Utility Aid’s new Switching Site

Our partner, Utility Aid understands that staff and volunteers alike are time-poor and with this in mind, they want to make their services more accessible and compatible with flexi/volunteering hours.

They have launched a new online switching service which will enable users to get instant access to commercial utility quotations from a list of reliable credit-vetted suppliers at any time. The online service also includes a chat function where users can speak with one of Utility Aid’s Energy Specialists online between 9am-5 pm.

Find out more and make the switch here.

Funding awarded to support Youth Volunteering across Humber and North Yorkshire

Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has been awarded a grant as part of Volunteering for Health – a £10 million programme being delivered in partnership by NHS England, NHS Charities Together and CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Volunteering for Health aims to maximise the benefits of volunteers as a vital resource in delivering health and social care nationally and locally, whilst strengthening volunteering infrastructure.

The programme is part of NHS England’s response to the NHS Volunteering Taskforce which brought together health charities, volunteers, clinicians, civil servants and policy makers. The Taskforce published its recommendations in June 2023, concluding that more can be done nationally and locally to maximise the benefits of volunteers and volunteering in the NHS.

Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership was one of 15 partnerships across the UK to successfully bid for funding. Partnerships are made up of voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, NHS Trusts, integrated care boards (ICBs), local authorities (LAs) and NHS charities.

Grants were awarded to applicants who were able to demonstrate how they intended to break down barriers, test new models and develop guidance and best practice that can be shared across the NHS and beyond.

Their aim as a partnership is to enable and embed youth volunteering for all volunteer-involving health and care organisations across the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership by scaling-up existing programmes from their system. One of those key existing programmes are the youth volunteering programmes at Hull University Teaching Hospital (HUTH).

A video they produced as part of the application process can be viewed here.

Gary Sainty, Head of VCSE, Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), said:

“Our partnership working as part of the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership’s Workforce Breakthrough Group: ‘Volunteers at the Heart of the System’ was crucial to the success of our bid by demonstrating our approach to bringing together volunteering champions from across the different areas of our system.

As a partnership we have already generated ambitious ideas and with the Volunteering for Health investment we will work together to bring these to reality and test system-wide and cross-sector approaches that everyone can benefit from.”

The grant will be paid in instalments over the next three years, until the end of June 2027. Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership will receive an initial payment for the development phase, with an ambition to begin delivering the programme by March 2025.

The ‘Volunteers at the Heart of the System Group’ will be working with the fund to develop this 3-year long project.

Alison Semmence, CEO of York CVS and lead for the Volunteering at the Heart of the System group commented:

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to increase volunteering across the health and care system and give young people the opportunity to work in these settings.  We know volunteering makes a big difference to volunteers themselves, the people they support and the organisations they volunteer for – everyone wins.”

Rachael Hardcastle-Pearce, Young Health Champions and Voluntary Service Lead for Humber Health Partnership (HUTH), commented:

“We’re delighted that the Volunteers at the Heart of the System bid has been successful and that Humber Health Partnerships (HUTH) youth volunteering programmes were highlighted as an example of good practice to be used as a foundation for this project and to be shared with our wider System and nationally.”

For any questions about this project, please contact the VCSE Team via hnyicb.vcseteam@nhs.net.

Let’s Talk Active

Conversations are part of Let’s Talk North Yorkshire’s continued commitment to listen to people who live and work in North Yorkshire. They want to hear from you! Please fill in the online survey here.

Let’s Talk would like to know if you are physically active, what is important to you about being active, and any barriers you face. This will help them to develop council leisure facilities and community-based sport and leisure services now and in the future.

Watch a short clip about the campaign here.

Their new Active North Yorkshire service will have a stronger focus on health and wellbeing, supporting more people to be active, especially people who may need additional support and who don’t currently use their services.

If you are a leisure centre user, gathering information on how you perceive and experience your local leisure centre will help them to identify strengths as well as areas for improvement. They are also keen to hear from you if you don’t currently use their facilities – understanding why you don’t use them is just as valuable.

Understanding what’s important to you in terms of physical activity helps them to develop their facilities and plan their programmes of activity. It helps them to know what they currently do well, what they could do better and differently and where the gaps are.

