meet every second Tuesday of the month, in order to discuss matters regarding the problems that the parents and families are facing in the community and to assist in overcoming issues in respect to the needs of their children with special needs any other challenges, Such as:

• Educating parents, teachers and local authority worker by raising awareness to the needs of both the parents and families.

• Support families who are in denials and for them to be able to come out and accept helps available in the community through Dimobi Children Disability Trust.

• Supporting families through giving information and benefit advice.

• Listening to their views and concern about what they are facing in the community and giving them moral support.

The outcome of the funding is that the group are now able to delivering training/information sessions to multiple agencies such as schools and local authorities.

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Victoria Square Cook & Taste Club

The cook & tastes sessions aims to address the issues of social isolation and poor nutrition among older people by providing regular group meals. It provides nourishing meals in a social environment for older people who might otherwise be unable to purchase food and prepare meals by themselves.

The sessions help to increase opportunities for older people to reduce social isolation by developing friendships through regular contact with their peers in a social environment. It also encourages older people to eat regular and varied nutritional meals. It also helps to develop their skills, self- confidence and the sense of a community.

The scheme managers at Victoria Square, who run the sessions, said “the funding has made a huge positive impact on Victoria Square retirement scheme; this has enabled some of our more vulnerable elderly people to get out, meet new friends, reducing isolation and loneliness, learn new skills and how to eat good healthy food on a low budget, therefore maximising their income”.

The Funding has helped them to purchase more kitchen ware which has enabled them to show residents different and safer ways of cooking so as to reduce the risks of accidents in the home i.e. fire/scalding.

The residents tell us that they thoroughly enjoy the sessions and have made some lasting friendships, as well as learning new skills and trying new foods.

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North Manchester Fitness

The session which is part physical activity and part discussions around healthy living has proved to be a great success. We commissioned a qualified instructor to lead the sessions and to support on driving the participation numbers. We average 20-25 participants weekly, with some being in their 80's! I have had nothing but positive feedback from all involved, so much so we have been able put on extra sessions at some of our Retirement Schemes.

To see so many people enjoying themselves and socialising with like-minded people due to our collaborative work was touching, so much so it's spurred us on to want to continue and grow this session which is why we have set up the extra sessions. By word of mouth we have had new people attending the sessions, who have recently had surgery e.g. hip replacements and similar to aid them in getting back to full mobility.

Putting all of the above outcomes together it most certainly evidences value for money. I feel it should definitely be explored to provide the NHS health professionals a way to sign post their patients too; with our help and contacts I believe this is achievable.

Quote from one of the service users; “I would like to reiterate the importance of this fitness class, Lorraine Platt the Coach provides a class for older ladies and gents which creates support help and motivation to keep them supple which is paramount in the later years. It is also a source of meeting new people and getting out in the community. This group is well attended and much appreciated by all!”

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Collyhurst & Moston Boxing Club

Northwards Housing and the above boxing club have worked in close partnership for many years now, tackling ASB on our estates. Our officers direct young people to the club as a means of getting them off the streets, giving them a sense of belonging while challenging their behaviour. Boxing and the associated training teaches discipline & also improves mental & physical health.

Using the NHS funding £500 and match funded by Northwards Housing £500, we have jointly contributed along with three other working partner agencies towards a specialist piece of equipment that will enable the ‘Club’ to ‘outreach’ into the community in order to work with even more young people at risk of offending.

So, by spending money wisely and improving the clubs facilities, it will also help us tackle Anti -Social Behaviour at source and make a difference by improving the lives of not only the young perpetrators but the larger community too, who all suffer the effects of this style of behaviour.

New MOBILE GYM: Our mobile boxing gym will help massively to promote fitness in the local community, the funds we have received from Northwards Housing has helped us to buy the equipment as well as help fund some of our young boxers to take the level 1 ABA course which will the enable them to seek paid work in the local schools etc. We will be attending various outdoor/indoor community projects in the coming months as our way of thanking Northwards in having faith in this project and we intend on getting more people young and old participating in sport and hopefully spotting some potential boxers along the way.

