This is the 3rd post in a series looking at Bromford Squads. Here we look at the work of the Health Squad - and how they are aiming to better link housing, community and wellbeing.
“Our squad will be looking at what good health or good wellbeing actually means for our very different customers and what part we play, or could play, in helping them achieve it.”
As part of the conversations we have with the Bromford Deal, we've come to realise the huge impact health and wellbeing can have on customers lives.
We've heard many stories of people feeling they can't achieve their aspirations because of health issues. We know Bromford can't solve everything - but we can help people access vital community support and resources.
John Wade put the health squad together and we asked him what he hoped to achieve:
"Wellbeing is about feeling safe, secure, having a sense of belonging, enough money to get by, having human contact and feeling fulfilled in some way. It’s about feeling happy. Each of these things will mean something different for each person and will change throughout their life."
There are huge social factors behind some of these issues so we asked John where we could begin:
"Finding the right property, in the right location, for each customer would be a great start. We expect to develop some new services but we’ll also be working in partnership with other agencies, plugging in to online services and seeking to harness the skills, talents and time of all those within our communities."
Squad discussions taking place in Basecamp
One of the things the Health Squad will explore more is the relationship between housing and health providers. Although there are some great examples of partnership working , the NHS and social housing sectors have generally not been brilliant at connecting their work.
As you'll see on our publicly accessible Trello board - we are already conducting a number of service offer pilots around the health agenda - but the squad will be looking even wider.
Some of the things they will be exploring:
- How can matching customers to the right community impact on health and wellbeing?
- How can technology and connected care play more of a role in communities?
- How can the condition and features of our homes support better wellbeing?
- How can we join up digital health resources and promote to customers?
- Who are the very best community health champions in our neighbourhoods?
We'll be featuring the work of the health squad prominently - and remember you can get more involved by signing up to be a Lab Tester.