Health & Wellbeing

We have worked closely with the Public Health team to support the LiveWell health improvement hub, Purbeck Pledge, and Health & Wellbeing Forums, and are currently working with Dorset County Council to support integration of VCSE sector services into the new Domiciliary and Residential Care contract framework.  We offer Health & Wellbeing skills based training including:

• ​Healthy Conversations training – supporting groups to engage confidently in health related conversations with clients, volunteers and staff. This is part of the Making Every Contact Count (MECC) Public Health agenda.
• Five Ways to Wellbeing – introducing the concept of 5 Ways as an engagement, wellbeing, assessment, and outcome recording tool, that encourages individuals to look at their own, their volunteers and staff health & wellbeing.
• Motivational Interviewing – a recognised approach to supporting health behaviour change.  This technique can be imbedded into everyday practice and more specialist approaches to working with people. 

​See here for our Case Study: VCSE Navigators

We view the further development of our health & social care work as vital to making best use of the VCSE sector, if we are going to meet the targets of reducing unplanned hospital admissions, and delaying the on patients going into intensive social care.  To join us on the journey, contact Paula Bennetts on 01202 847612.

​So whether you are a VCSE service provider of health and social care services or a local stakeholder, please do talk to us about how DCA can support you by providing a VCSE Navigation service that:​

For health & social providers

• Helps you gain an understanding of VCSE services in Dorset, by engaging DCA’s district and county level networks and knowledge base
• Assist you in meeting new contracting requirements around the Social Value Act and outcome based commissioning, through our close relationships with Council, Public Health and CCG Commissioners
• Training frontline staff to enable them to engage with health behaviour change more confidently, through our Five Ways to Wellbeing, Making Every Contact Count & Motivational Interviewing

For GP’s

• Find VCSE solutions to patient social care issues through DCA connecting you to a range of local services you can trust
• Enable you to build a relationship with trusted VCSE providers, through our ability to check quality of VCSE service provision and support the VCSE sector to improve the quality of its services
• Have confidence in patient confidentiality, through using our fully qualified and professional vetted staff

For partners & stakeholders

• By being an independent single point of access for the VCSE
• Reducing the demand (need) for high cost care (acute hospital interventions, and long term residential and nursing care
• Enabling more care to be delivered locally and enabling people to live independently for as long as possible