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Community Engagement Events The events funding, including Northwards Housing own events budget was split across all of the wards which Northwards Housing cover. Residents and Community Groups were able to bid for funds to carry out events which bring their community together. 63 successful bids were received from all areas ranging from; neighbour’s day BBQ’s, clean up’s, garden parties, sports day, summer fetes culminating in the personal engagement of over 5,000 residents across north Manchester.

Community Engagement Events

9 Newton Heath & Miles Platting 13 Harpurhey 3 Ancoats & Clayton 4 Crumpsall 7 Cheetham 9 12 Charlestown 6 Moston

We also invited local partners to these events such as; Police, Fire Service, YES Employment Services, Cat Protection, Dogs Trust, Local Sports clubs such as FC United, Local Community Groups, Youth Provision Providers, North Manchester Activity Forum, local Elected Members of the Council, local Theatre & Dance Groups, and of course NHS representatives including the Clinical Commissioning Group.

We always ensured that we involved the community in the planning and organising of these events. Residents who are invested in shaping their community have a high level of satisfaction with where they live. Involvement can empower residents, create a sense of belonging, foster an atmosphere of excitement and improve residents' confidence in local service providers.

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Face-to-face involvement is an excellent way to engage with communities and gather valuable information. Service providers will be in a position to better understand the complex issues in the communities they serve, and residents will be in a position to better understand the processes of these services, including the demands on funding and staff.

Another benefit of Community Engagement events is stronger relationships within a community. A proportion of the relationship-building occurs in the planning phase. This is where the bonds among public and private organisations, government, and neighbourhood groups are forged and where connections among staff, volunteers and interested residents are made. These relationships last well beyond the event and people bring their connections and collective knowledge and skills to improve the community.

In addition to these benefits, residents attending the events can also build relationships with each other and strengthen the community. There’s power in attending an event and meeting like-minded individuals in person which also encourages more active engagement and tackles loneness and isolation.

Focuses on social justice: It is through community engagement that community wisdom and science work in tandem to ensure a more balanced set of political, social, economic and cultural priorities, resulting in shared resources and shared power, thus leading to equity and social justice.

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Helps shape services: Including a broad array of community residents from the beginning of a planning process will help shape services so they are culturally acceptable and more closely meet specific needs.

Helps build trust: working with community groups and residents demonstrates that their participation is valued and that their views will be considered. This can help to build trust, increase communication and create openness to utilising services.

Helps with outreach: More residents will feel involved with community activities and decisions and will be able to explain or interpret them positively to others. Spreading the word through this informal approach will improve outreach.

Connects people and resources: Community engagement improves connections between individuals, community associations, businesses, local agencies and service providers, which in turn creates a greater community.

Develops new leaders: Inviting residents and community groups to be involved in the planning process of events can help in the identification of champions and development of leaders who understand local issues and needs.

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Partnership working with Northwards Housing Understanding the health and wellbeing needs of local people Manchester Health and Care Commissioning (MHCC) engagement team attended two local community engagement events which were held in public parks during February 2018.

The events included fitness activities that children were encouraged to participate in. Both events were well supported by members of the local community, particularly families with children.

It was a good opportunity for MHCC to promote and raise awareness about the seven day access to GP services, the minor ailment scheme, along with promoting Public Health 100 calorie snack change campaign.

In addition to promoting these campaigns we also used the opportunity to obtain feedback about what is working well and what could be improved in local NHS services, along with understanding what local people need in their local communities to support them to live a healthier life.

