Can you believe it? Countrymen UK and Future Roots have just scooped a national award for our approach to health care. Well, you can believe it now!
We were presented with the award for Care and Clinical Practice by Professor Lord Robert Winston at the Sustainable Health and Care Awards in Birmingham on 21 November.
The Care and Clinical Category highlighted projects which demonstrated knowledge of Clinical Care models and how they are developed and deployed and also have an understanding of early prevention and early intervention as a core consideration in the design of any care service. That’s the jargon bit!
But, in short, the Countrymen UK model is acknowledged as a positive and sustainable method of providing services to our communities.
Who said what?
Judges said, “We thought this was new, innovative, indeed unique. Older men are probably a neglected group of people and not always the easiest to engage with. In rural areas they are more at risk of isolation and loneliness. We liked the detailed evaluation and the focus on communities and individuals.”
We said, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Then we said, “We never dreamed that we would win our category. We were just thrilled that we had managed to be a finalist. There were some very strong and worthy NHS and CCG projects competing alongside us.”
Someone else said, “It’s fantastic that a third sector organisation is being recognised. The sector is being seen as a valuable asset in the health and social care arena. This can only reinforce our campaign for social prescribing and assist with strengthening the united voice of Countrymen UK’s Social Franchise network of care farms.”
What’s on the horizon?
Well, in the current Health and Social Care climate, the Government’s five year sustainability and transformation plan aims to:
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redesign primary care and community services, with ambitions to integrate health and social care and deliver a wider range of services in the community
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strengthen prevention and early intervention and promote healthy lifestyles by supporting people to manage their own health and address wider social factors that influence health.
The Sustainable Health and Care Campaign is a partnership between the Sustainable Development Unit for NHS England, Public Health England and NHS Employers. It is backed by 25 major national health organisations that make up the Cross System Group for sustainable health and care.
And…
For more information about joining the Countrymen UK network, please contact the team on 01963 210789 or drop us an email at [email protected]
PS:
We’re up for another award on 7 December. Will it be another celebration? Or not?