Update No 19- Lowestoft Rising Sponsoring Group
“Lowestoft Rising Update”
Update No 19- Lowestoft Rising Sponsoring Group
Date 8th September 2016
This is the nineteenth of the regular update reports the Support Group will provide to the Sponsoring Group. It will be a bullet point update under the agreed work stream heading for ease of reading. The updates will then be saved on our Website and use to update the Action Plan. We are happy to take feedback on the format so that we can provide the most suitable updates to you.
Our Pledge.
Lowestoft Rising remains committed to making Lowestoft a better place in which to grow up, live, work, visit and invest.
Aspiration and Pride are key to such success. Our focus therefore remains on raising the aspirations of everyone, and especially our young people, who we will help to reach their full potential.
Similarly we will continue to strive to generate a greater feeling of ‘Pride in Lowestoft’.
We will also continue to work in collaboration with our partners, integrating and improving services to make them more effective and accessible for the people of Lowestoft.
In particular though we will be increasing our emphasis on improving mental wellbeing for everyone, and providing greater support to prevent and address drug and alcohol dependency.
1. Mental Well-Being Services
· Norfolk and Waveney’s new NSFT Well-being services is now part of the Social Prescribing offer at Kirkley Mill, providing one afternoon dedicate surgery that GP’s can refer patients to the Well-being service in the same building providing immediate access to the service.
· NSFT and SCC, teaming up with Ormiston Denes and Poplars Primary to provide an educational physiologist service in schools to support and train staff to better deal with mental well-being issues. Access Community Trust will provide the family support to families identified as needing extra support. The PCC has provided money to furnish a suite within the school to be used by families and Access to deliver support.
· CCR MENTAL HEALTH NURSES AND TRIAGE POLICE CAR ROTAS (Lowestoft Rising has assisted to fund this facility)
From 25 July 2016 and there will be a nurse in the Police Control Room and the Triage car almost every day.
The Control Room nurses will be prioritising and directing the car to incidents across the county.
The nurses are here to assist officers whether it’s on the telephone via the Control Room or the triage car. They have access to NHS systems so they can look up people and give officers the best advice on how to deal with that individual if they are known to services.
Officers must wherever possible, contact the CCR Nurses prior to detaining someone under S136 MHA. The nurses have access to information which may mean that detention is not necessary. The officers can either contact the nurses in the Control Room or MH80 in the car; they operate from 2 pm-midnight most days.
· Access Community Trust and Feedback Trust with CCG launch “ Community Embracing Mental Health” initiative to raise awareness of how to help people with Mental Health in Lowestoft.
2. Aspiration and Potential - In support of Raising the Bar.
· Ormiston Denes Academy is recognised by the North Suffolk Sports Partnership for its outstanding sports participation, taking part in 52 sporting competitions winning 11 championship titles and 10 runners up awards. They were also the overall winners for Participation and Inclusion and awarded a Silver position for their overall work.
· Year 10 Careers Day, over 400 High School students attended the 6th Form and FE College campus to take part in a progression/employability day to help decide on career choices. Supported by Lowestoft Rising and WDC. Feedback from students has been very good and plans are underway to look at running this again in 2017 but with even more businesses involved in the day.
· Schools Poetry Competition, over 1200 Primary school children attend the workshops, which had 3 para Olympians and a world famous performance poet telling their story, and challenged the pupils to write poems that reflected the Olympic spirit. The 5 winning poets were presented their prizes at the Summer Festival by the Brazilian Ambassador.
· Barriers to Learning, Standards and Excellence Team at SCC are organising a conference in Lowestoft and inviting schools to attend to discuss and look at ways of assisting those who have Barriers to Learning as part of its work to improve educational attainment. The workshop style conference will give professional the chance to work together to identify the issues and find ways to improve services. The event is on 23rd September at the Hotel Victoria and will be opened by Lowestoft Rising.
· A Level results. Lowestoft 6th Form College produce their best ever results for A level students. With 99.1% overall pass rate and a 74% pass rate on A* to C level. 98% receiving 3 or more A levels. 52 students achieved vocational BTEC grades at distinction level.