We spoke to approximately 30 people who provided the following feedback: What could support you to live a healthier life? • Easier access to integrated care for children with complex health needs e.g. children to have just one day where they see everyone involved in your care at one location • More organised activities in local parks to support physical activities for families • People would like more information about facilities available locally to support them to live a healthy life • Access to exercise classes for older people over 50 • Transport issues to and from local activities are a problem, resulting in many older people not being able to attend local activities that are available What could be improved in local NHS services? • Ensure good transport links to hospital and community services

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• Timings of patient appointments need to be made with the carer and also reflect the patient’s needs • On-line prescription and appointment booking would make it easier for patients to access GP services • Easier access to GP services out of hours • Having a health care service app on my mobile phone, or a leaflet with a list of services and contact numbers • Access to blood testing outside of working hours • An open day seminar which would help with the transition of care from children's services to adult services so it can be completed smoothly • A tiered type of service would be beneficial where there is a service to access easily for minor complaints out of hours or more walk in centre facilities for minor ailments • Patients waiting for scheduled appointments at Ear, Nose and Throat department at North Manchester General Hospital report long delays to see a consultant with no information provided as to why there is a delay in the clinic running to time • Dentistry services in Manchester – poor patient experience reported with difficulties for patients to understand what is covered by the NHS and what’s costly private treatment? Also long waiting times to access Children’s Orthodontist services – a two year wait with reported by one parent • Patient who had hip replacement surgery expressed concerns that she lives in North Manchester but her GP is in Middleton she was unable to have home visits from the home district nurses • Access to diabetic services at North Manchester General Hospital are chaotic with 6 monthly reviews not taking place, patient has to ring up at month 8 to find out why no appointment has been provided and then given an appointment within the week • Concerns about access to NHS bereavement counselling and having to use a charity to have counselling • Concerns about access to mental health services and patients stating the difficulties in knowing what is available locally • Patient raised concerns that regardless of where you live you should be able to access the same services as people in neighbouring areas What’s working well within the NHS? • Access to walk-in-centres/clinics early in the morning (before work) is a great facility • Podiatry service at Harpurhey – very good service with polite and helpful staff • A patient who lives with COPD and arthritis stated “without the help from the NHS I would be so out of touch with up to date medications that can 22 | Page

make my life more bearable”

• Actions and Recommendations • There is a need for one port of call to access information of what is available locally to help support people live a healthier life. This could either be an on-line portal, a one-stop shop, or another communication method that would suit the needs of local people. • Transport remains an area of concern for local people – particularly when trying to access hospital appointments • Share this report with NHS patient experience leads to consider what changes can be made to improve the patients experience on the concerns raised • Share the feedback of this report with the appropriate Commissioning Manager to highlight the difficulties of the patient who tried to access community district nurse services • Raise awareness of patient on-line services that allow patients to book appointments and order repeat prescriptions on-line • Continue to raise awareness of the seven day GP access services to people living in Manchester • Share the feedback in relation to blood testing services with the appropriate commissioning manager to consider when re- commissioning or re-designing future phlebotomy services • Share the feedback of this report with the Patient and Public Advisory Group complaints sub-group to inform the design of a useful information sheet that includes contact telephone numbers • Share the feedback above about the transition from children services to adult social services with our Director of Adult Social Care to consider • Continue to raise awareness of the Recovery Academy for mental health services, along with raising awareness of the improving access to psychological therapies services in Manchester https://www.selfhelpservices.org.uk/service/manchester-psychological- wellbeing-service/ Share the positive feedback above with Harpurhey Podiatry service to share with their staff

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Hate Crime Awareness Event

PLANT HILL PARK / BLACKLEY: ‘HATE CRIME’ EVENT:

Every year for the past 5 years, Northwards Housing has traditionally held their ‘Hate Crime’ event in conjunction with the city wide Manchester Hate Crime week at one of our local based offices in Blackley. This year, due to office refurbishments, this has not been possible so, we decided to link it up with a community day held at Plant Hill Park in Blackley. We chose to hold the event in this location, as we are suffering an increase in this type of behaviour from a number of local youths who are targeting residents and visitors for many reasons such as, age related / targeting the elderly and some new tenants from ethnic minority groups.