As part of a wider approach to improving health and wellbeing, leisure centres could potentially offer a broader range of support, such as health checks, nutritional advice, or mental health services. They are keen to explore your interest in these additional services and the benefits of a wider approach.

There are several ways you can take part in Let’s Talk Active:

You can fill in an online survey here – the survey is on Commonplace, which is a safe and easy-to-use online tool used to engage with communities, by over 250 organisations including neighbouring councils in Leeds and West Yorkshire.

If you would prefer, you can pick up a paper copy from your local library, leisure centre or main local office and return it in the envelope provided.

You can also email letstalk@northyorks.gov.uk or call 0300 131 2 131 (please say ‘Let’s Talk’ when prompted) to request a survey.

You can write to:

Let’s Talk

North Yorkshire Council

County Hall

Northallerton

DL7 8AD

Accessible formats of the survey are available on request. Please share your views and encourage your colleagues, friends and family to do the same. The survey closes on 4 November 2024.

 

World Mental Health Day 2024

Join us as we celebrate World Mental Health Day 2024.

Today we’re supporting the Mental Health Foundation to celebrate World Mental Health Day.

Created by the World Federation for Mental Health, this year’s theme focuses on workplace mental health, emphasising the importance of prioritising mental health and wellbeing at work, benefiting individuals, organisations, and communities alike.

To help mark today’s occasion, we’ve pulled together a variety of information and resources, including:

  • The Mental Health Foundation’s downloadable resources, which features shareable posters and social media graphics.
  • Our VCSE Wellbeing Toolkit, perfect for supporting you at any stage of your wellbeing journey.

Let’s come together to start an important conversation about mental health.

#WMHD24

Community First Yorkshire welcomes arrival of Project Gigabit

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Today’s announcement by Telecoms Minister, Chris Bryant, that more than 4,500 rural homes and businesses across Yorkshire are now able to access superfast broadband services has been welcomed by Jane Colthup, Chief Executive of Community First Yorkshire.

The improved services are being introduced thanks to local investment of £60m – part of the government’s £5 billion national flagship programme known as Project Gigabit. Up to 28,000 connections in hard-to-reach rural areas will come on-stream once the full roll-out is complete in 2030 with the goal of driving economic growth and fixing the digital divide that plagues people living and working in remote areas.

Speaking on BBC Radio York today (26 September) Jane said: “This is fantastic news that rural communities in North Yorkshire are to get the same superfast speeds as the rest of the world. To improve people’s access to work opportunities and crucial services such as remote health and welfare support, good broadband is absolutely vital and for so long that’s not something we’ve been able to access sufficiently in North Yorkshire.”

Discussing the news, she also highlighted the importance of better connectivity to improve social inclusivity in rural areas – so important to help older people keep in-touch with friends and family.

While welcoming the news, Jane added that access to digital support and training is also crucial to make sure people can make the most of better connectivity and the opportunities it brings. This is something Community First Yorkshire has been focused on with its Digital Inclusion Project , backed by North Yorkshire Council and the NHS in North Yorkshire.

The lack of adequate mobile phone coverage in North Yorkshire was another ongoing issue, she said, with so-called mobile ‘not-spots’ impacting on rural residents and businesses. “This is a fundamental requirement of everyday living in the 21st century,” she added.

To listen to the interview in full, click on the image below.

 

Read more about Project Gigabit on the government website.

International Day of Older People

Today we’re celebrating the vital role of older generations in our communities this International Day of Older People.

Our Age Friendly Network is supporting the Centre for Ageing Better today (1 October) to celebrate the International Day of Older People!

We’re looking to help change the narrative on ageing with this year’s theme, “the part we play”, celebrating the integral role of older people in our communities.

As part of our work to help encourage an age friendly community across the county, we partnered with North Yorkshire Council to create the Age Friendly Network for older people living in North Yorkshire. Within this network we provide an independent representative voice and, together with our network members, we talk to local service providers, share information, raise the issues that really matter and work to make change happen.

To help mark the occasion, the Centre for Ageing Better has pulled together a variety of resources, and a number of events will be taking place across the region, including:

Be sure to join our Network and celebrate our older generations with us this International Day of Older People.

