Keith Harrison-Broninski, Project Lead
Royal Society of Arts
Sponsor
"The RSA (Royal Society of Arts) awarded Role Modellers Ltd a Catalyst grant in 2015 to help develop the Town Digital Hub service, and continues to promote Town Digital Hub via its fellowship network and through our communication channels." (Lou Matter, Royal Society of Arts Area Manager for South West and Wales)
“Following our early collaborations at the INTBAU World Congress in 2016, INTBAU is delighted to be discussing partnership opportunities with the Town Digital Hub service to help strengthen communities worldwide.” (Harriet Wennberg, INTBAU Senior Manager at The Prince's Foundation for Building Community)
Frome Town Council
Sponsor
"The Town Digital Hub service was commissioned by Frome Town Council in 2015 and 2016 to provide a unified platform for community assets in the town. A great range of meetings were held over the period to tease out the needs of community groups and how this fits into the holistic requirements of the community for a co-ordinated approach to information sharing." (Peter Macfadyen, Leader of Frome Town Council)
Dr Helen Kingston
Advisor
Dr Helen Kingston is a pioneering GP who in 2018 was given a Points of Light award by Prime Minister Theresa May and commended by Minister for Loneliness Tracey Crouch for recognising the impact loneliness was having on the physical health of her patients. Helen set up the "Compassionate Frome" project in 2013 in partnership with Frome Medical Practice and Health Connections Mendip to help people reconnect with their community, which has led to a 17% drop in emergency admissions in the town as well as a fall in the cost of admissions by 21%. Helen is now working with Town Digital Hub to extend the service to provide volunteer-led coaching/advocacy to people with multiple complex life issues.
Birmingham South Central Clinical Commissioning Group
Sponsor
Development of Town Digital Hub was co-sponsored by Birmingham South Central Clinical Commissioning Group.
"In 2016, the Living Well Consortium decided to use the Town Digital Hub as a digital platform and a change agent to support asset building and social prescribing services in Edgbaston and Ladywood area. As it is a preventative model, we envision that the client’s involvement in creating their wellness plan and having access to this online service will support them in gaining control of their recovery and the development of the resilience within the community. Having easy access to their plan enables them to access services, give rich feedback, contribute to the services within the community and then eventually creating new assets within their communities." (Graham Beaumont, Chief Executive, Living Well Consortium)
Dr Ewan Hamnett
Advisor
"WellBrum (the Birmingham deployment of Town Digital Hub) offers a unique opportunity to reverse the isolation and inactivity that is causing the NHS to implode. It is imperative for our society and the NHS that we reconnect individuals both physically and emotionally. WellBrum is the perfect tool for this." (Dr Ewan Hamnett, City Champion for Tackling Physical Inactivity, Birmingham City Council)
Dr Paul Turner
Advisor
"GPs simply cannot continue to attempt to deal with the mounting needs which burden people coming through our doors. Medicalising distress can so often lead to people being given something they don't need, unrealistic expectations and burnout/compassion fatigue in clinicians. Coordinated approaches to social prescribing have shown benefits in wellbeing, health outcomes and cost for a range of people with long term conditions, who attend GP surgeries very frequently without obvious benefit and who have common mental health problems. WellBrum offers just such an approach, which doesn't take responsibility away from people, but helps them find something in their community which could make a lasting difference. This needs to cover the length and breadth of the city!" (Dr Paul Turner, Clinical Commissioning Lead for Mental Health at Birmingham South Central Clinical Commissioning Group and West Midlands Combined Authority)
Dr Richard Kimberlee
Advisor
"Town Digital Hub takes a uniquely holistic approach to social prescribing."
Dr Richard Kimberlee is a founding and steering group member of the Social Prescribing Network UK and is the current South West regional lead. His current research interests include evaluating complex community and health interventions. This evaluative work includes analysis of SRB, Big Lottery, NRSI, Sport England and EDF programmes and he has worked with third sector organizations in the UK and across Europe to develop the capacity of the sector to profile their work. He has written key articles on the value and nature of social prescribing and made policy recommendations on sustaining and expanding holistic social prescribing practice.
Lt Col Trevor Philpott OBE RM (Retd) FRSA
Advisor
Trevor Philpott OBE FRSA is a former Royal Marine officer who, since retiring from the Corps in 1997, has worked within the voluntary sector, promoting penal reform and more recently, the spirit enshrined within the Armed Forces Covenant. Trevor is Director of The Veteran’s Change Partnership which with its Support Hub provides training, therapy, information/advice/guidance and peer mentor support via its network of like-minded organisations to military veterans struggling in transition back into civvy street, including those within the criminal justice system. The VCP is working with Town Digital Hub with a view to scaling and sustaining their advocacy services via use of digital tools.