· GCSE results. Results for 5 GCSE’s including English and Maths A* to C level. With last year’s % in brackets. EPA 62% (43%) BBHS 49% (43%) Pakefield 56% (54%) ODA 32% (31%). Significant improvement at EPA.
· ODA. Head Teacher Peter Marshalls resigns and is replaced by Ben Driver as new interim head. This follows the loss of Perry Lindsey from Pakefield High to Dubai and College Principle Jo Pretty to Isle of Man University.
· Kingsley Healthcare Academy. Kingsley Healthcare has teamed up with Lowestoft FE College to create a Healthcare Academy. This will see 12 students selected to take part in a health care related study programme 3 days a week with 2 days’ work experience to develop skills in the area of health care in care home settings. The successful students will be supported by Kingsley Healthcare and offered jobs in the organisation at the end of the academy.
3. Redesign of Drug, Alcohol Services and to ensure better outcomes.
· Turning Point, the drug and alcohol treatment provider have joined the Social Prescribing model at Kirkley Mill providing an afternoon surgery for GP’s to refer clients direct to services in the same building. It is hoped this will encourage more people to seek help and treatment from the service.
· Interventions Process. Goes from strength to strength with more agencies joining the process and a number more cases being discharged with successful results. MEAM worker make a real difference to the lives of those under scheme.
·
4. Integration and Collaboration Projects included the Lowestoft Collaboration Academy Projects
· Kirkley Mill- Plans under way to create a Social Prescribing pilot working from Kirkley Mill commencing on 1st August This will see a triage facility run within the building to allow patients to access a wide range of additional social and voluntary sector services to help manage their conditions. Built on national pilot scheme learning the model will seek to reduce patient demand on GP’s and increase self-help.
· Citizens Advice Bureau, moved to its new premises of St Margaret’s House ( old registrar’s office) making use of the building vacated in the Riverside move and providing better facilities for CAB to function from.
· Collaboration Academy, planning for the third cohort of the academy is underway and this one is likely to be themed around mental well-being so that people can sign up to be involved in projects that improve mental well-being..
· MYGO, partnership to improve the way we provide support for young people into work, will be official opened in September but early signs are that young people are using the services and MYGO has a range of job offers, apprentice opportunities and college course ready to help young people find their way. Already some 120 young people on the books having engaged with process.
· Volunteer Co-ordinator role, plans underway to find funding to create a central post for Lowestoft that will co-ordinate the various volunteering offers with those who wish to volunteer. This has become an evident need through work under MyGo and Social Prescribing as we have nowhere to refer people to who wish to volunteer to improve their situation. Access Community Trust working with Lowestoft Rising to design the service for all to access.
· Summer Festival Grants. Following the success for Beat the Street the £3,000.00 raised has now been awarded, through the summer festival committee, to 6 local charities to help support their work with children and young people.
5. Pride in Lowestoft-( Building on what makes Lowestoft Great)
· Lowestoft Summer Festival completed and was a great success over the 3 weeks of activity. The Street velodrome and Beach Volley ball competitions were well attended with 40 teams entering the volley ball this year. The Turtle Trail is popular with the 18 professional designed Turtles, with Olympic Countries theme, at various locations about the Town. The main summer festival weekend was blessed with good weather. This brought out record numbers of people onto the sea front and beach over the 2 day event. The sandcastle competition record to build more than 520 2’x2’ sandcastles in an hour was smashed when the Town turned out and built 1574 in the hour.( Indicator-The beach full of people)
· 
· Nicholas Everitt Park, receives a green flag status again for excellent facilities and cleanliness.
· Victoria Cross Stone, is unveiled by the war memorial to commemorate its winner Claude Castleton 100 years after it was awarded for bravery in the face of enemy fire. Born and raised in Lowestoft.
· Oulton Board Gala Day. Another successful year for the annual Gala day celebration at Oulton Broad led by the Lowestoft Lions club.
· Summer Activities. Led by WDC and Catch 22 (and part funded by a Summer Festival Grant) to create fun activities on the Beach during the summer has been a great success again. The activities closed on 30th August with a special event at the Aquarium including a Brazilian Capoeira workshop.