North Yorkshire Council Artificial Intelligence Event

There is a lot of hype about Artificial Intelligence and how it is going to radically change the way we live and work.  It is true that there is a lot of opportunity, and we can start to imagine a world where we all have our own personal assistants to help us with the work we find too time consuming or laborious.

Perhaps AI can help make the technology we use everyday easer to manage or the support we provide to be more flexible.

The opportunities are endless and developing each day. North Yorkshire Council (NYC) is very clear on what social care of the future might look like and we need social care expertise to shape the discussion, to inform and inspire it so that we are led not by what technology can do but about what it should do.

Please come and be a part of the conversation, learn about new opportunities and how NYC are making sure they take an innovative yet ethical approach, talk to others and share the time to learn, reflect and contribute to the future of social care.

18th October 2024 – Harrogate Convention Centre.  9:30 am – 3:30 pm

Introductions

  • Social Care, Ethical Innovation and AI

Examples   

  • How AI can help and how it is being used in social care

Lunch provided

  • and the opportunity to discuss, share and reflect on the morning.

Table discussions

  • Ask – what can AI do for you?  How can technology do better?
  • Ask – how do you feel about AI ?

Summary and close

There will be outputs from the day to support ongoing conversations and discovery such as: plans for pilot work to try and test AI tools in social care and, statements of intent for how and when Social Care will accept.

For places contact cath.ritchie@northyorks.gov.uk

Residents urged to check they are registered to vote

Residents across North Yorkshire are being reminded to check they are registered to vote at their address so that everyone who has the right to take part in upcoming elections can have their say on decisions that affect them.

Like all UK local authorities, every year North Yorkshire Council’s elections team is required by law to confirm whether the details held on the electoral register are correct. This is known as the annual canvass.

Households with teenagers should be aware that the electoral register can be important for getting a credit rating, which is required when applying for a mobile phone contract or credit card. From age 16 British citizens and qualifying Commonwealth or EU citizens living in the UK can be added.

The letter or email people receive from the council will set out what they need to do, and recipients are asked to respond as soon as possible to prevent costly reminders being posted out.

Households that have not responded before mid-October should expect a visit from someone to get the information needed in person.

Anyone concerned about the risk of scams should be reassured that the council will never ask for bank details as part of the annual canvass. There are also examples of the forms online, so people know what questions to expect.

A revised register will be published on 1 December. Find out more about the annual canvass in North Yorkshire and registering to vote at www.northyorks.gov.uk/annualcanvass

 

Health and Wellbeing Conversations training

This training, led by the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership VCSE Collaborative,  is aimed at line managers (of any profession), peers and colleagues working in Health and Social Care roles who have caring responsibilities for staff.

It is designed to help you develop the skills to hold safe, effective wellbeing conversations. All discussions in the group will remain confidential and no personal stories will be shared outside of the training session.

Some of the topics covered include:

  • Why wellbeing conversations matter
  • A helpful framework for your conversation
  • What enables supportive, helpful conversations
  • What if – example scenarios of challenging conversations that may arise and guidance on how to manage these

Dates/times of the training:

  • 17 October (12-1pm)
  • 21 November (12-1pm)
  • 15 January (12-1pm)
  • 6 February (12-1pm)

Book here today.

Humber and North Yorkshire launch Whole System Reward and Recognition Programme

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Have your say and share your thoughts

Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (HNY HCP) has announced the launch of its Whole System Reward and Recognition Group.

The purpose of the group is to identify and embed schemes which:

  • Recognise, celebrate and showcase the achievements of HNY Health, Care and VCSE staff
  • Reward staff through the provision a contemporary portfolio of non-pay staff benefits, which level-up, wherever possible, the offer to all health, care and VCSE staff.

HNY HCP is inviting you to feedback your thoughts on both their current reward and recognition programmes, and ask you to share what you would like to see in the future. To do this they have created a simple, short and anonymous 5-minute survey, which closes on 20 September.

For more information read their informative document, and you can access the survey here.

“Offering a sincere thank you for a job really done is the very least we can do to all our hard-working staff.”

Alex Seale, North Lincolnshire Place Director, HNY ICB and SRO of the Whole System Reward and Recognition programme