These Northwards Resident Involvement Team led community engagement days aim to give the young people on our estates something to do during the half term & summer breaks and as a diversion from anti-social behaviour. We called up the services of our partner agencies from GMP & GMFRS who engaged the public, particularly the young ones, advising how to stay safe and to keep out of trouble and warned of the consequences of general Anti-Social Behaviour and in particular hate crime offences which young people don’t often view or even consider a crime. Over 200 members of the public, including a large proportion of youths and young people attended the event and as well as having fun on the fairground rides and attractions, hopefully also took on board the messages from the officers in respect of their unsavory behaviour.

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LGBT Forum Fit 4 Life Event

22.3.18 at Victoria Square

Welcome to our 'new' style quarterly LGBT Forum Network. This was the first of three planned Northwards LGBT Network events of the year. The Forum decided on holding this pilot event / get together, in order to gage interest for similar styled future events and it was quite a success.

Approximately six bases were in place and on offer on the day; Outside: Fairground style throwing games, circus juggling / diablo skills, Interactive Challenge. All these tasks involved hand to eye coordination, balance, accuracy & gentle exercise.

Inside: Pilates / armchair exercises, hand craft & art, healthy eating and health checks by Buzz.

The whole event focused on residents leading healthier lifestyles, getting out of the home and socially interacting with others thus stimulating not only the physical aspects of the body, but to also increase ones mental conditioning. The event was well attended and enjoyed by everyone on the day; needless to say, we will be holding similar events again in the very near future in order to carry on the good work.

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Radequal Network Event

Challenge Connect Champion

The Resident Involvement Team held their latest Residents Network event at the Irish World Heritage Centre in Cheetham Hill. The theme this time was 'Making Manchester Safer', getting residents involved by trying to build community resilience to prejudice, hate and extremism. Radequal is Manchester’s campaign to build community resilience through empowering and enabling organisations and communities to come together to challenge hate, prejudice and extremism. The campaign has three principles;

• Challenge Identifying and understanding the concerns and challenges across and within communities that could create divisions and tensions (hate, prejudice and extremism) - Not just the stats and research, but also the less obvious causes of tension, such as people’s attitudes and behaviours that have the potential to lead to conflict or division.

• Connect Connecting communities, groups and organisations, and building relationships to create a network of credible voices. - Not just newcomers, but also long-standing residents, coming together, making neighbourhoods and communities stronger; not just face-to-face, but also via social media.

• Champion Championing Manchester’s radical reputation for campaigning for equality and inclusion, welcoming difference and recognising our shared identity and values. - Not just by celebrating our diversity and what we have in common, but by preparing people for difficult debates, critical thinking and asking the tough questions that help us to find better alternatives and the right support and advice.

The network events are attended by many of our Tenant and Resident group members and local champions from across the Northwards areas. The aims and objectives are to bring residents together a couple of times a year in order to meet up and discuss the latest housing topics and share thoughts and ideas.

The feedback on the night was positive, with people saying they had really enjoyed the event and now had enhanced knowledge and had a greater understanding of where the 'Radequal' programme's main three principals lay. 26 | Page

We also had guest speakers, Samiya Butt (MCC Community Safety Team) Andrea Worrall & Lisa Jenkinson (Northwards) giving presentations; informing residents about Hate Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour, the Radequal campaign and Extremism.

Young people from our ASB Youth Diversion project at the Factory Youth Zone gave an inspiring talk and presented Northwards with two fabulous graffiti murals depicting their thoughts on ‘Hate Crime’ which they have made while attending the project over the past few months. The murals will be framed and hung in our Whitemoss Road office after the current refurbishment is complete.

Our hope now is that the attendees will cascade this information back to their resident groups and neighbours in their respective areas.

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Retirement Housing Events to tackle Isolation and Loneliness The purpose of the events listed below, was to bring people together to overcome social isolation and loneliness. The events were a great success and very well attended. We promoted the events using our Communications Team. Everyone was included and encouraged to come along and join in. We discussed ideas with residents and made sure we were arranging an event or activity that would be widely attended. We also brought in residents living in the vicinity of the Retirement Schemes to join in and get together with other residents. This then encouraged communication and conversation between residents that would not normally meet. The events also gave us the opportunity to promote the different types of activities or breakfast/lunch clubs that we have in place at various schemes on a regular basis. This means people in the community living in isolation know that they would be welcome to come along and join in or participate in anything of interest to them.

Scheme Date of event Event Cost of event Aldbourne Court 03.01.18 Trip to Theatre for £120 Xmas party attended £150 by residents - live 08.12.17 entertainer Audrey Maddison

Victoria Square Buffet for Christmas £300 Party

Refreshments for £183 Digital Sessions - June, July, Sept, Oct 17

Apprentice 08.02.18 Trip Carls mini bus £85 Court 21.02.18 Party with residents & £100 others living locally Entertainer for St 23.04.18 Georges day £55 Sir Robert 14.02.18 Party with residents & £200 Thomas Court others living locally Joseph Dean 14.12.17 Xmas Party for £150 Court residents Whitebeck Court Oct -8th Nov 17 Keep fit sessions Oct £142 28 | Page

-8th Nov 17

Oct 17 Neighbours Day £64 Exercise Group £100

Digital sessions £190

Refreshments £188 George Halstead 08.12.17 Xmas party & Easter £250 23.03.18 party

Digital safety event 26.02.18 for residents & others £180 living locally

Annie Darby 07.12.17 Christmas party with £150 Court residents and others living in the locality. Edward Grant 20.12.17 Xmas lunch for £150 Court 08.12.17 residents Xmas Buffet for residents & others in £200 local community

27.03.18 Easter party £100 Duncan Digital safety event £180 Edwards Court for residents & others living locally Whitemoss Afternoon Tea x 2 £200 Gardens Liverton Court 14.03.18 Trip to Oswaldtwistle £130 Mill- Carls mini bus Afternoon tea for 21.03.18 residents £161

Clifford Lamb Christmas Lunch, £60 Court bringing residents together that rarely leave their homes TBA Afternoon Tea £150 Harry Pigott June 18 BBQ for residents & £150 Court others in local community 2 new benches for £250 the garden

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Residents’ Comments & Feedback

Aldbourne All had a trip to Christmas panto where some of us had never been or not been for years, had a fantastic time & want to do it again next year. Annie Darby Ct The CCG money purchased a brand new bingo machine and most people here look forward to playing every week. Some may only attend every now and then but it is good to know they are aware we are always here on a Friday, should they feel like coming in Apprentice Ct We had a really good turn out to the event, this included several family members who also joined in the activities Duncan Edwards All enjoyed the event brought people in from outside Ct community Edward Grant Ct Residents enjoy a party with other people from outside the scheme thanks to the CCG money that made it happen George Halstead All had great time on all the events seen people that they CT haven’t seen for a while Harry Pigott Ct Events not until June Joseph Dean Ct All had a wonderful time, it’s nice to see residents coming out that wouldn’t normally socialise Sir Robert Several people who don’t normally use the lounge came to Thomas Ct the event and said what a great afternoon it was. Val said she would go to the next one

Conclusion This funding has enabled Northwards Housing and local community groups to address the aims and objectives set out by North Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group. As a result, we have impacted on reducing Social Isolation, whether through north Manchester residents attending community groups, partaking in activities in our retirement schemes or being socially active at the North Manchester Fitness classes. This funding has also allowed Northwards Housing to support various organisations working with north Manchester residents to improve their mental health and wellbeing. This is particularly evident in the work carried out by ‘Open Minds but Silent Sounds’ and North Manchester Community Partnership. Finally, we hope that the anecdotal evidence within this report shows that the residents of north Manchester have not only contributed, but also benefited from this joint partnership working between Northwards Housing and North Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group. Northwards Housing Resident Involvement Team Louise & Ian